[nabs-l] "In-class" assignment

[Chris Nusbaum]

Cory:

While I respect the right of any individual blind student to make the choices which best fit his/her needs and preferences, I would not have walked out. Perhaps this requirement was unrealistic in the format and context in which it was given, but there are certainly alternatives which could have made this project accessible to you. For instance, you could ask the teacher/professor to email you a copy of the correctly formatted sample in order for you to compare your paper to it using the same technology with which you completed your paper. Also, you could ask a classmate or a hired human reader to read you the sample while you compared it with your paper. If all else fails, you could either work with your prof individually during his/her office hours or ask that the project's due date be delayed until you can work out an alternative with your DSS office.

Though it is true that, in principle, all material provided to sighted students should be born accessible to us, the fact is that this is not the reality of today's classroom. I, along with many of my fellow NABS members, dream of a day when we will be able to access all information with the same ease with which sighted people access it, and we are working hard to turn that dream into reality (see AIMHEA.) Until that day comes, it is our job to think outside the box and propose creative solutions which our less knowledgeable professors may not have thought about, resorting to dropping the class or filing a complaint only when we have exhausted all other resources. I understand that it is sometimes difficult to come up with these creative solutions when we don't know all the tools which exist, and that's why we have resources like this list. But I would encourage you, and all of us, to try to think creatively about solving an accessibility problem before we assume that the class or assignment is impossible for us to complete. Perhaps you will come up with a solution which will help another student who is faced with a similar challenge in the future.

Just my thoughts, 

Chris Nusbaum

Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 17, 2017, at 7:30 PM, Cory McMahon via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Good evening, all:
> 
> 
> 
> In my "Intro to Applied Psychology" class, we have "in-class" activities for
> which we receive points.
> 
> 
> 
> We recently turned in a research paper for the course; this paper was in APA
> format. As our "in-class" activity tonight, the teacher wanted us to look at
> our paper side-by-side with a correct example of an APA paper, so we can
> find out what we got wrong on our paper.
> 
> 
> 
> I believe this requirement is unrealistic; as such, I walked out.
> 
> 
> 
> What would you have done in this situation? Am I correct in thinking that
> this requirement is unrealistic?
> 
> 
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> 
> 
> Cory McMahon
> 
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