[nfbmi-talk] Survey on MCB Services to College Students

joe harcz Comcast joeharcz at comcast.net
Wed Jun 16 01:57:09 UTC 2010


You should get that pay!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Elizabeth" <lizmohnke at hotmail.com>
To: <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2010 9:47 PM
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Survey on MCB Services to College Students


>
> Christine,
>
> Thank you for your suggestions about the survey. I have not seen any 
> additional comments or suggestions from my sister, but if you are 
> referring to the suggestions that were made in the report, they would be 
> my own thoughts and reflections after sending out the survey. Repeating 
> the survey again this fall is a good idea, but unless we can think of a 
> way as an organization to reach out to new students, I am not sure if it 
> would be worth repeating the survey.
>
> It was difficult enough to get seven students who are members of the 
> National Federation of the Blind of Michigan to participate in the survey, 
> I am not quite sure if I would be up to the challenge of repeating the 
> survey again while taking classes at the same time. If others would like 
> to help out with this project, that would be great, but I am just not sure 
> if I can do it all on my own again.
>
> I did not include a question about what college the students attend 
> because I was focusing more on the quality of services the student 
> receives from the Michigan Commission for the Blind and not necessarily 
> the college or university. I only included questions about the 
> disabilities office because the Michigan Commission for the Blind tends to 
> use these resources first before spending their own money on services for 
> the student.
>
> Also, the main reason why I decided to conduct this survey was to provide 
> the information that Geri Taeckens requested from Leamon Jones during the 
> last Michigan Commission for the Blind Board meeting. I wanted the report 
> to be well received, so I thought it best to leave out specific names. I 
> thought this kind of information would be helpful to have for the college 
> policy meeting scheduled for Monday. Now if only I could get paid the way 
> Leamon Jones does for gathering such information.
>
> Elizabeth
>
>
>> From: Christine_Boone at comcast.net
>> To: nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
>> Date: Tue, 15 Jun 2010 16:32:24 -0400
>> Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Survey on MCB Services to College Students
>>
>> Kudo's to our Michigan Association of Blind Students!
>> I think that this survey would be well worth distributing again, after 
>> the
>> fall semester has started and the students are all back on campus. The
>> Changes that Dianna suggests would help to strengthen the survey as well. 
>> I
>> do not know whether the survey asked for the student's college or 
>> university
>> name, but if not, I think that would be a helpful bit of additional
>> information. It could help you to spot any patterns of either excellence 
>> or
>> the lack thereof, in the various disabled student service offices around 
>> the
>> state.
>>
>>
>> Just some thoughts. Thanks for your pro-active work here students!
>>
>> Christine Boone
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org 
>> [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>> On Behalf Of Elizabeth
>> Sent: Monday, June 14, 2010 10:46 PM
>> To: nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: [nfbmi-talk] Survey on MCB Services to College Students
>>
>>
>> During the March 19, 2010 Michigan Commission for the Blind board meeting
>> there was a request to receive qualitative data concerning the services
>> being administered to current college students. Since the current
>> administration of the Michigan Commission for the Blind has been slow in
>> producing such data, the Michigan Association of Blind Students has been
>> conducting a survey over the past month to assess the quality of services
>> college students are currently receiving from the Michigan Commission for
>> the Blind.
>>
>> The questions used for the survey were based on the personal experiences 
>> of
>> current college students and recent college graduates. The survey 
>> included a
>> total of nineteen questions including sixteen questions with one choice 
>> for
>> an answer, two questions with multiple choices for an answer, and one 
>> opened
>> ended question. Questions included quality of reader services and 
>> assistive
>> technology, quality of communication with counselors, coordination of
>> services between the Michigan Commission for the Blind and the college or
>> university, and access to services provided by the Michigan Commission 
>> for
>> the Blind. The survey was open to current college students as well as any
>> student who has graduated within the past five years.
>>
>> Every effort was made to distribute the survey as widely as possible, but
>> due to the limited time constraints for the survey, only seven students
>> responded to the survey. All of these students indicated that they were
>> members of the National Federation of the Blind of Michigan. Out of the
>> seven students who participated in the survey, three students indicated 
>> that
>> they were recent graduates. Out of the remaining four students, one 
>> student
>> was a non-traditional student, one student was a sophomore, one student 
>> was
>> a junior, and one student was a senior. The range of credits that were 
>> taken
>> during the previous academic year ranged from nine to twelve credits. 
>> Most
>> of the recent graduates did not indicate how many credits they took 
>> during
>> their last semester before they graduated. It is recommended that this
>> question be modified if the survey is repeated to obtain additional
>> information about recent graduates.
