[blParent] Print and what to do about it

[Humberto Avila]

Hello Tara

I'm not necessarily sure if this challenge of receiving print through teachers can be backed up by ADA or any public accommodation laws, but I would imagine you do have the absolute right to get documents in Braille or other alternate formats. It may not be as realistic expectation for your children's teachers but ing's something to keep persisting and insisting on. TVIs have to do the same thing anyways for their blind students, and this gives teachers ways to think and reflect upon accessible practices for everybody.

Next, you do have pretty good options of accessing printed letters if you own a smartphone. You can use a number of apps like Seeing AI, Voice Dream Scanner, KNFB reader, and such. Seeing AI from Microsoft is free and you can read anything instantly with a quick “look” with the camera. With others you take a picture and it will be recognised. 

Or you can always use AIRA.io which is now free for 5 minutes at a time, or Be My Eyes. Both services are human-interaction-based and can neutrally read, describe or tell you any visual info when you needed it. 

Best and take care!

Humberto 

“Positive thinking leads to a positive attitude which leads to positive actions which lead to positive outcomes.”
— ME

> On Aug 23, 2019, at 9:53 PM, Jo Elizabeth Pinto via BlParent <blparent at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Do you have an e-mail address for the teacher? If so, remind her via that email address that you need documents in an accessible format. If not, get an email address as soon as possible. This will probably an ongoing process with your daughter's teachers. If it doesn't resolve itself, I have a file of the part of the ADA I can send you that pertains to the issue.
> 
> As far as volunteering goes, I would assess your skills before you talk to the teacher. What are you good at? What would you really like to do? That way, you have something in mind before the teacher asks you the question or worse, doubts you before even asking. Some teachers have already preplanned specific tasks for parent volunteers that may not fit with blindness, so have your own ideas in mind in case this is true.
> 
> 
> Best of luck,
> Jo Elizabeth Pinto
> 
> “The Bright Side of Darkness”
> Is my award-winning novel,
> Available in Kindle, audio, and paperback formats.
> http://www.amazon.com/author/jepinto
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: BlParent <blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Tara Briggs via BlParent
> Sent: Friday, August 23, 2019 9:26 PM
> To: blparent at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Tara Briggs <thflute at gmail.com>
> Subject: [blParent] Print and what to do about it
> 
> Hi all! I’m hoping for some help. My daughter started kindergarten this week. I like her teacher. She seems like a nice person and she seems willing to work with me. I let her know that sending home print is not accessible to me or my husband. We need documents that she sends home in an email. So what do I get on the first day of school? Three print documents. Has anyone encountered this problem and what did you do about it?   do I have the right to have documents pertaining to my child in an accessible format? On a different note, have any of you volunteered with your children’s school and what did you do and how did you accommodate for your blindness? Thanks for any help!
> Tara
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
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