[nabs-l] College Disability Services

[Vejas Vasiliauskas]

Hi Mikayla,
I go to a smaller school and applied for Disability Services 
during the summer.  In the form, I had to specify my 
accmmodations.  Some of these accommodations were originally not 
given to me, but I had a meeting with them (in the middle of the 
summer) to clarify things with them.  Since they hadn't worked 
with a totally blind student before, and understood what I needed 
them for after the meeting, they were much more willing to 
utilize most of them.  For example, they were unsure what the 
purpose of me needing an I-Phone for exams was, but when they saw 
it connects to my braillenote, they granted it.  Similarly, the 
use of talking to professors about modifying assignments which 
are too visual.
Also, if you are clear on what you need, you could make things 
better for future blind students.  My DSS didn't know what a 
Perkins Brailler was, but when they saw the one I used (which I 
had gotten from rehab), they brought one, for myself and any 
other future blind students.
Vejas


 ----- Original Message -----
From: Mikayla Gephart via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Mon, 29 May 2017 16:11:30 -0400
Subject: [nabs-l] College Disability Services

Hi all,
    I am a Junior in High School, and am researching different 
college Disability Services offices.  I have been reading a lot 
on their sites, and I understand that they determine whether an 
Accommodation is reasonable.  I am very curious about this.  I 
would think that DSS employees probably do not have a lot of 
training in blindness? As long as you present good documentation 
of your blindness and explain logically why you need an 
accommodation, have you found that they listen to you? I just 
noticed that two out of the three websites I have been looking at 
say that faculty should discuss concerns with DSS before 
involving the student.  This is just a curiosity thing, not a 
question that is urgent.  I just wanted to here people’s 
thoughts.
Best,
Mikayla
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