>>
>> As it relates to the use of reader services, three students indicated 
>> they
>> use reader services provided by their college or university, one student
>> uses reader services provided by the Michigan Commission for the Blind, 
>> one
>> student uses reader services from both the college or university and the
>> Michigan Commission for the Blind, and two students indicated that they
>> provide their own reader or that they do not use reader services. When 
>> asked
>> how well the disabilities office provides reader services and accessible
>> textbooks, five of the seven students said that the disabilities office 
>> does
>> an okay job or an exhalent job at providing these services, and two 
>> students
>> said the disabilities office does a poor job at providing these services.
>> There was not a question asking how well the Michigan Commission for the
>> Blind provides these services, and it may be helpful to add this question 
>> to
>> the survey for the future.
>>
>> When asked about how well the disabilities office at the college or
>> university provides assistive technology that meets their needs as a 
>> blind
>> student, five of the seven students said the assistive technology is
>> adequate when they need to use it or that the best assistive technology 
>> is
>> available whenever they need to use it. Two of the seven students said 
>> the
>> assistive technology is adequate, but does not always work when they need 
>> to
>> use it or the assistive technology rarely works properly when they need 
>> to
>> use it. Four of the seven students said that they have experienced some 
>> kind
>> of problem when trying to obtain assistive technology from the Michigan
>> Commission for the Blind.
>>
>> All seven students indicated that they have been denied a service or
>> accommodation by either the Michigan Commission for the Blind or their
>> college or university. Two students said they had to drop a class due to 
>> a
>> lack of accommodations from their college or university, and one student
>> said they had to drop a class due to a lack of accommodations from the
>> Michigan Commission for the Blind. One student said they have been denied 
>> a
>> service or accommodation from the college or university, four students 
>> said
>> they have been denied a service or accommodation by the Michigan 
>> Commission
>> for the Blind, and two students said they have been denied a service or
>> accommodation by both the college or university and the Michigan 
>> Commission
>> for the Blind.
>>
>> When asked to list the services they have been denied from the Michigan
>> Commission for the Blind, the most common answer was tuition and fees
>> followed by textbooks and course materials. Four students said they have
>> been denied tuition and fees, three students said they have been denied
>> textbooks and course materials, two students said they have been denied
>> assistive technology, and one student said they have been denied reader
>> services. Two students have been asked to use Social Security benefits to
>> pay for services, one student has been forced to take out a personal loan 
>> to
>> pay for services, and one student said that they are currently not 
>> receiving
>> any assistance from the Michigan Commission for the Blind.
>>
>> When it comes to working with their counselor with the Michigan 
>> Commission
>> for the Blind, two students said they received a thorough explanation of 
>> the
>> current college policy without receiving a written copy of the policy, 
>> two
>> students said they received a basic explanation of the current college
>> policy along with a written copy of the policy, two students said they
>> received a basic explanation of the current college policy without 
>> receiving
>> a written copy of the policy, and one student said they received little
>> explanation of the current college policy, but received a written copy of
>> the policy. It appears as though the results are mixed when it comes to
>> asking for an exception to the policy to account for personal 
>> circumstances.
>> Three students said they have never asked for an exception to account for
>> personal circumstances, two students found it relatively easy to receive 
>> an
>> exception for personal circumstances, one student said it took a
>> considerable amount of time and effort to receive an exception for 
>> personal
>> circumstances, and one student was never able to receive an exception for
>> personal circumstances.
>>
>> When asked about Memorandum of Understandings and how they impact the
>> services they receive as a college student, four students said they have
>> heard of a Memorandum of Understanding before, but do not know how it
>> applies to them as a college student, one student said that the 
>> disabilities
>> office at their college or university has explained a Memorandum of
>> Understanding to them, and two students said they have absolutely no idea
>> what a Memorandum of Understanding is or how it impacts them as a college
>> student. Two students have encountered a situation where an accommodation
>> was not delivered in a timely manner because there was a disagreement
>> between the Michigan Commission for the Blind and the college or 
>> university.
>> One student said they were able to resolve this situation after a
>> considerable amount of personal time and effort while another student was
>> not able to receive an accommodation due to a disagreement between the
>> Michigan Commission for the Blind and the college or university.
>>
>> A majority of the students indicated that it typically takes two to three
>> weeks for their counselor with the Michigan Commission for the Blind to
>> return phone calls and respond to emails. Two students said that it takes
>> five to seven business days to hear back from their counselor, four 
>> students
>> said it takes two to three weeks to hear back from their counselor, and 
>> one
>> student said it takes one to two months to hear back from their 
>> counselor.
