i do too but the ones I know did not get their qualification through the Open University. Did the ones you know qualify through the OU? -original message- Subject: [access-uk] Re: action for blind people employment officers From: "Barbara Wilson" <barkingbabs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Date: 30/07/2009 10:33 pm Eleanor, this is a very sweeping statement, do you have stats to back it up? I know blind people with law degrees. Find me on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/barkingbabs Barbara Wilson M: 07917710779 T: 02887784046 E: barkingbabs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx IM: creativeeyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Skype: creativeeyes ----- Original Message ----- From: "Eleanor Burke" <eleanorburke@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 9:37 AM Subject: [access-uk] Re: action for blind people employment officers >I actually believe that they will not pass a blind student in law. They >keep failing me in exams amd I an doing very well in assignments each year. >One year I got 40 per cent in the exam amd 72 in the assessments amd they >failed me with these grades even though my Invigilator sent in a long >report about my guide dog being very ill in the exam. > > -original message- > Subject: [access-uk] Re: action for blind people employment officers > From: "martin wilsher" <m.wilsher@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > Date: 30/07/2009 8:05 pm > > Dear Elenor: > > This strikes me as if they do not want a blind student on their books, I > too, had a very similar issue with a college, I was told, you want > accessibility? Get lost. > -----Original Message----- > From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf > Of > Eleanor Burke > Sent: 30 July 2009 07:53 > To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > Subject: [access-uk] Re: action for blind people employment officers > > I did. She told me that there was no way she would write on my behalf. > This > sounds rather harsh on her point. I showed her the letter in which the > university made very serious allegations against me. I can assure everyone > here that the allegations are untrue but my NP said to me, there you are, > it > is all clearly stated why you have been thrown out. I do not seen to be > able > to get across to people that I an currently thrown out amd not one staff > member of the Open University has picked up a telephone to ask me what I > have to say in my defence. I an having to wait until 1 September to do > this. > I live in London. The Open University has a regional centre in London, in > Camden where I live amd yet as a blind student I have to travel to Milton > Keynes for the meeting. Now do not tell me that stinks too. I believe all > those who are going to sit on the panel must be more severely disabled > than > myself. They have offered me that I can attend the meeting by telephone > but > that would not be > at all acceptable to me though if they wanted to arrange a video link-up > at my home I might give that some consideration. Still not satisfactory as > I > can call witnesses etc so ideally I would like to be in the same room as > everyone. I do not want to be an invisable blind student, a voice on a > telephone line. Disgusting insult. > > -original message- > Subject: [access-uk] Re: action for blind people employment officers > From: "martin wilsher" <m.wilsher@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > Date: 30/07/2009 7:34 pm > > Elinor, go to your mp with this. This is, in the face of it, clear > discrinimation. > > -----Original Message----- > From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf > Of > Eleanor Burke > Sent: 30 July 2009 07:08 > To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > Subject: [access-uk] Re: action for blind people employment officers > > I an very interested in this discussion on difficulty with access to > employment for disabled people. As a disabled student at the Open > University > people might be interested to know that I was suspended from the > university > on 17 July 2009 amd effectively thrown out. Did I get a Hearing? Certainly > not! I got a letter throwing me out. I also got a letter from the Regional > Director of the Open University in London who gave me a final warning amd > cut off my access to communication with Open University law students. > Where > was the prior warnings? There were none. This person is going through my > file with the aim of dicipling me. All of this flies in the face of > natural > justice. My offences are as follows: > I want to know the number of students who have sat 50 per cent of the > third > level law course W 300 since its inception 9 years ago. > I want to know why Special Arrangements were not made for me as a disabled > student in the last course I did in 2008 which I failed despite having > done > very well throughout the assessments over the year. > I an firmly of the opinion that the university threw me out because they > wanted to silence me on the issue of 50 per cent re-sit of an examination. > I > discovered that students had been allowed to do this which was hush hush. > I an not now going to be able to sit an exam amd pass it this year as I an > currently out amd the way the Open University works is that assignments > have > to be put in every month. My next one is due on 12 August but I will still > be out! > I have Appealed to the Senate of the University for lifting of my > suspension. Meeting not until 1 September. There are going to be 2 > students > on the panel. I wrote today saying that one of these students should be > blind, female amd the same age as myself. What do others feel? In terms of > information technology I communicate with fellow students over the > university website but they have stopped me being able to do this. I have > been unregistered amd isolated. I an a disabled student amd thrown out amd > not one staff member within the university has given me an opportunity to > speak. So from 17 July until 1 September I an being punished without a > hearing amd my chance of doing amd passing my course this year are gone. I > managed to obtain my course material electronically but only after much > ado > amd a written apology from the university. Someone wrote to the university > on my behalf about the course material in alternative format. This was > before I managed to get the material in alt ernative format. The > university > wrote back to this Professor telling him that 2 senior members of the law > faculty visited me in my home! I had to get the Open University to write > back to the Professor to say the information that 2 staff members visited > me > in my home was not true. A total case of discrimination. I can assure > everyone that I have not had gross misconduct which