[Nfbf-l] Blind Student Files Discrimination Suit Against MiamiUniversity

[Peter Donahue]

Good morning everyone,

    It would help if folks proofread their messages before posting them. 
They're a lot more understandable when words are not run together. Thank 
you.

Peter Donahue


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lenora J. Marten" <bluegolfshoes at aol.com>
To: <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 14, 2014 8:57 AM
Subject: [Nfbf-l] Blind Student Files Discrimination Suit Against 
MiamiUniversity


>
> 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
>
>
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