[Ohio-talk] Fwd: Cincinnati.com: Blind student sues Miami University

[Eric Duffy]

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Pare, John" <JPare at nfb.org>
> Date: January 14, 2014 at 8:17:33 AM EST
> To: "State President, Ohio" <eduffy at pobox.com>
> Cc: "Pierce, Barbara" <BBPierce at pobox.com>
> Subject: Cincinnati.com: Blind student sues Miami University
> 
> Blind student sues Miami University
> Jan. 13, 2014  
> Written by Cliff Peale
> A blind student is suing Miami University, charging that it failed to give her the equipment she needed to get the same education as other students.
> 
> Aleeha Dudley, a junior zoology major from New Paris, Preble County, charges that 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 officials denied the charges but declined to comment on Dudley’s specific charges.
> 
> 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.
> 
> They 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,” said Marc Maurer, president of the federation, in a statement.
> 
> In a 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 of the students individually. ⬛
> 
>