[Athen] AHEAD E-Text Site Update

Wink Harner wink.harner at mcmail.maricopa.edu
Mon Jul 30 21:38:22 PDT 2007


I agree! As a class of society, the disabled as a whole are seriously both
un- and under-employed. There are myriad reasons. One which comes to mind
and is a serious thorn in my side at the moment concerns students who are
blind or SVI and Voc. Rehab. refuses to authorize their Brailling or ALT
format books. Not because these students are not "smart" enough for college/grad
school, but because these students do not fit into some VR preconceived mold
of what a person who is blind or VI "should" be able to do. This refusal
to provide the textbooks and supporting materials in the appropriate format
is a condemnation of these smart, talented, dedicated --and EMPLOYABLE--
people to a life of unemployment or employment in sub-standard, unfulfilling
jobs.

I just followed up with one of Ron's forwarded recommendations for MathTrax
--we have an amazing student taking University Physics this fall and I have
asked the young man AND his more-than-willing physics prof. to check out
the software to see how well they might be able to use it for the student's
homework and/or exams. I will continue to support, encourage, fight for our
students' right to access their materials in the best, most appropriate format
possible, whether VR helps them or not. And I will continue to poke, prod,
provoke VR into providing the materials they are supposed to be taking care
of.

BTW, can ANY of you do university physics in your head by having someone
(or the computer or cd player) read the problems to you and you can dictate
flawlessly from memory? Good luck with that one!

Blessings from one very frustrated fisherman (uh, fisher-woman!) on the Madison
River, MT.

Wink

Ms. Wink Harner
Manager (but still on vacation)
Disability Resources & Services
Mesa Community College
Mesa, AZ



>-- Original Message --

>From: "Michael O'Brien" <obriemic at hvcc.edu>

>To: "'Access Technologists in Higher Education Network'" <athen at athenpro.org>

>Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 13:38:25 -0400

>Subject: Re: [Athen] AHEAD E-Text Site Update

>Reply-To: Access Technologists in Higher Education Network <athen at athenpro.org>

>

>

>"why do we need to do Braille at all, isn't audio based access superior"

>You're kidding!

>

>Mike

>

>-----Original Message-----

>From: athen-bounces at athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces at athenpro.org] On

>Behalf Of Ron Stewart

>Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2007 12:01 PM

>To: 'Access Technologists in Higher Education Network'

>Subject: Re: [Athen] AHEAD E-Text Site Update

>

>Well said my friend!

>

>Often we tend to get too bogged down in our firefighter lives to take a

step

>back and look at the big picture. The failure of the educational system

>at

>all levels to teach folks with disabilities borders on criminal, in my

>opinion. I did a training recently in which I was asked why do we need

to

>do Braille at all, isn't audio based access superior, and this is

>unfortunately a regular question. It is not a reflection on the dedication

>of the person who asked us, but more a reflection on the complexity and

>challenging field we work in.

>

>I would ask each of us to challenge our assumptions on a regular basis,

and

>to engage in more of this kind of conversation on a regular basis.

>

>A parting thought on this topic. What does the unemployment and

>underemployment of folks with disablites costs us as a society, not just

>in

>dollars but in lost human potential? And how less expensive would it

>actually be to provide a sounds fundamental education to all members of

our

>communities of learners.

>

>Ron Stewart

>

>-----Original Message-----

>From: athen-bounces at athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces at athenpro.org] On

>Behalf Of Marks, Jim

>Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2007 11:44 AM

>To: Access Technologists in Higher Education Network

>Subject: Re: [Athen] AHEAD E-Text Site Update

>

>I wish that people with learning disabilities would practice the same sense

>of identity and collective action that blind people do, but I am not going

>to hold my breath in anticipation of this progression. It's accurate to

>say

>that most alternate format issues are driven by the blind and visually

>impaired, but this is caused by the lack of action on the part of other

>groups rather than the actions of the blind and visually impaired. Blind

>groups often get charged with allegations that we do not cooperate, and

that

>this lack of cooperation hurts the things we could achieve if only everyone

>would play well together. But what is really being said, at least in part,

>is that blind people ought to pick up what others are failing to do for

>themselves. The trouble with this is that if blind people lose their focus,

>who is going to pick up our cause?

>

>And here is another point to consider. The only group of people with

>disabilities to shrink in post-secondary education enrollment over the past

>two decades is the blind and visually impaired. Part of the reason for

the

>shrinkage is better medical treatments. The other reason is that the United

>States failed to teach blind and visually impaired children how to read

and

>write well enough to function in college. Now consider that for every blind

>or visually impaired student a DS office sees, there are 40 students with

>learning disabilities standing at the door. As a consequence, DS officers

>tend to know a lot about learning disabilities, and very little about

>blindness. Just look at the number of posts about blindness that crop up

>on

>disability service listservs.

>DS professionals do not know enough about blindness, and it's left up to

>the

>blind to fend for themselves. They often have to do it under extremely

>difficult circumstances, such as being forced to use accommodations that

>are

>very appropriate for students with learning disabilities and downright

>harmful to blind people. One size does not fit all.

>

>I do not think that blind and visually impaired people want to keep other

>groups from getting their rights met. But neither will we let others

>dictate our agenda for us. It may be sloppy, but special interests are

what

>drives our US system of government and economy. I and many others feel

no

>shame in our self-interest. But it sure would be great if others would

stop

>asking us to address their special interests for them.

>

>We will have to hoist a cold one over this sort of conversation, I suppose.

>While we might not convince one another of much, at least we can enjoy some

>good company and some good beer.

>

>

>

>Jim Marks

>Director of Disability Services

>University of Montana

>jim.marks at umontana.edu

>http://www.umt.edu/dss/

>

>-----Original Message-----

>From: athen-bounces at athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces at athenpro.org] On

>Behalf Of Ron Stewart

>Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2007 2:38 PM

>To: 'Access Technologists in Higher Education Network'

>Subject: Re: [Athen] AHEAD E-Text Site Update

>

>I think the lesson for me at that point is if the various communities of

>print disabled folks band together to work for a common solution to their

>issues of access then a more wholistic solution would in all likeliness

>result. As long as it is solely the NFB and other blindness related

>organizations that are pushing for change then the result will be laws that

>benefit those groups to the detriment of the others.

>

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>

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Ms. Wink Harner
Manager
Disability Resources & Services
Mesa Community College
Mesa AZ

480-461-7447






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