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Possible discrimination rears its ugly head at Portland Community College student, now attending PSU.  Sunil Narayan (Photo: Alex Fallenstedt)
Until this academic year, Sunil Narayan was a student at Portland Community College. The largest public institution for higher education in the state of Oregon, PCC serves more than 100,000 students each year, and its reputation for treatment of its disabled students has traditionally been stellar. Being hearing impaired, Narayan’s disability should have been accommodated just like the needs of any other student. However, Narayan alleges that several of his instructors and the disability administrators at PCC failed to take his impairment seriously. Naraya filed disability complaints in 2008 against two PCC professors, the first of whom taught his literature class. “In the first week we discussed reading assignments,” Narayan said. “I described my disability. Everyone was hesitant [to work with me].” Narayan wears a combination hearing device and microphone, which he places in front of the person speaking in environments where hearing can be difficult — such as in large classrooms. Narayan's professor was allegedly unwilling to wear the microphone. “She asked if I had thought about other options for my hearing device,” he said. “I asked her again and again if I had to get a new transmitter. She refused to accommodate me.” In a math course, a second instructor allegedly refused to wear the transmitter microphone, claiming that such devices gave him migraine headaches. Eventually, the professor allegedly refused to meet with Narayan outside of class to discuss the issue. “It was clear that he was dodging meeting with me,” Narayan said. “He wouldn't set up a date to meet.” Narayan took his complaints to the Affirmative Action Office at PCC, and filed two complaints against each professor. Narayan was told that his complaints had no merit by Sylvia Welch, Director of the Affirmative Action Office; Narayan then contacted Tim Spofford, an attorney for the Oregon Department of Education. “He told me he was shocked that no one would help me,” Narayan said. “We worked from [the beginning of the] Fall Term 2008 until fall of 2009. He pursued an investigation the whole time.” Spofford gathered evidence and submitted it for evaluation to the proper authorities. The conclusion that PCC administrators came to: No wrongdoing was committed by the Affirmative Action Office, or by the professors Narayan came into conflict with. At the time of Narayan's investigation PCC had a proposed measure on the ballot that, upon passage, sent millions of dollars to PCC for the construction of buildings. Narayan believes that PCC had political motivation not to properly resolve his case. “If my case had gone public, PCC may have lost their bond measure,” said Narayan, who has now transferred to PSU. “The bond measure passed and my investigation was swept under the rug.”  |
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