[nfbmi-talk] and i don't get accessable info from bsbp!

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New Paris student sues Miami U. | Palladium-Item | pal-item.com

Jan. 13, 2014   |

Paris student sues

Miami U

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The campus of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

 

The campus of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. / Tony Jones / The Cincinnati Enquirer

 

Written by

 

Cliff Peale

 

The Cincinnati Enquirer

 

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A blind student from New Paris, Ohio, is suing Miami University, charging it failed to give her the equipment she needed to get the same education as other

students.

 

Aleeha Dudley, a junior zoology major, charges Miami “has repeatedly acquired inaccessible software” that doesn’t convert to the Braille content she needs.

 

“Miami, far from providing an equal opportunity to access educational benefits, has offered Ms. Dudley a nightmarish experience of failed and broken promises,

unfair disadvantage and an educational experience that is second to all,” she charges in the complaint.

 

Miami denied the charges but declined to comment on Dudley’s specific allegations.

 

In an interview, Dudley said she’s already at a career disadvantage compared to other students.

 

“I am so behind in my classwork that there’s very little chance I will graduate on time,” she said.

 

For example, Dudley says her upcoming calculus course will continue to use WebAssign, an Internet-based system that is not accessible to her, to distribute

and collect coursework.

 

Outside the classroom, the 24-hour dining option is operated through a touchscreen, meaning Dudley doesn’t have the same food options enjoyed by other students,

the complaint charges.

 

The National Federation of the Blind and the advocacy group Disability Rights Ohio are supporting Dudley’s federal lawsuit. It said technology is available

that would put Dudley on an equal footing, but Miami has not made it available.

 

“Ms. Dudley is only one of many blind students who experience frustrating and unnecessary barriers to a full and equal education in our nation’s institutions

of higher education,” Marc Maurer, president of the federation, said in a statement.

 

In its own statement, Miami said it was “committed to the success of all of its students and committed to equal access.”

 

Miami’s Office of Disability Resources serves about 335 students, and it determines how to accommodate each student individually.

 

Source:

http://www.pal-item.com/article/20140113/NEWS01/301130021/New-Paris-student-sues-Miami-U-