[nabs-l] Disability office policies

Thu Apr 28 01:38:35 UTC 2016

Hello,

I cannot speak for your professor, but this is the only way it makes sense to me…keep in mind, i said makes sense, i did not say I agree.

She probably spoke with your coordinator because she’s uncomfortable with your blindness, and she probably feels more comfortable talking to someone who’s sighted but who understands your disability.  It’s like your coordinator is the middle man in this or she’s using the coordinator as a sort of buffer against her own discomfort about your disability.  If this is the case, it is here ignorance, but I don’t think your prof is meaning to be difficult or to go behind your back. She’s probably just dealing with having a blind student in her class the only way she knows how. She could have been concerned, but didn’t know how to approach you.  Common sense would say to talk to the student directly, but if she’s that uncomfortable with your disability, common sense could have gone out the window.

I’d advise talking to her, but not to take it too personal, unless, during the conversation, she does say something to give offense.

I’m pretty low key when it comes to this sort of thing though.  If I know someone means well and what they’re doing is not putting me in danger, I find it difficult just to get upset and angry at them, even if what they are doing is completely ridiculous IMO. 

After you talk with her, if she does it again, then i think you have grounds to get a bit snippy.

Hope this helps.
> On Apr 27, 2016, at 7:28 PM, Elizabeth Mohnke via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hello Anna,
> 
> I believe in some cases allowing a student with a disability to miss more
> than the allotted hours of class can be included as part of the
> accommodations a student can receive from a college as a reasonable
> accommodation. Perhaps your college has such a policy, and this is why your
> professor contacted the disabilities office. However, this does not seem to
> be an accommodation that a blind student would typically need, so I am not
> quite sure why your professor chose to contact the disabilities office and
> not you.
> 
> I attend a community college where class sizes are small, and where
> attending class is generally counted as part of our final grade. Therefore,
> if I have missed two class periods in a row, I will generally contact my
> professors to let them know what is going on. Sometimes sending a quick note
> to let your professor know that you have been sick with a bad cold and will
> be back in class the next class period can go a long way with professors who
> really care about their students. However, I am not quite sure how
> appropriate or necessary this would be for a larger university with larger
> class sizes. This is just something I find works well with smaller classes
> where you have more of a relationship with the professor.
> 
> Whether or not you choose to say something to your professor about how you
> feel as though her communication with the disabilities office was
> inappropriate is up to you. However, I would probably feel the same way if a
> professor contacted the disabilities office without notifying me about it as
> well.
> 
> Warm regards,
> Elizabeth
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Anna via nabs-l
> Sent: Wednesday, April 27, 2016 5:59 PM
> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Cc: annajee82 at gmail.com
> Subject: [nabs-l] Disability office policies
> 
> Hey I have a question about something that happened at school.  
> I missed a couple classes and my professor apparently emailed the
> coordinator lady at the disability office.  I don't know what her email said
> other than that i had missed some classes.  So my coordinator emailed me and
> asked me if everything was ok cuz my professor said i had missed some
> classes.  
> My question is, is it any business of my DRS coordinator that i missed
> classes?  
> What is the policy on bypassing the student and going to the DRS coordinator
> to say I've missed classes?  Why would my professor do that?  She never
> spoke to me about it.  If she is concerned, why is she not talking to me
> about it, and what right does she have to talk to the DRS coordinator about
> it.  It has nothing to do with my disability or accomodations or anything?
> Does someone have a better understanding of the role of DRS?  My
> understanding was that the role of DRS is to accomodate me as related to my
> blindness and to help me (if i ask for help) in working things out with
> professors in relation to accommodations. Nothing else.
> Someone please clarify.
> 
> Anna E Givens
> 
> 
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