>> When asked if the Michigan Commission for the Blind and the college or 
>> the
>> disabilities office at their university has enough understanding of
>> blindness to accommodate for their needs as a blind college student, two
>> students said they felt as though their counselor with the Michigan
>> Commission for the blind had a good understanding of blindness, but not 
>> the
>> disabilities office at college or university, one student said the
>> disabilities office at their college or university had a good 
>> understanding
>> of blindness, but not their counselor with the Michigan Commission for 
>> the
>> Blind, and four students said there is an overall frustration with the 
>> lack
>> of understanding of blindness from both the Michigan Commission for the
>> Blind and the disabilities office at their college or university.
>>
>> When asked how to describe their college experience when compared to 
>> Their
>> sighted classmates, three students said they successfully completed their
>> degree in the same amount of time as the average student, three students
>> said they need more time to complete their classes due to a lack of
>> accommodations, and one student said they need more time to complete 
>> their
>> degree when compared to the average student. There was not a question on 
>> the
>> survey that measured the correlation between the lack of accommodations 
>> and
>> the number of credits a student took during the previous academic year.
>>
>> Based on this survey, it would appear as though the statement made at the
>> March 19, 2010Michigan Commission for the Blind board meeting stating 
>> that
>> blind college students are not being denied services would be an 
>> incorrect
>> statement. The fact that all seven students indicated that they have been
>> denied a service or accommodation from either the Michigan Commission for
>> the Blind or their college or university is startling, and would suggest
>> that blind college students are not being given the proper support to
>> succeed as a blind college student.
>>
>> The data from this survey shows that students receive adequate
>> accommodations from the disabilities office at their college or 
>> university
>> including reader services, accessible textbooks, and assistive 
>> technology.
>> However, more research should be conducted to assess how well the 
>> Michigan
>> Commission for the blind provides these services when they are not 
>> provided
>> by the college or university. While it is clear that students have 
>> problems
>> when asking for assistive technology from the Michigan Commission for the
>> Blind, it is not clear if students encounter the same problems when 
>> asking
>> the Michigan Commission for the Blind to provide reader services or
>> accessible textbooks. Additionally, the survey did not explore what kind 
>> of
>> problems students are facing when asking the Michigan Commission for the
>> Blind to provide assistive technology.
>>
>> The fact that two students have been asked to use Social Security 
>> benefits
>> to pay for services, would suggest that the Michigan Commission for the
>> Blind is violating federal regulations regarding the provision of 
>> vocational
>> rehabilitation services for individuals receiving Social Security 
>> benefits.
>> In addition, the fact that one student has been forced to take out a
>> personal loan would suggest that the Michigan Commission for the Blind 
>> does
>> not consider how difficult it is for blind college students to pay back
>> personal student loans due to the extremely high unemployment rate for 
>> the
>> blind.
>>
>> In regards to the relationship between college students and their 
>> counselor
>> with the Michigan Commission for the Blind, the data clearly indicates 
>> that
>> counselors do not respond to phone calls and emails in a timely manner. 
>> This
>> may suggest that it is difficult for a student to get a hold of their
>> counselor when they encounter a problem with their classes. Additionally, 
>> it
>> appears to be clear that counselors do not adequately go over all of the
>> policies related to receiving services as a college student including
>> Memorandum of Understandings.
>>
>> The fact that two students had a difficult time receiving services from 
>> the
>> Michigan Commission for the Blind when there was a dispute about who 
>> should
>> provide the accommodation would suggest that the Michigan Commission for 
>> the
>> Blind is violating the regulations set forth in the Memorandum of
>> Understandings.
>>
>> According to both federal regulations and the Memorandum of 
>> Understandings,
>> the Michigan Commission for the Blind is responsible for providing a 
>> service
>> or accommodation when there is a dispute between the Michigan Commission 
>> for
>> the Blind and the college or university until the dispute is resolve. It
>> would appear from the data that has been collected that the Michigan
>> Commission for the Blind is not following this protocol.
>>
>> It seems to be that one of the most positive things to come from this 
>> survey
>> is that most of the students who participated in the survey believe they 
>> are
>> capable of completing their academic program in the same amount of time 
>> as
>> the average student. It seems to be that the only thing that is 
>> preventing
>> this from actually happening is a lack of services or accommodations. 
>> While
>> it is good to have high expectations for blind college students, if they 
>> are
>> not given the proper support from the Michigan Commission for the blind 
>> as
>> noted in this survey, then it will prove to be difficult for blind 
>> college
>> students to achieve these high expectations.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _________________________________________________________________
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