[NFB-Science] Advice on Accommodations for Nursing Student

[Jenn Han]

Hi Emily!

Thanks so much for your email! Do you use visual assistance to fill
syringes, or do you use something else? Also, yes, the disability office
basically backed up the department, and I felt pretty stranded. I did get
this conversation on email thankfully.

Also, do you know who I could get in contact with in the NFB?


Thank you!

—Jenn

On Fri, Sep 30, 2022 at 4:48 PM Emily Schlenker via NFB-Science <
nfb-science at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> Hello. Sorry I am late to the party, but I do have a few things to say. I
> am currently a pharmacy student, and I was actually denied admission on the
> grounds that using an assistant with eyesight somehow violated their
> technical standards. They have since retracted that ridiculous argument, it
> has held up in court as seen in the case of Aaron Cannon and the NFB versus
> Palmer chiropractic college. I have since been admitted and have worked
> very well in the lab. One of the things I have done is fill syringes, and
> no one has given me any trouble. Your department chair is not versed in
> what does and does not violate the technical standards as they apply to
> disability accommodation, and this fight has been had before by blind
> medical students as well. Their job is to get you through the program, it
> is not to ask a bunch of what if questions about your future career that
> you might or might not have.
> Will she put this denial of your accommodations in an email? That would be
> ideal, and you could probably send that to the national office of the NFB.
> I don’t like this, but it is on you to get as much of this an email as
> possible, and it is also a good idea to send this type of denial to your
> disability office at your university. If they back up the department chaiI
> don’t like this, but it is on you to get as much of this in email as
> possible, and it is also a good idea to send this type of denial to your
> disability office at your university. If they back up the department chair,
> that is even more ammunition against the school, and if they back you up,
> they need to take it to the Provost and get it dealt with.
> I hope this advice helps. I know how exhausting advocacy is on top of
> trying to complete a professional program.
> Good luck.
> Emily Schlenker P1 student University of Kansas school of
> pharmacy3166444227
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Sep 27, 2022, at 13:04, Jenn Han via NFB-Science <
> nfb-science at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> >
> > Hi friends,
> >
> > Happy Tuesday! Hope this email finds you well.
> >
> > My name is Jenn and I am a current nursing student in a program within
> > California. Because of my legal blindness, I requested a few
> > accommodations to aid in my training, which I have listed below.
> >
> > 1. Magnification devices
> > 2. Visual assistance from a fully sighted individual -- this is
> > particularly useful when filling up syringes, because I cannot identify
> the
> > small markings myself, among other examples.
> >
> > However, my department chair essentially denied any use of assistance
> from
> > another person,  stating that this goes against the academic policy of
> > students conducting these skills independently. I stated that it takes no
> > skill to read off some numbers or help a student see a syringe marking,
> and
> > that I personally would be conducting the skills, drawing up medications,
> > etc., and only need help to know where the syringe marking is.
> > Unfortunately, I am getting a lot of resistance with this specific
> > accommodation request. They said I am only allowed to rely on my own
> > devices. It has been frustrating because simply using magnification
> devices
> > is not a universal solution to the issue at hand; in the real clinical
> > setting, I very well may need assistance to perform a procedure that is
> > visually-demanding and require the help of someone fully sighted to aid
> > where magnification devices cannot be of great help. In addition, it is
> > unrealistic to assume magnification devices will work all the time,
> > especially because my vision gets strained after prolonged use of such
> > devices.
> >
> > I am unsure how to proceed forward, and would really appreciate advice or
> > to be pointed in the right direction of someone in the NFB who can help.
> >
> > Thanks so much for your time. You can reach me at my email:
> > jenniferhan17 at gmail.com
> >
> > Best,
> > Jenn Han
> > *She / Her / Hers*
> > UCLA 2021 | Molecular, Cell, Developmental Biology
> > --
> > Jenn Han
> > University of California, Los Angeles
> > Class of 2021 | Molecular, Cell, Developmental Biology
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-- 
Jenn Han
University of California, Los Angeles
Class of 2021 | Molecular, Cell, Developmental Biology