[nfb-db] rules in the ASLlab

Thu Sep 19 00:15:04 UTC 2013

Maurice,

You pose an interesting question: student vs. professional. As a Graduate
Assistant at the University of North Florida, and as a Deaf-Blind person
myself, I constantly consider both sides. However, the bottom line is every
student with a disability has a right to reasonable accommodations. The
university's student disability office should be a facilitator of student
disability services; that is, they should help advocate for the
accommodations for which students have a right to request, and they should
have the professionalism to enforce ADA regulations and university policies
regarding student rights. In Heather's situation, I see no excuse for the
instructor's behavior, nor do I see an excuse for the university/college
overall (assuming Heather is attending such an institution).

While both sides may have valid arguments, the bottom line is equal access.
Thus, efforts should be made to provide reasonable accommodations.

Marisa

From: nfb-db [mailto:nfb-db-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of maurice mines
Sent: Wednesday, September 18, 2013 12:45 PM
To: NFB Deaf-Blind Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [nfb-db] rules in the ASLlab

Good morning, here's my two cents on this. A solution is that if you have to
watch the videos, arrange for a room where you can communicate with the
person who's helping you in the most comfortable manner that you see fit,
and so long as it is the least restrictive environment for you in the
classroom, and you can get unfortunately the disabled services office to
hopefully help you out and/or stand behind you on what you and the professor
agree upon, then I think you guys can come up with something that is
workable. the problem Janice is a fun reading this right she doesn't have a
braille notetaker in place currently correct? So I think she'd have to find
someplace where she can speak. Because I'm going to assume that her primary
issue is blindness at this point? So demanding that she not speak, I think
would not be an appropriate thing to ask based on blindness. The professor
needs to understand that. If the school doesn't get it then there are other
things she can do and probably should be doing. Just my two cents worth.
Another resource of course is the national student's email list. Perhaps
some of them have some suggestions? If I'm coming across as being someone on
the radical side of things, it's only because I have had to fight some of
these fights in my very distant past, but now I find myself going back into
a classroom as a student. And also working for the disabled student services
office part time. It certainly makes me think whenever issues like this,,
which side of my on-campus life in my going to be on? The student side or
the professional side?

Sincerely Maurice, secretary national Federation of the blind of Clark
County chapter. Phone 360-524-0791, school email address,
Maurice.mines at PCC.edu

On Sep 18, 2013, at 9:02 AM, Janice Toothman <janice.toothman at verizon.net>
wrote:

Hi Heather.
Is your Braille notetaker set up to act as a deaf-blind communicator?  It is
or you have a DBC then you can ask your questions on the DBC/notetaker and
the sighted ASL partner could read it and provide the tactile ASL answer.  I
know my HIMS Braille Sense U2 has an LED screen in which the sight person
can read the question/comment and then type their response either your
Qwerty or Braille keypad but also you can pair it with a Iphone using a
Bluetooth connection.  The I Can Connect program can provide you with this
technology.
Janice

On 9/18/2013 11:31 AM, heather albright wrote:

I am taking the course in a class room where my professor is deaf and does
not speak!  So I have a note taker, a reader for the board, and two deaf
interpreters who sign to me what the professor saying and showing me the
signs!  I don't speak with them I just guess, sometimes a classmate will
tell me what the teacher is saying, the one who reads the board!  That is in
the classroom.  We have to have lab hours in the ASL lab making videos to
show our signing and you have to watch the videos to get the infromation to
be able to make your signing videos with quicktime! While in the lab, you
cant speak to ask questions or bring a voice reader to read the videos, your
not allowed to use spoken language in the lab!  I just feel like their
making this really hard for me to participate in the ASL program here!  For
example, I go to the lab today for tutoringand I have to sign in with my id
and some how find the person to whom I will be working with to learn the
signs, without ever speaking at all!  So if we are watching videos, they
will be signing to me and I have to guess what their trying to convey to me!
I understand not wating to use spoken language but everyone is learning
through their eyes by seeing the signs and seeing the book telling them the
sign!  I have nothing telling me anything, no braille book and no way to
understand the tactile signs because I cant ask what their signing to me!
Any ideas?  Heather ----- Original Message ----- 

From: Steve Jacobson <mailto:steve.jacobson at visi.com>  

To: NFB Deaf-Blind Division Mailing List <mailto:nfb-db at nfbnet.org>  

Sent: Wednesday, September 18, 2013 9:53 AM

Subject: Re: [nfb-db] rules in the ASLlab

Explain more how you are taking this class?  How are you getting the
information being conveyed in general?  It would seem as 
though there must be something that could be worked out with the instructor
to signal when you don't get something without 
speaking?  This is an interesting dilema since it could affect any blind
person taking a course like this.

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson

On Tue, 17 Sep 2013 19:29:08 -0500, heather albright wrote:

>My problem is that they told me I cant speak if I have any questions or ask

>about a sign or how to make the sign!  They said I will be asked to leave 
>and cant come back till the next day!  If I do it more than three times, I 
>am band from the lab for 2 weeks!  But I cant read the book with all the 
>signs or see the videos!  I am supposed to have 21 hours in the lab!  I 
>understand that you should use ASL but if you don't know it, how can you
use 
>it!  If you cant see the person signing, what should you do?  I have two 
>tactile interpreters signing to me with me know any sign language at all. I

>only get 5 percent of what their saying! Is there a better method of 
>teaching me?  Even people taking ESL use their language to teach someone 
>English!
>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: RJ Sandefur
>To: NFB Deaf-Blind Division Mailing List
>Sent: Tuesday, September 17, 2013 7:18 PM
>Subject: Re: [nfb-db] rules in the ASLlab

>Hay I don't see any problem
>  ----- Original Message ----- 
>  From: heather albright
>  To: NFB Deaf-Blind Division Mailing List
>  Sent: Tuesday, September 17, 2013 8:13 PM
>  Subject: [nfb-db] rules in the ASLlab

>  Hello, I was wondering about the rules in the ASL lab!  They said I cant 
>talk in the lab at all, it is against the rules to speak!  So if I don't
get 
>something, I cant ask to be sure!  Is that not against ADA because, I won't

>have equal access to the lab! If I speak they can make me leave, they said
I 
>can go to another room but, it won't be the lab!   Afterall I am blind and 
>if I cant ask about a sign, that seems a little unfair!  So how can a 
>colledge say this to me and other blind students taking ASL?    Heather

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