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

[Elizabeth]

Christine,
 
That is okay, I think that happens to all of us at some point in time. I just wanted to make sure that I didn’t somehow miss a message, and that we were talking about the same thing. Thank you so much for all of your kind words. 
 
Elizabeth

 
> From: Christine_Boone at comcast.net
> To: nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
> Date: Thu, 17 Jun 2010 09:39:22 -0400
> Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Survey on MCB Services to College Students
> 
> Elizabeth:
> Sometimes I just have a short-circuit...and that is what happened. When I
> saw my post I realized what I had done. I was indeed referring to your own
> thoughts, not Dianna's. 
> 
> So please accept my apology and while I am at it, I want to add my thanks to
> Joe's. You have been a true soldier when it comes to working on this
> college policy, and I believe that countless future consumers of Commission
> services will benefit from your efforts.
> 
> Here's hoping that the final policy will include much of the substance of
> your excellent draft. 
> Christine
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On Behalf Of Elizabeth
> Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2010 9:48 PM
> To: nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
> 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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