[nabs-l] Frustrating High School Issue...

[Jedi Moerke]

Greetings,

Arielle has already given you some great suggestions on navigating your school without braille  signs. I would add that the signs may have tactile print on them already. Check those out and see if they will work for you. Don't forget that it is also okay to ask people which room you are about to enter. I use this technique from time to time. These techniques will definitely work for you, but don't stop your advocacy efforts for the accessible signs as they are a requirement of the ADA and new buildings and retrofitted ones.

Finally, I do believe the National Center does actually have Braille  signs. I don't know about the old part of the building, but the new part has some very nice signs indeed.

Respectfully,
Jedi

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jan 28, 2014, at 10:00 PM, johnnie Jean duran <johnniejduran at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Dear National Association of Blind Students,
> As some of you are aware of, next year, I will become a 9th grader
> (freshman) at Alameda International High School. This high school is a
> public school in Lakewood Colorado.
> While visiting the school for the first time, I'd realized that the
> area in which the 9th grade students have classes in, has no braille
> on the walls. There are 2 pods, that look exactly alike, but there is
> no braille on each doorway to identify which room you are entering.
> This is going to be an issue for me because there is no way of
> identifying which room I am entering, or which pod I am in. I brought
> this situation up to my TVI and ONM teachers. My ONM teacher then
> informed me that she'd spoken to Alameda several times, and they've
> made it seem as if this issue was not a necessity. My TVI told me that
> she would talk to the administration about this issue. A few days
> later, she happily informed me that they were getting braille up on
> the walls ASAP.
> 2 months later, while I am viseting the school with my 8th grade
> class, we took a tour through the pods, and still I did not see any
> braille. At a parent night my Mom attended tonight, she brought up the
> issue to the Assistant Principal as well. He informed us that he's
> been aware of the situation for several years, and then turned away as
> if it were not important enough to discuss. He then told us, that I
> would be placed in a challenge room with students who have multiple
> disabilities. I was frustrated with this issue because of the fact
> that I do not need to be in a challenge room. I am capable of
> everything a sighted individual is capable of doing, and the only
> thing that is stopping me is that braille. I feel like I am being
> underestimated, and I rfuse to be placed in a challege room when I
> don't need it.
> The NFB is my last resort, therefore as experienced blind students, I
> am asking for your help. How would I take this situation to the next
> level?
> All advice is always appreciated!
> Thank you,
> JJ
> 
> -- 
> Ms. Johnnie Jean Duran
> 8th Grade Student
> O'Connell Middle School - An IB World School
> Lakewood, Colorado, United States
> Member Of The National Federation Of The Blind Of Colorado (NFBCO),
> The Colorado Association Of Blind Students (CABS), and the North Metro
> Chapter of the NFB.
> Facebook: facebook.com/johnniejean.duran
> Instagram: jj_duran13
> Skype: jj.duran13
> Kik: jjd_13
> Twitter: jj_duran_13
> 
> _______________________________________________
> nabs-l mailing list
> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nabs-l:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/loneblindjedi%40samobile.net
>