For each of the quotations below, please discuss:
- What aspects of these peer relationships are positive?
- What aspects are negative?
- Which, if any, are the responsibility of universities and their staff? What strategic action do you believe needs to be taken? By whom?
Eva: I can say from my fellows maybe discussing together getting different ideas from others and especially when we approach the exam time. Not only when we approach the exam time …we have our group discussions. We share, we help each other when someone didn't understand somewhere then he or she asks and then we help each other.
Jemila: I think they {the male students} call you and ask your name and from then they would call you the next day 'let's go for a walk' and you go for the walk. And then they will say 'when will I see you again?' You would say 'oh see you around'. They would come and knock on your door. Sometimes you don't even feel like talking but because you just want to be nice, you don't want to be rude so you'd just talk and then they'd just press on. If you accept it too you have to cook- it's (laugh) annoying. You see it's like you always have to be with them and stuff.
Kassim: Yeah of course the way I am [my disability] influences how I am with people, because maybe you might need help from people and they might take you as a stubborn one. Yeah of course in terms of learning you need to know what is going on, you need people to read for you to know each and everything that is taking place so [a lot is] depending on the perception of the one you are approaching. So I might say it's a problem and this is a big society, these problems should be there because we are endowed with different talents and understanding.
Harriet: In my first class, when I joined first year, under those difficult environments,.. I was assigned some cases to present in the class. What I did was I went to the library with my friend, he read them for me, then I read them nicely in my brain, then I presented there everyone was surprised and it was a challenge that if this blind person can do this what about me!! Most of them of course they approached me telling me the same thing, 'how have you managed … that you can stand in front of people and present cases nicely?' Of course it was a challenge, not even to them, but even my lecturers who assigned me those cases. And of course it changed most of the students and it made them to be close to me.
Gilbert: But in my case most of my time I usually spend with these blind students we usually do have them in our class. I am just taking them to the class; I am just taking them back to their rooms. Sometimes if I, they are writing their notes I just take the radio and go to the class and just tape and record the lecture and then I send them back to them and they go and write their notes. I just saw them like they are facing a lot of difficulties sometimes …they are left in the class no one is taking them back to their rooms.
The students at {my university} are like young boys and girls. They really feel sorry for us {mature students}. When they are doing the reading, and they get anything they try and help us. "We know you don't have time but can we fix up time for you, could we try and study with you?"