[blindlaw] A dispute over paper-form accessibility

[Mark BurningHawk]

I am having the same argument with my government student loan repayment office that I have had for years.

I wish to fill out a deferment, while I seek employment.  In order to do this, I have some options:
I could download the PDF form from their website.  To my knowledge, I have neither the updated version of Jaws, nor the updated version of Adobe which will allow me to manipulate this form, checking the proper boxes and adding a signature, once I have done so, much less print it out and send it back.  The INSIST the MUST have a paper form.

I could allow some person with sight to fill out this form.  It has been my policy to not allow unnecessary access by the sighted to my personal mail or financial records, but I do realize it would be a solution to bend that rule; I am, at present, unwilling and not in a safe situation for this to happen.  Also, I don't really have a sighted person around who would do it at the moment.
Or, the department in question could make the form accessible to me.  They utterly refuse to do this, stating there's no way they can send it to me in another medium than print or PDF.

What, if any, rights do I have in this dispute?  I know that the easiest solution would be to find a sighted person I even half-way trust to help me with it, but I object to this very strongly on a moral ground, and I think that is constitutes discrimination to force me into this position.  As well, as I have said above, I don't have s sighted friend to provide this charitable service for me, nor even someone I could pay--I live in a bad neighborhood in an inner city environment.  Are there any avenues I can take, other than these?\Thanks.

--Mark BurningHawk
Email:  Stone_troll at sbcglobal.net
my website:  http://www.panix.com/~mbaxter
Namaste
-------------- next part --------------
I am having the same argument with my government student loan repayment office that I have had for years.
 
I wish to fill out a deferment, while I seek employment.  In order to do this, I have some options:
I could download the PDF form from their website.  To my knowledge, I have neither the updated version of Jaws, nor the updated version of Adobe which will allow me to manipulate this form, checking the proper boxes and adding a signature, once I have done so, much less print it out and send it back.  The INSIST the MUST have a paper form.
 
I could allow some person with sight to fill out this form.  It has been my policy to not allow unnecessary access by the sighted to my personal mail or financial records, but I do realize it would be a solution to bend that rule; I am, at present, unwilling and not in a safe situation for this to happen.  Also, I don't really have a sighted person around who would do it at the moment.
Or, the department in question could make the form accessible to me.  They utterly refuse to do this, stating there's no way they can send it to me in another medium than print or PDF.
 
What, if any, rights do I have in this dispute?  I know that the easiest solution would be to find a sighted person I even half-way trust to help me with it, but I object to this very strongly on a moral ground, and I think that is constitutes discrimination to force me into this position.  As well, as I have said above, I don't have s sighted friend to provide this charitable service for me, nor even someone I could pay--I live in a bad neighborhood in an inner city environment.  Are there any avenues I can take, other than these?\Thanks.
 
--Mark BurningHawk
Email:  mailto:Stone_troll at sbcglobal.net Stone_troll at sbcglobal.net
my website:  http://www.panix.com/~mbaxter http://www.panix.com/~mbaxter
Namaste