College Students with Visual Disabilities

What do the students say? With the growing number of §college students with disabilities, higher education §must take the responsibility to train faculty, §staff, and future graduates in disability issues. To §ensure appropriate training, we first must ask §students with disabilities what they need and §prefer. Based on focused interviews with 35 college §students with visual disabilities, this book §addresses students preferences in communication §styles and techniques. Respect for others, comfort §during interactions, and awareness of disability §issues were key factors leading to effective §communication between persons with and without §visual disabilities. Lack of knowledge, false §assumptions, misinformation, and fear of the unknown §on the part of college faculty, administrators, and §other students may manifest through negative, §inappropriate behaviors resulting in inequitable §educational experiences for students with visual §disabilities. This book offers suggestions for §disability awareness training that focuses on §eliminating attitudinal barriers while providing a §foundation for understanding the needs of persons §with visual disabilities.