Facing Controversy, Taking a Stand

When we were first told that we'd be writing a ten page research paper that had something to do with communities this semester, I had no idea what I'd even consider writing. Ten pages sounded like a lot at the time, so if I wasn't going to have trouble finding a community I really cared to make some sort of argument about, I'd be struggling to find a topic with enough substance (and enough available resources) to take up that aount of space. This, of course, became a non-issue just a short time later when I began to realize the severity of a problem I've been having at this university since my date of enrollment.

The topic is controversial, and it's very likely that as soon as this blog post is read, I'll be contacted and told that I need to choose something else, or that I'll be graded more critically if I keep my chosen topic. But even if that happens, RI still intend to use this class and what I learn from this assignment to write a paper on this matter and perhaps submit it elsewhere. The community I choose to write about is the Florida State University administrative body. My argument, my angle as it were will deal with how this university views and treats its disabled students, most especially the blind. I've found in my time here that there are many, many blind students who have experienced discrimination on this campus, in their classes, even in the SDRC. I intend to research the state and federal laws that regulate the treatment of disabled people in public postsecondary institutions, the various relevant university policies and procedures and how they compare to what other universities have in place for the purpose of offering disabled students an even playing field, what the current standards are for equal access at universities, etc. I also plan on interviewing several blind students as well as faculty members in the SDRC and other departments. I would love a direct interview with the university president, and I will certainly try for one, but I think that might be unlikely to happen. i intend to do a very thorough job of finding the facts for this paper and giving everyone a chance to share their side of the story before making the final decision on the overall direction and tone of my paper.

Wish me luck!