[Nfbo-announce] FW: [Nfbnet-members-list] FW: National Federation of the Blind: Atlantic Cape Community College Discriminates Against Blind Student,

[Robert Jaquiss]

From: Nfbnet-members-list [mailto:nfbnet-members-list-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Danielsen, Chris (by way of David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com>)
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2014 4:55 PM
To: nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Nfbnet-members-list] FW: National Federation of the Blind:
Atlantic Cape Community College Discriminates Against Blind Student,

 

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
CONTACT:
Chris Danielsen
Director of Public Relations
National Federation of the Blind
(410) 659-9314, extension 2330
(410) 262-1281 (Cell)
cdanielsen at nfb.org <mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org> 
 

National Federation of the Blind: Atlantic Cape Community College
Discriminates Against Blind Student, 
Bans Him from Freely Accessing Campus

 

Federation Members to Protest College's Actions

 
Mays Landing, New Jersey (April 15, 2014): Members of the National
Federation of the Blind (NFB), <http://www.nfb.org>  the nation's oldest and
largest organization of blind people, and its New Jersey affiliate, will
hold a protest at the Mays Landing campus of Atlantic Cape Community College
(ACCC) on Thursday, April 17, from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM. Blind people from
New Jersey and surrounding areas are gathering to protest discrimination by
ACCC against Anthony Lanzilotti, a blind student studying criminal justice
and cyber-security there. Mr. Lanzilotti has been denied even the most basic
accommodations and at times has not been allowed on campus or to use campus
facilities unless he is accompanied by a sighted person. He has also been
prohibited from using campus laboratories because ACCC claims that this
violates the fire code. ACCC has also refused to procure or create
accessible copies of Mr. Lanzilotti's textbooks and course materials, a
service routinely provided to blind students by other colleges and
universities. If he wants his print textbooks to be scanned and converted to
electronic files that can be read aloud by text-to-speech software or on a
Braille display, he must do the scanning himself, and he cannot use campus
facilities to do so unless he meets the requirement of having a sighted
person with him. Mr. Lanzilotti is planning to file suit against the
college.
 
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said:
"Blind students sometimes face challenges in the college setting, including
lack of access to textbooks and course materials, but the vast majority of
institutions of higher education make at least some effort to accommodate
these students. Atlantic Cape Community College has not only refused to make
the minimum effort to accommodate Mr. Lanzilotti, but has added insult to
injury by segregating him from his fellow students and restricting his
access to the campus and its facilities. Mr. Lanzilotti is not a child and
does not need a chaperone. The National Federation of the Blind intends to
make ACCC's outrageous discrimination against Mr. Lanzilotti known to the
public and to do everything else in our power to assist him in fighting this
discrimination. The laws of the United States and the state of New Jersey
are firmly on Mr. Lanzilotti's side, and we will see that they are
followed."
 
 

###

 
 
About the National Federation of the Blind


The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is the oldest, largest, and most
influential nationwide membership organization of blind people in the United
States. Founded in 1940, the NFB advocates for the civil rights and equality
of blind Americans, and develops innovative education, technology, and
training programs to provide the blind and those who are losing vision with
the tools they need to become independent and successful. 
 

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