Tampa Bay briefs

By Times staff reports

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 25, 2001

Deadline is Friday for prepaid college plan

TALLAHASSEE -- The deadline for parents and others to sign Florida students up for the state's prepaid tuition program is Friday.

The program guarantees tuition, fees and housing at current prices.

The plan can be used at any Florida university or community college, some technical schools and most out-of-state schools.

The four-year university tuition plan starts at $56 a month or $7,083 if paid in full. Prices vary depending on the plan, type of payment and the age of the child.

The program can be purchased for any child who is a resident of Florida, under age 21 and has not yet entered grade 12. The purchaser, who does not have to live in Florida, can be anyone over age 18.

Information is available by calling a toll-free number, (800) 552-4723. A Web site, http://www.floridaprepaidcollege.com, also provides details.

Two file lawsuits against USF over disabilities act

TAMPA -- Two former students filed separate lawsuits against the University of South Florida on Monday, claiming the school discriminated against them because they are disabled.

Kimberly R. White, who has multiple sclerosis and cannot walk on her own, claims that she sought a nursing degree from USF but the school refused to provide equal access to the program or to reasonably modify the program and policies to allow her readily accessible participation.

Despite appeals, the school refused to provide equal access to tutoring and mentoring programs, classrooms, labs, libraries and parking, among other things, the suit claims.

Emily-Charmaine Evans, who is deaf, sued for many of the same reasons as White. According to Evans' suit, USF violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by refusing to provide qualified sign language interpreters, closed-captioned materials and telephonic equipment for the deaf.

The students want the school to provide for their disabilities and are seeking damages and attorneys' fees, according to the suits.

USF officials said they could not comment because they had not seen the lawsuit.

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