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The article discusses accessibility issues associated with educational technologies at universities in the U.S. for students with disabilities through an exploration of the experiences of blind Arizona State University (ASU) senior Darrell Shandrow. It focuses on Shandrow's role in a lawsuit against ASU regarding the Amazon Kindle electronic book reader, describes difficulties for blind people in accessing internet content that is not keyboard-enabled, and examines the possibility that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) could be amended to cover internet technologies. Other topics include Shandrow's fight to enter public school as a teenager, the text-to-speech software found on Apple computers, and a list of rankings regarding blind students' access to college web sites.

The article focuses on handicapped accessibility of campus facilities and historical structures and landscapes on colleges. It comments on the Lawn at the University of Virginia which was designed by Thomas Jefferson in the early 1820s and the need to use alleyways outside the Lawn for wheelchair-bound students to access all the levels. It comments on factors that have delayed implementation of the U.S. Americans with Disabilities Act at colleges, including finances and topography.

Only when they are allowed to teach and research unencumbered by a need to advocate for access will they be able to see the possibilities of a career that extends beyond their disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article the author discusses disabled college students in the U.S. and examines ways in which policies to include people with disabilities in the college environment can benefit all teachers and students. She comments on her displeasure with the minimal requirements outlined by the Americans With Disabilities Act, comments on the universal-design and Independent Living movements, and highlights comments from professor Lennard J. Davis on disabilities as a form of student diversity.