<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=windows-1252"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hello Nabs-ters,<div><br></div><div> Recall that we had a back to school call a few weeks ago with a couple of all-star speakers.</div><div> If for some reason you missed it or need to get their wisdom again, I am pleased to tell you that they have been so kind as to give you a written account of their secrets to unending and invaluable academic and social success.</div><div> First from Cody: <span style="letter-spacing: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 11px; ">Back to School Conference Call Notes</span></div>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Academia</span></li>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Requesting Accommodations</span></li>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">It is important to request accommodations with Disability Support Services ahead of time.</span></li>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">They will usually give out accommodation letters to give to professors that list the granted accommodations.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Give letter to professor before start of class via email or in person</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">D. Ask if he or she has additional questions comments or concerns so these issues can be handled ahead of time.</span></li>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Obtaining Text Books</span></li>
</ol><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 54px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">A. Learning Ally is a great resource</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> Membership costs $100 but may be able to have DVR pay the cost or be put on school membership</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">B. Book share also carries a wide variety of books</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Excellent because it is free to students</span></p>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">In the text book cannot be obtained through an outside resource your DSO should be able to convert it or obtain an accessible copy from the publisher.</span></li>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Inaccessible projects</span></li>
</ol><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 36px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Often times (depending on major) some students will be challenged with projects or assignments that are inaccessible as a result of computer programs</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 36px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Options Available:</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 36px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Ask professor for alternative assignment that achieves the same purpose.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 36px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Hire reader to help assist in describing visual aspects of the project.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 36px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Work with a classmate if allowed on the project but make sure that you are contributing to the project and gaining an understanding of the material even of your partner may have to perform certain tasks due to their inaccessibility.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 54px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">*There is a time and place for all of the above said methods.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">4. Hiring Readers</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> If material is technical make sure to hire someone who understands it if it</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Often times the head of the department can recommend exceptional students to you as readers.</span></p><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>And from Liliya:</div><div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">NABS Comference Call Write up that took place on: Sept 22</span><span style="font-size: 7.3px; letter-spacing: 0px; "><sup>nd, </sup></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">2013. </span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">At: 7:00 PM Eastern Standard Time.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; min-height: 13px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Speaker Presented on Behalf of Involvement on Campus and Campus Orientation: Liliya Asadullina</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">College orientation usually takes place 3 to 4 days during the summer. The college offers several times that you can choose to attend.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Orientation includes a tour of campus and dorms, activities for Freshmenn, Freshmenn class meeting which is called Freshmenn convocation. This is a time to meet others and ask any questions that you may have. Some activities will be present so that you could get to know people. Activities may include movie night, ice cream social, and small group activities.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">You will have a small group leader who will be like a tour guide for you during your orientation session. You will have free meals in the cafeteria to get you oriented and you will listen to a few speakers. The speakers will inform you of vital information.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">You will have a random room mate for the time of the orientation. Don’t hesitate to put yourself out there and meet new people. It will be uncomfortable at first, but it will be beneficial if you do so.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Welcome week:</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">This week includes activities from all of the campus organizations and clubs. The orgs / clubs will have intro sessions that will inform you about their goals and what they are all about.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Essentially it is a week to explore what is on Campus. There will be also social events such as bbq’s and movie nights in order for the Freshmenn to get to know each other.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">The housing department will hoast events as well. </span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">You will have a floor dorm meeting with your residential adviser, (RA.) Your RA might have an activity planned for you. An RA is like a mother/father figure of the Freshmenn floor. He/she is an upper classman who is in charge of the dorm floor. They make sure everyone is getting along and if not they will write people up. They are there to help if anyone needs it. They inform everyone who lives on that floor about up coming events.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Every floor in a dorm setting has an RA.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Tips:</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Getting involved on campus can help you establish long-term friendships, relationships, and provide you with good connections.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Get out of your comfort zone by putting yourself into big crowded events, and introducing yourself to random people.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Go join clubs that no one you know is in it.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; min-height: 13px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Prioritizing:</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Make yourself a daily calendar. Fill in your times and activities/class schedule.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Getting Oriented to Campus:</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Walk through the class schedule a few times before school begins. Have a parent or friend walk through the schedule with you. Even a college disabilities office staff can help you with that. Don’t be afraid to ask people questions if you are lost. This is also another way to make friends.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">You also have an option to get your OVR Rehab center to pay for you to get an O and M instructor, but don’t utilize them too much. </span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">If you have any further questions about college life, feel free to email me at: <a href="mailto:aliliya@msudenver.edu"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; color: rgb(4, 51, 255); ">aliliya@msudenver.edu</span></a></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Thank you all and best wishes to your college experiences!</span></p><div><br></div></div><div> Again, many thanks to the presenters of this topic, as they gave us very valuable information.</div><div> </div><div> Remember, we are always looking for topics for membership calls and presenters for those calls.</div><div> Should you have any questions/need some help developing your idea, or have any other questions regarding nabs,</div><div> please feel free to contact me via the below information.</div><div> Thank you,</div><div> Darian please feel free to contact me via the information below. </div><div><br></div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; min-height: 13px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; min-height: 13px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br></p><div> Darian Smith<div apple-content-edited="true"><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div>2nd Vice President, National Association of Blind Students</div><div>(415) 215-9809</div><div><a href="mailto:dsmithnfb@gmail.com">dsmithnfb@gmail.com</a></div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.nabslink.org">www.nabslink.org</a></div><div>Follow the National Association of Blind Students on twitter: @nabslink</div><div><blockquote type="cite"><br>Vehicle Donations Take the Blind Further <br>Donate your car to the National Federation of the Blind today!<br>For more information, please visit: <a href="http://www.carshelpingtheblind.org/">www.carshelpingtheblind.org</a> or call 1-855-659-9314<br></blockquote></div></div>
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