Editor,
Have you ever pictured yourself walking into a building and not knowing where you are? Well, this is a very common feeling for me at the University of New Mexico. Throughout my entire college experience, I have had to deal with this issue more times than anyone could imagine. I am a blind student who has had to adapt to countless ways this campus is not accessible.
Due to my blindness, not only do I have to jump through hoops, but I also have to rely on my sighted peers on a daily basis. The reasoning behind this article is to address the University's shortcomings with being a fully ADA-compliant campus. Making this campus more inclusive for blind students is not hard. Three key steps would go a long way toward improving the experience for me and others like me.
First, adding Braille signage to all rooms and buildings would allow blind students to be more independent. One of the things that disabled students like myself or others with physical disabilities find ironic is that the Accessibility Office is on the second floor with no Braille signage.
The Student Union Building, the heart of where our student community comes together, has no sense of direction for students like me. This building is the easiest to get lost in. Even Zimmerman, a library that serves UNM and the public, is an obstacle course. I also argue that the University should provide students with Braille books regardless of cost.
Second, the University needs to audit the accessibility of the electronic and information technology. As an example, PDFs from the databases like EPSCO Host or many sites like Nexus Lexis are incompatible with screen reader software like Jaws and Window-eyes. Many systems are not possible to even navigate, like UNM Learn and library databases.
When an instructor uses Learn to communicate with students, those messages are not readable to blind students. We are left feeling at a disadvantage and dependent on others. Before Learn was implemented, there were promises that it would be more accommodating to the screen readers we use.
But it hasn’t been the case. With technological innovation, blind students are often left behind and the world actually becomes less accessible. I would hope the University would advocate on our behalf. Due to the disadvantages that blind students face, universities across the nation have been sued for not attempting to fix the issue.
Third, we need more advocacy or support around campus to make materials more accessible. While reviewing technological problems is important, part of the problems stem from inadequate information. A screen reader is software that strictly reads text to us and must be in a particular format.
For example, if instructors scan material in side-ways, I will not be able to access it because the readers will not work. We need, as a University community, to have more dialogue about accessibility for all students, not just for the blind.
By law, the Accessibility Resource Center is made available to any individual with a disability regardless of their condition. Despite having this entity as a resource, the University of New Mexico has not fully addressed the gap in services for fully-able students relative to disabled students.
From personal experience, we, as clients of the Accessibility Resource Center, have to work much harder in order to receive accommodations which allow us to perform to our fullest potential. Too many people, including staff at the Accessibility Resource Center, are not fully informed with regards to the daily experience of disabled students at UNM.
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The lack of support to address these problems creates a problem for both students and professors alike. As the University talks about the importance of inclusiveness, I am hopeful that it will think of how that applies to students with disabilities.
Jessica Loera
UNM student
