[nfbmi-talk] The Definition of a Qualified Reader?

[Elizabeth Mohnke]

Hello All,

This past semester I was not able to receive the accommodations I needed for a math class. Since I do not know Braille very well, or know how to make a screen reader on a computer read the various math symbols, graphs, and charts, I find that using a human reader is the best way for me to gain equal access to the course materials required for my math classes.

However, it appears as though my college and I do not agree on what constitutes as a qualified reader. I have tried searching online to see if I can find a legal definition of a qualified reader, or any recent settlement cases involving the use of a reader to see if this might help provide some clarification as to what constitutes as a qualified reader. However, I have not been able to find anything that I believe would help me. It seems as though all the definitions I have found regarding the definition of a qualified reader are rather vague and could be interpreted in different ways by different people.

I am currently trying to write a complaint using the complaint process within my college regarding the lack of accommodations I received for my math class this semester. I am not completely sure how to write this complaint, but I believe having a clear definition of what constitutes a qualified reader would be helpful for this complaint as well as advocating for myself as a blind student with an additional disability. If anyone has a good clear definition of what constitutes as a qualified reader, I would greatly appreciate hearing from you.

Thanks,
Elizabeth