[nabs-l] SO MANY ACCOMMODATION ISSUES! Advice needed!

Fri Oct 30 04:33:49 UTC 2015

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Hello Chelsey,
Your experiences mirror a lot of what I've gone through at my
university. There are a few options you might take here. If you'd like
to get in touch with me off list, I'd be interested where you go to
school so I can do some research, but there are generally state
offices. My school hearing from the massachusetts Office of Disability
helped them get moving, although not much. I would however like to
caution you against filing anything unless you really need to. This is
your battle to choose and I think plenty will be all on board for you
filing.

Depending on your background check when you go for employment, this
filing might actually come back to bight you later. While we do have
the ADA, it doesn't prevent an employer for not hiring you over
someone "better qualified" who just happened to see the complaint.
Something like this might show future employers that you might be a
problem for them and that's something they'll avoid at all costs in
general. These issues are specifically why I've not taken more drastic
actions with regards to my college and the way I am generally treated.

I do have a few substantive ideas for you, however. First, you should
keep a log for each class as well as a log for your discussions with
ASD (I'm not sure what this is--is it your school's DS office)? If
possible, print out email exchanges and store them in a folder in
consecutive order, also reference them in your log. If not, just make
sure that you keep backups of each email exchange. If you ever need to
do so, you can print all of this out really quickly. Should you go
forward with a formal complaint, the more records you have the better
you will do.
Second, I really suggest you start working your way up the chain. If
your counselor is not accomidating, find his/her supervisor. If that
doesn't work, go up higher. Now that you are facing such issues and
your grades are at risk, I might almost suggest you start from the top
down. Don't deal with a phone-call as it gives people time to turn you
away, go straight up to the president's office, explain you are
failing due to lack of accommodations which clearly violates the ADA
and ask if you can have an appointment. This forces them to deal with
you directly; I learned this when I emailed my president and it went
to the person I deal with at the DS office; every office seems to talk
to her, whether I have a question for physical plant or something else.
Finally and perhaps the best bit of advice I can give you, although it
seems less applicable is to find staff members who will do anything
they possibly can. They're hard to find sometimes, but in each case
I've had to deal with it's the people I deal with (sometimes usually
not the professors) and not administration who are the most
understanding. It doesn't mean that they'll go to bat for you, and
this is most notable in my school where a vast majority of professors
are adjunct and at an even higher risk of losing their job, but it
does mean that they'll do what they can behind the scenes.

Good luck and feel free to get in touch if I can help at all.
Thanks,
On 10/29/2015 11:58 PM, chelsea peahl via nabs-l wrote:
> I am in dier need of advice!This is my first semester returning to
> school after taking a year-long leave of absence to receive
> blindness training in Utah. I may have entered this semester too
> confidently, but I felt like I could better advocate for myself,
> but this semester may get the better of me. I'm not just dealing
> with accessibility or accommodation issues in one or two classes,
> but all of them plus with my universities accessibility center.
> (ASD) Here is just a glimpse of whats happening Math: Everything is
> done on the board. He uses no technology in his class, and is not
> open to trying anything. I cannot see anything happening, and so
> have had to teach myself math this semester off of YouTube videos.
> He does not have office hours, and does not respond to emails. My
> midterm was not emailed to the ATC to be made accessible until the
> day of the midterm, and that is what has happened with several
> tests as well. I have a notetaker, but having to rely on her notes
> isn't enough for a math class. We have since tried using a
> transcriber, but because I have to make the font so large to read
> it, most problems do not fit on the screen. I am unable to see a
> problem start to finish because the program kicks me to wherever
> the person is typing and I am unable to look back. We have since
> discontinued this service because it wasn't working for me. We are
> looking for a new option to fill this. (ATC is looking at trying a
> video magnifier, but we won't have access to one for weeks to t ry,
> then we will have to purchase one which will take a few additional
> weeks, and by the time it arrives, the semester will be over. 
> HIstory: I have a notetaker who is decent in there, but access to
> slides is a joke. I did not receive slides until the day before the
> midterm for the semester. How do you study for a midterm when you
> get the information the day before. I have yet to receive any
> slides since our midterm 2 weeks ago. I talk to him daily almost
> begging for the slides, but it has yet to happen. Music: I have an
> intro to music class online. I learned that my accommodation letter
> was never sent (thats how my university does it for online classes)
> and therefore I have no accommodations for my tests within that
> class. I am working my hardest to get them, but its after midterms,
> so I may never receive accommodations for the course. English: My
> english class is a joke. It has been since the beginning. At first,
> my professor tried sending me into the hallways for our daily
> quizzes (I haven't figured out why) Everything is done on the board
> through powerpoint and other sources daily, and the only thing I am
> ever given access to is the quiz (Printed). She has emailed me
> asking if I was going to drop her class, has refused to give me
> quizzes with the class, calls out my blindness almost daily, and
> doesn't give me access to any extra credit that the rest of my
> class gets. Because I am unable to see the board, and she is
> unwilling to help me, I am left to figure everything out on my own.
> (which sucks. If Im paying to take a class, maybe she should teach
> me that subject) Just today, she sent me another email saying the
> stuff shown overhead isn't that important...and if I thought it was
> unfair, I should go talk to her. (I talk to her DAILY to no avail!)
> I have since been advised by ASD to not return to her class until
> f urther notice. (which is stressful because we have daily quizzes
> that can't be made up.) I also have a notetaker, but I'm lucky to
> receive a few sentences of notes once a week. ASD: My councilors
> was of accommodating me with the struggles in my classes was to
> offer to buy professors larger markers and to tell me to walk to
> the board if I can't see it. (I'm legally blind at 20/400 and
> 20/600 vision, and declining.) I have brought up these issues since
> first week, and he never tried to approach the situation in the
> slightest. After weeks of fighting, I finally got someone to listen
> to me. (our amazing Lab Tech, Jenna! She has gone above and beyond
> her job to help me, and I couldn't thank her enough.) When she
> heard there was this big of a problem, she has been working to try
> and help me solve this. I have since gone through a councilor
> change to try and get something done, and yet, nothing is
> happening. (other than a few emails sent.) Its past midterms. My
> grades are suffering because of this all, and its not my fault! I'm
> frustrated! My grades aren't due to laziness or not doing the work,
> they are from test scores because how can you study when you are
> never given the information?! It has been advised to file a formal
> grievance against the university, but I still hold on to hope that
> things will get better, but I have fought all semester. I have
> talked to professors almost daily. I've stated these issues since
> the beginning. I have fought with the ASD more than once a week. I
> have had to get a new councilor, and have sat through multiple
> meetings a week with the ASD and ATC. I have had to threaten a
> formal grievance, (and may have to file one.) I overall feel like
> I'm becoming the ASD "Problem client" and thats the last thing I
> want. I just want access to my classes! I know I should pick my
> battles, but if I back down now, I'm backing down for the next
> three years or longer, and I'm not willing to do that! This is my
> education, and I deserve access just like everyone else! This is
> definitely taking a tole on me! I need your advice on where to go
> from here. I have more meetings tomorrow and throughout next week,
> and I need to get them to hear my voice, and what may have been
> helpful to you! Thank you! Chelsea Peahl 
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Ty
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