It was refreshing to read an editorial in the last issue of the Mass Media regarding accessibility on campus. I am a blind student here, and have brought up concerns about the accessibility of physical structures and the academic environment on campus time and again. Little change has taken place since I joined this community in 2014.

The article in the last issue discusses the physical structures in the new academic building, then categorizes the care taken to make the building accessible as “forward-thinking.”

While I am happy that student government is taking another hard look at this issue, I would remind readers that the Americans With Disabilities Act was signed by President George H.W. Bush in 1990. Any effort to make the student environment accessible is not only the right thing to do, but has been the law for more than 25 years.

As a blind student, I find it prohibitively frustrating to use Blackboard. I have given up on using the site, despite the fact that professors use this system for assignments, discussions, and collaborative work with classmates.

This is my last semester here. I look forward to receiving a bachelor’s degree from this fabulous public research institution this coming May, but I have given up on expecting things to be easy and accessible for a blind student like myself. Many times I have to contend with spending hours to make sure I have adequate access to reading materials. This is wasted time, since I should be spending precious resources on learning, not fighting with a system that does not work.

I must pick my battles, and the one worth winning at this time is graduating. I have decided to bite the bullet to obtain my reading materials directly from professors in my department rather than getting them through the usual channels. I feel included and cared for when my professors provide me with the reading material upon request. Professors in the Communication department have gone to bat for me to make sure I can access readings and excel in their courses. I thank them for caring, but I should not feel special and included by simply getting access to my schoolwork.

Plus, access to class materials is not the job of the professor. It is the job of the Ross Center for Students with Disabilities who often falls short of fulfilling their commitment to success for disabled scholars here.
The future of this university, and the livelihoods of people with disabilities who go here depend on the ability of student and administrative leaders to implement systemic changes to almost every facet of student life here. I don’t envy the people tasked with making these changes because there is a lot of work to do to improve accessibility at UMass Boston. But if the right people exercise their talent and energy to do the right thing and follow the law, then this university may some day become the welcoming environment we all need to find academic and professional success.
Antonio Guimaraes can be reached at [email protected]