I have been > temporarily > if not permanently removed for from the university. There is no guarantee > that my suspension will be lifted. > > -original message- > Subject: [access-uk] Re: action for blind people employment officers > From: "martin wilsher" <m.wilsher@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > Date: 30/07/2009 6:04 pm > > HIBarbra and all. > > I am in a similar situation to will, and have gone for job interviews and > also have gone on govt schemes to help get into work. Now let me relay aa > few stories. I went on the new deal for disabled people. The DEA > basically > threw me at employers and said, the law says you cannot discriminate, so > employ him. Most employers were enthusiastic until they actually had to > do > soemthing to help me over and above their usual, then they binned me, > after > about three days in one case. Then I went on another scheme that afbp > told > me was accessible to blind. Turned out they weren't, and that they were > in > it for the EU money. I went in dressed in a suit, with laptop, copy of > jaws > on pendrive, for SATOGO and SA weren't known to me then, and with NRA in > hand. I was first asked, where's your carer, then when I told them I'd > lived on my own for years, they dropped that question. I explained about > jaws for windows, and about what it was. They wouldn't let me install it. > In the end, I had to jobsearch with my own computer. They could not even > make the course amterials in accessible format. About the only thing this > place did was give me funding to do voluntary work with a riding stable. > Now they were meant to come to the stable to check I was actually doing > the > work, and did they? No. They were meant to get in touch with my boss, > but > tdid they? No. I spent six mmonths doing my part of the thing, while > they > did nothing. This was another govt scheme btw, and at one point, they > tried > to claim that giving me an ethernet cable to allow me to connect to their > intrnet was accessibily, and they'd complied with the Dda because of this. > Hmm, no. AFBP blew hot air at this company, but that was it. And yes, > this > was new labour. I am going for an nvq this september, and I wonder if > AFBP > will help me if I get into trouble with access? Probably not. > > ** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:- > ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe] > ** If this link doesn't work then send a message to: > ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > ** and in the Subject line type > ** unsubscribe > ** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the > ** immediately-following link:- > ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq] > ** or send a message, to > ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq > > > ** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:- > ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe] > ** If this link doesn't work then send a message to: > ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > ** and in the Subject line type > ** unsubscribe > ** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the > ** immediately-following link:- > ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq] > ** or send a message, to > ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq > > > __________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus > signature > database 4292 (20090730) __________ > > The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. > > http://www.eset.com > > > > ** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:- > ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe] > ** If this link doesn't work then send a message to: > ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > ** and in the Subject line type > ** unsubscribe > ** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the > ** immediately-following link:- > ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq] > ** or send a message, to > ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq > > > ** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:- > ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe] > ** If this link doesn't work then send a message to: > ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > ** and in the Subject line type > ** unsubscribe > ** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the > ** immediately-following link:- > ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq] > ** or send a message, to > ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq > > > __________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus > signature > database 4292 (20090730) __________ > > The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. > > http://www.eset.com > > > > ** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:- > ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe] > ** If this link doesn't work then send a message to: > ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > ** and in the Subject line type > ** unsubscribe > ** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the > ** immediately-following link:- > ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq] > ** or send a message, to > ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq > > > ** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:- > ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe] > ** If this link doesn't work then send a message to: > ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > ** and in the Subject line type > ** unsubscribe > ** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the > ** immediately-following link:- > ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq] > ** or send a message, to > ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq > > > __________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus > signature database 4291 (20090730) __________ > > The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. > > http://www.eset.com > > > ** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe] ** If this link doesn't work then send a message to: ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ** and in the Subject line type ** unsubscribe ** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the ** immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq] ** or send a message, to ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq ** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe] ** If this link doesn't work then send a message to: ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ** and in the Subject line type ** unsubscribe ** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the ** immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq] ** or send a message, to ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq