[nabs-l] Paying to be denied in the college classroom

[Ashley Bramlett]

Hello Bridget,

I thought you are an education major.
Are you studying to teach english?
Where are you in school? I've seen you here a long time, so I guess you 
might be a senior or junior.

I feel your pain. If we have support from the professor and appropriate 
accomodations and technology, we can get through anything as you said.
But, in my liberal arts education, barriers arose a lot from accessible 
technology to textbooks to professor's attitudes.

I also changed my major from elementary education to a general liberal arts 
degree.
I had other reasons to change, like the work load and that language and 
learning theories were complex,
but believe me, the attitudes of my advisor and dss coordinator  and my own 
insecurities played a role too.

The good news is I can still teach if I want to. I can go back to grad 
school and get it without worrying about general ed requirements.
I can simply focus on education then and I might even study special ed for 
either blind students or learning disabled.
I'm more mature now and determined then years ago when I was at marymount 
university anyway.

I looked for teachers who were low vision or blind and found none.
I had struggles observing classrooms, something I needed for class.

I feel that my program of study I made up combining two fields of study for 
a liberal arts degree was the right decision  because I have a broad base of 
knowledge to get a job, something that is very hard to do for entry level 
work.
I studied psychology and communication. I have many transferable skills to 
get a job in something like public relations, outreach, program 
coordination, or clerical support.
I can also tutor and I believe the few education classes I have coupled with 
my background in human development make me a good potential tutor. I know 
about stages of growth and development from child and adolescent psychology 
and disorders from abnormal psychology.
So my degree was hard earned and worth it.

Still, I  cannot help wondering what it would have been like if my school 
supported me and my parents too.
Having an elementary ed background helps in teaching blind students which 
was my original plan: ed undergrad major, and graduate course work in 
special ed.
Would I have stayed and entered the ed program? Would I have had the 
discipline to stick with it? Would my cooperating teachers been helpful?
I do not know.

On the bright side, those of us on list either have undergrad degrees or are 
working toward it.
We can shape the future. Proving ourselves is hard work, but blazing trails 
will make it easier for future students.

Its hard not to give up, but giving up means society wins. Society needs to 
accept us in the classrooms, in the front offices of corporations, and in 
the positions to impact change.
Yes times have changed, and we should be accepted. I'm also tired of feeling 
I do not belong in a class because of my legal blindness.
Depending on the class, I either drop It or work through it.
Who is paying?
Well, you are paying the professor's salary if you stay in class.
This is all the more reason to give you accomodations.

I'm in a position to take electives now for personal growth and my resume 
while seeking work.
Personally, I do not wish to pay for a class and get a half education. But 
if I were in a program, I might have no choice except if another professor 
taught the class.
So you bring up a good point. you
have to decide if its worth your money to be in a class with an adversarial 
relationship. sometimes you have to, other times there are options like 
taking it with another professor.

So in closing, I believe we need to change higher education.
Technology is more and more a barrier. So with that said, lets change 
things.
lets pass the teach act!

Ashley


-----Original Message----- 
From: Bridget Walker via nabs-l
Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2015 11:41 AM
To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nabs-l] Paying to be denied in the college classroom

Hi everyone,
The previous thread made me really think about some of the major problems we 
face in the college classroom. I'm sure many of us agree if we have support 
from the professor, technology, accessible materials, and peers we can get 
through anything.
I considered the idea of a professor saying do not show up to class because 
the topic is visual or their way of saying I don't want to deal with you 
today. Not only is this against the law but, let's identify who pays for the 
education now. It isn't your professor.
We have professors who try and dictate what courses we are able to access 
and they have no right. If you need a math class to graduate guess what, you 
take it. By law they provide reasonable accommodations you provide in 
writing.
I think this is a widespread problem that needs to be fixed for all students 
with disabilities because it's not just people who are blind.
I'm sure tired of being told I do not belong in a class because I can not 
see. Yet, somehow at the end of the semester I get an A.
I'm tired of having to prove myself to some adjunct who isn't even a doctor 
in their field and even then it doesn't make it ok.
I realize at one time people with disabilities did not go to school let 
alone college. Guess what, things have drastically changed and people need 
to get over it. I love those of you who are biology majors out there. That 
was my dream. My college would not let me major in biology because I was 
blind. I wanted nothing more then to teach high school biology. I had to 
settle for english after getting an A in intro physiology.
I'm am lucky I have financial support but, when a professor tell me not to 
go to a class or I can't take a class because I'm blind, where is my money 
going. Where is the money that supports me going?
Sorry this is a bit emotional. I just know the whole college experience 
needs to be improved.
These are just my thoughts.
Bridget

Sent from my iPad
_______________________________________________
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/bookwormahb%40earthlink.net