[nabs-l] Update on compress video class

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

I'm with Arielle, I don't understand how any office on campus can ban
you from asking other students for a ride.  A DSO itself may not be
allowed to make such a request, but you are acting on your behalf and
not the behalf of the school, so there's no reason why you can't ask
classmates for rides.

I actually find it incredibly inappropriate that your DSO not only
suggests a janitor take you home, but that it believes it is within DSO
functions and rules to make such a request for a student.  It's not fair
to you, as the student, and it's not fair to the janitor staff, whose
job requirements, I guarantee you, say nothing about acting as a taxi
service for certain students.

Transportation is not an accommodation any DSO has to offer or deal
with.  A disability services office only has to handle concerns and
accommodations that directly affect and deal with your education.  How
you get to and from school is not its concern.  They can provide
suggestions, as Arielle mentions, but they can't keep you from seeking
other routes different from any suggestion it makes.

As a student, it is your responsibility to check out class schedules
well before each semester and determine how to get to each class and
round up any necessary transportation.  If you don't have family or
friends who can help, and no classmates can either, and the public
transit is not a viable option, you will have to consider paying for a
service like a taxi.

Nonetheless, no one can not allow you to request a ride from fellow
classmates.  Regardless of what your DSO says, know it can't penalize
you, or stop you, from making this request.  And if, for whatever
reason, your instructor won't allow you to make a request in front of
the class, you can email students, or ask individually.

Good luck.

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
Read my blog for Live Well Nebraska.com at
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/

Message: 5
Date: Tue, 23 Aug 2011 09:28:57 -0600
From: Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com>
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
	<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Update on Compress Video Class
Message-ID:
	
<CALAYQJB1ksNLJv4jLEU2LGY9mR-UD_oP9WNq2iNKi25dDNGVgQ at mail.gmail.com>
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Hi Joshua,
I'm still a little confused about what the problem is with the
disabilities lady. There's nothing stopping you from asking another
student either for a ride, for help with understanding the video, or
both. Sometimes disability services suggests a specific way to do
something, like suggesting you take a ride from the janitor, but that's
just a suggestion. You can absolutely do whatever you feel is best to
get your accommodations even if it's not what the DSS office suggests.
Maybe I misunderstood what the issue is? Arielle