[nabs-l] Accommodation Rights and Not Using Disability Services

Mon Dec 19 23:36:53 UTC 2016

Hi Ellana,
I firstly just want to commend you for being willing to take charge of
your education by exploring a different way of getting things done
when the disability services office is less than satisfactory. When I
was in college, I decided midway through my degree to start taking my
tests directly with professors instead of working with the disability
office, for several reasons, but mainly because this process was
simpler and less prone to error. I also liked that I could ask
professors clarification questions just like any other student during
a test.
The short answer to your question is that many professors will
accommodate you without the disability office's involvement, but you
will want to check with them and be sure before you do anything
drastic. If you are unable to get in touch with next semester's
professors yet, you might consult an advisor or department head at
your college to see if they have any formal requirements or policies
about DSS involvement or use of accommodation letters. These letters
are mainly necessary for people with invisible learning or health
disabilities to prove that the disability is verified by a doctor. In
the case of blindness, as long as you use a cane or other mobility aid
that's visible, that proof thing shouldn't be an issue. Again, though,
the culture may vary from school to school, so it would be good to
check with professors or department heads first.
Another option you might consider is to register with the DSS and get
your letter, but just not ask for any testing accommodations. You
could then go to your professor, show him or her the letter, and say
that you have decided it would be easier for all involved to take your
tests in the classroom on the computer, using the professor as a
reader, or any other accommodation plans you have come up with.
My experience, at least at university, has been that professors will
usually agree to the accommodations that's the least work for them.
Working with disability services can be as big of a nuisance for them
as it is for us, so if we can offer professors an easier way to
accommodate without all the extra hassle, they will usually agree to
it.

Best, Arielle

On 12/19/16, Elif Emir Öksüz via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> I agree what being said.
> If you decide to talk to DSO, this may help you.
> If you haven't seen this, please have a look.
> https://nfb.org/self-advocacy-higher-education
>
>
> 2016-12-18 16:04 GMT-05:00, Karl Martin Adam via NABS-L
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>:
>> You have to go through DSS if you want accommodations.  This is
>> because its the job of DSS to verify that you have a disability
>> and that the accommodation in question is reasonable for that
>> disability.  So if you ask a professor for an accommodation, what
>> they will do (if they do what they're supposed to do) is to tell
>> you to get a letter from DSS and get back to them.  (This is why
>> nearly every syllabus includes a line saying if you have a
>> disability contact the DSS to arrange accommodations.)  That
>> being said, just because you get accommodations from DSS does not
>> mean that you can't take tests in the classroom.  Taking your
>> test in the testing center is an accommodation, and you, of
>> course, don't have to accept that accommodation.  That being
>> said, if you want accommodations like extra time or a reader,
>> that isn't really compatible with taking your test in the
>> classroom.
>>
>> HTH,
>> Karl
>>
>>  ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Ellana Crew via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> To: NABS-L at nfbnet.org
>> Date sent: Sun, 18 Dec 2016 13:03:51 -0500
>> Subject: [nabs-l] Accommodation Rights and Not Using Disability
>> Services
>>
>> Hi there,
>>
>> I am a community college student about to start another semester
>> of classes, but more recently, I have been thinking of breaking
>> away from using the disability services office at school because
>> of all of the troubles I have had in the past with DSS offices
>> and mixups and failures on their end. However, before I decide to
>> go through with this, I'd like to have some more information on
>> what exactly I'm entitled to still as far as accommodations and
>> the law if I choose not to go through disability services and
>> give my professors the official letter requiring their
>> compliance.
>>
>> Is there anybody who may be able to give me a little information
>> on if professors are still required to accommodate me reasonably
>> if I do not go through disability services and give them an
>> official letter from them, especially in regards to test taking?
>> I am concerned that perhaps they may not be obligated to provide
>> me any sort of accommodation at all without an official letter
>> from disability services requiring them to, or that perhaps there
>> is a limit on how much they are allowed to grant me, and
>> especially if that limit is when it comes to tests.
>>
>> I am particularly interested in being able to take my tests in
>> the classroom with the rest of the class instead of going through
>> the hassle of coordinating a scheduled time in the testing center
>> and dealing with more failures to properly prepare my test or not
>> prepare my test in time for the scheduled appointment in the
>> testing center, and being forced to automatically be at a
>> disadvantage by having to take my test in a different setting
>> while the rest of the class is able to take their test in the
>> same environment in which they learn the information which has
>> been proven many times to improve the persons ability to retrieve
>> the information they learned in that environment, and I have
>> known some people who have talk to the professors and been able
>> to take their tests in their classrooms in this way, but I want
>> to be sure that I would not be in violation of anything in that I
>> know my rights when it comes to this if my professor does not
>> know themselves if it is OK or is hesitant to work with me on
>> this particular factor.
>>
>> If there is anybody here who may be able to give me some useful
>> information or connect me with somebody who may have that
>> information, I would be incredibly grateful.
>>
>> Thank you!
>>
>> Ellana Crew, Vice President
>> Maryland Association of Blind Students
>>
>> The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not
>> the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we
>> raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations
>> create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can
>> live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.
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