Human rights court: ROC Nijmegen discriminated against blind student

ROC in Nijmegen discriminated against a blind woman by refusing her application to study there, the Board for the Protection of Human Rights ruled in a case brought by 28-year-old Juliana Fragoso from  Nijmegen, the Gelderlander reports.

The woman has been blind since childhood. She wanted to get her diploma through the Secondary General Adult Education at ROC. ROC rejected her application stating that the adjustments that will need to be made to accommodate a blind student would be a "disproportionate burden" on the school, for which there is insufficient resources.

According to the Board, by doing so ROC differentiated based on disability or chronic illness, which is prohibited and definitely considered discrimination. Instead the educational institution should have done everything possible to make sure the woman could follow her course.

In response ROC told the Gelderlander that the judgement is good reason to have a critical look at the investigation done when a person with a disability applies for admittance. ROC regrets that the intake procedure did not go well in this case.