[blindkid] ADA Question

Alyssa alyssahenson95 at gmail.com
Thu Mar 13 20:50:38 UTC 2014


Hello all. Unfortunately, I've found the lack of signage to be an even bigger problem on college campuses than anywhere else. I attend Northern Illinois University which has been around for quite some time. Many of the buildings were built before the ADA was established. With that being said, I discussed this problem with the school's diss ability office. They told me these places do not have to make the changes unless the place is reconstructed. As a result, I've had to collaborate with the Braille consultant at the disability office to put labels where I need them. Do I have to accept that? I know I'm not the only blind student on this campus. It's also a surprise since this school has one of the two TVI programs in the state. So is there anything I can legally do?
Alyssa

Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 13, 2014, at 2:46 PM, Marianne Denning <marianne at denningweb.com> wrote:
> 
> I know several O&M instructors who don't encourage the low vision
> students to carry a cane.  I must admit, even with the extremely low
> vision I once had, I did not carry a cane and then when I did it was
> only for identification when I crossed a street.  Confessions of a
> blind woman.  I know how they feel.  We need to be proud of being
> blind even when society tells us we should be ashamed of it.
> 
> I love braille signage even though I grew up without it.  It is really
> helpful, even when I think I know where I am.  I use it to confirm
> that I am in the right place. But if I don't have signage I use other
> information.
> 
>> On 3/13/14, Richard Holloway <rholloway at gopbc.org> wrote:
>> I don't doubt that is true. I can't imagine that will ever change. We
>> stopped making the braille signage into a battle long ago at the school. It
>> is almost laughable how many times the school has defensively announced they
>> are working in the signs without our further inquiry. They know we'd like
>> the problem fixed, but as I mentioned I will focus on more pressing needs
>> like substandard textbook solutions, and required web sites which are not
>> accessible.
>> 
>> Our personal signage concern is MUCH more about a new unfamiliar (and also
>> larger) school (we change to middle school next year). We looked at several
>> schools. I believe the one with the defective permanent Braille signs is the
>> middle school the county prefers blind students to attend-- the one with the
>> resource room. But they mostly have low vision kids there (as far as VI
>> kids) and a lot of these students won't even carry canes, let alone read any
>> Braille signs, we are told.
>> 
>> Perhaps, in their minds, this is not a big deal. I do not agree with their
>> lax position. This does not motivate or impress me. How do they plan to
>> foster independence for VI students when the kids are allowed to be
>> apathetic about reading door signs on their own, and refuse to use their
>> white canes?
>> 
>> As you may have surmised, this particular school is not towards the top of
>> the list of schools for our child.
>> 
>>    -RH
>> 
>>> Adults who are blind have to pick their battles too.
>> 
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> 
> 
> -- 
> Marianne Denning, TVI, MA
> Teacher of students who are blind or visually impaired
> (513) 607-6053
> 
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