Blind Guy
In our prison, all disabled and special needs students are mainstreamed into the classroom. Individual education plan conferences and case reviews tend to be sporadic, and sometimes don’t happen because of the age factor. Legally, if they are over twenty-three, we don’t have to provide the special services we must offer the younger individuals. If they are under twenty-three, by law we have to provide all of these meetings.
Generally, it is up to the individual teacher to accommodate each student. The best way to explain this is to give a personal example.
In April 2006, I received a request from a gentleman who was 100% blind, to be enrolled in school. The immediate reaction was a bit of fear by anybody I approached with the request. No one, including my supervisor, thought we could accommodate the man’s situation. I thought, though, we had a legal and ethical obligation to offer him services.
