[Nfbf-l] Blind Student Files Discrimination Suit Against Miami University

[Lenora J. Marten]

Hey everyone,

I'm sure we'll be talking about this at convention, but for those of you who
are not attending or want to read about it now, the article is below and can
be found at https://nfb.org/blind-student-files-discrimination-suit-against-miami-university

Lenora



BlindStudent Files Discrimination Suit Against Miami University
Oxford, Ohio (January 13, 2014): With the assistance of theNational Federation of the Blind, Aleeha Dudley, a blind student pursuing adegree in zoology with hopes of attending veterinary school, has filed suit(case number: 1:14-CV-00038) in the United States District Court for theSouthern District of Ohio against Miami University for discriminating againsther on the basis of her disability.  The complaint alleges that MiamiUniversity violated Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) andSection 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 by deliberately failing to makenecessary modifications for Ms. Dudley so that she could complete hercoursework.  Among other things, the university failed to providetextbooks and course materials in accessible formats, including Braille; failedto provide proper tactile graphics to represent visual components of coursematerials; purchased and deployed inaccessible course management and assignmentsoftware; and more.  If these modifications had been made, Ms. Dudleywould have been able to use text-to-speech software and a refreshable Brailledisplay to obtain the information she needed to succeed in her courses. Instead, the complaint alleges, her grades have suffered and she is behind inher degree requirements, not because of any deficiency in her own capabilities,desire to learn, or work habits, but because of Miami University’s failure tomake modifications that it promised to make and that are required by federallaw.
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of theBlind, said: “Ms. Dudley is only one of many blind students who experiencefrustrating and unnecessary barriers to a full and equal education in ournation’s institutions of higher education.  Technology, if properlydesigned and implemented, can make it possible for students like Ms. Dudley toexperience an equal education to an extent unheard of in the past, but MiamiUniversity has ignored its legal and moral obligations and failed to procureaccessible technology and take other steps necessary to give Ms. Dudley thefull benefit of her educational experience.  The National Federation ofthe Blind cannot and will not tolerate such discrimination against Ms. Dudleyand the rest of America’s blind students.  We will pursue this case andothers with vigor, continue to inform colleges and universities of theirobligations, and insist that they meet those obligations.”
Ms. Dudley said: “My dream of becoming a veterinarian has turnedin to a nightmare.  I am so far behind in my coursework, and my gradeshave suffered so much, that I will not be able to pursue a veterinary degreeand enter the job market on time, if at all.  I am pursuing this case notonly for myself, but so that other blind students who matriculate at MiamiUniversity will not experience the same frustration, exhaustion, and sadnessthat I feel today.”
Ms. Dudley is represented with the support of the NationalFederation of the Blind by Sharon Krevor-Weisbaum and Daniel F. Goldstein ofthe Baltimore firm Brown, Goldstein, & Levy, and Kerstin Sjoberg-Witt ofDisability Rights Ohio.
 
 


 
Lenora J. Marten, President
Florida Organization of Parents of Blind Children
Secretary, NFB-FL
Florida Rehabilitation Council for the Blind
bluegolfshoes at aol.com
904-229-9554