[nabs-l] need help

[Ashley Bramlett]

Hina,
What universities are good for people with disabilities is a matter of 
opinion.

When you say accessible campus, do you mean accessible environment or 
accessible in terms of the academic curriculum.  I don't know so I'll 
address both.

For the environment I second what Jewel said.
Any steps should be near a ramp rather than on the other side of the 
building.  All steps should have railings.  I
find the railing very helpful for balance purposes.  Elevators should be 
kept in good working order; I've been to campuses where the elevator is out 
of order and takes forever to get it fixed.  The elevator should also have 
braille and raised print numbers.
Curb cuts should be at all intersections.

With good training a blind traveler should not need much modification to the 
environment.  That said
these things would be helpful in making orientation easier.
1. The university should have a tactile map of the campus available at 
student services and the disability office.
2. Braille and large print raised signs should be by each room.  I've seen 
some restrooms without braille signs and I have to ask what it says or get 
closer and read it with my limited vision; I'm not kidding.  You don't want 
to enter the wrong restroom!

3. Major entrances should have a button to automatically open the door. 
This is helpful since I have a cane in one hand and may have something in my 
other hand.

4. Some students have sensativity to lights.  So ideally the flexibility to 
dim the lights in classrooms may be helpful.

5. If the university provides ATMS, they should have one with speech access.

6.  Cafeteria staff should have training in helping students such as 
training in sighted guide .  You need them to help you know what is at each 
station unless you have a friend walk the food line with you.

7.  Keeping hallways uncluttered and the absence of
such things as water fountains sticking out in the hallway is helpful.  Like 
Jewel, I use a cane but I have hit a water fountain.
Also keeping advertisements on stands out of the hall is helpful too.  A 
cane may not always find them because the sign only has two legs that your 
cane may or may not contact.


For access to academics, I agree with what was said.  Websites for the 
school and class use should be accessible.

It would be equal access also if the university purchased
adaptive software and technology.  Zoomtext and jaws should be available on 
computers in the library.  Ideally I think the disability office should have 
CCTVs and OCR software as well.  The university should be willing to scan 
textbooks or get them in electronic format.

For class movies if they are not audio described and its unlikely they will 
be, the professor should let the blind student borrow the  video so he/she 
can watch it with a reader.  I ran into that problem too in a communication 
class.

Ashley
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Hina" <haltaf at carrollu.edu>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2010 1:54 PM
Subject: [nabs-l] need help


> hi friends,
> I am working on a project to help a university to make their campus 
> accessible and would need some feedback from you all. please send  me some 
> of the recommendations that you think a university should implement for 
> people with disabilities?
>
>
> which universities are good for people with disabilities?
> thanks.
> hina.
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