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Disabled Student ServicesOnce you have chosen the school you want to attend, whether it’s a community college or a university, they may have an office to set up accommodations for students with disabilities. Many students with disabilities offices would prefer or insist that you sign up with their office in order to receive accommodations. The choice is up to you. You also have the option of working out your needed accommodations directly with professors, dormitory staff, library staff, computer lab staff or other campus personnel as you need. The choice is yours.Services that might be offered or that you could request might include: Readers for tests Putting tests into an alternative format On campus adaptive equipment like at the library or computer lab Assistance in getting books in an alternative format Tutors
Every students with disabilities office will be a little different in what they offer and what they expect from you. I think the best course of action is to think about what the sighted students are responsible for. Since sighted students locate and acquire their own textbooks, I think it’s fair that blind and visually impaired students do the same. On the other hand I also think that because sighted students are provided tests in their preferred format, print, that it is fair for blind students to receive tests in a preferred alternative format, large print, computer disk, Braille, cassette tape or human reader. If you choose to utilize the services of the students with disabilities office, you must monitor what services you receive closely. Many offices for students with disabilities try to interfere with students too much, or offer more help than is necessary. As a result, it may become very hard for them after graduation in the working world, because they have not learned how to arrange for readers, get books in an alternative format, and speak with supervisors about their needs and many more important life skills. You must be assertive and inform the disabilities office what you want and don’t want. When I was an undergraduate student, the Disabilities office sent out inquiries during the mid-term to my professors. They wanted to know how many absences I had, what grade the professor would give me if he had to give a grade at this point in time, are there any problems the professor has with me, etc. Many of my professors thought this was a weird practice. I had to have a meeting with the Director of Students with Disabilities and the vice chancellor to discuss why I thought this behavior was belittling. I explained that sighted students did not get this treatment, so why were we as blind or otherwise disabled people being treated this way? The director replied that a lot of her students with disabilities were scared to approach their professors. I said that was too bad. They better learn now to approach their professors, because no one will be there to hold their hand in the working world, or to approach their boss for them if they don’t feel comfortable. The director replied that she only handled matters on a college level. Fortunately, we finally got the mid-term inquiries to be optional, so that those of us who did not want them did not have to go through that process.
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