[blindkid] technology journey

Fri Aug 28 19:56:22 UTC 2015

Hi Everyone!

Hope you're all surviving the back-to-school rush.

Heidi, I'm impressed by the stellar advocacy you did for your daughter! It's unfortunate that you had to do all that extra work, and still I'm very glad that you did it.

Also props to Denise for the great education she's providing to kids all over the country.

Heidi, I think you proved something important with your experience.  What you set out to do, get your daughter the tech training she needed to be competitive with her peers in the world of education, is totally possible. Not only is it possible, but every student who uses nonvisual technology should be able to get this type of tech education.

I think many folks, for whatever reason, believe that every-day tech tasks that sighted students do (like Google apps and PowerPoint) are just not possible for blind students. They assume that these tasks can't be done nonvisually using assistive technology. This is not true, but many students, parents, teachers, and administrators believe that it's true because that's what they've heard. It could be a lack of training on the part of teachers and admins, it could be a lack of available funding, or it could be simply a matter of not having time to research the different options. Whatever the reason given for why students are not expected to participate in age-appropriate tech learning, it becomes up to us as parents and other advocates to insist that yes, these tech goals are absolutely achievable. We probably shouldn't have to insist upon this, but for now that's our reality. Heidi's story and others like it demonstrate that what we're asking for with our advocacy is not unreasonable. In fact, it's fully achievable with the right plan and resources. I just encourage other parents to take these stories to heart and remember that what you're asking for is completely doable. If you hear otherwise, please continue to insist because there are so many misconceptions about assistive technology and blind students out there.

Again, my congrats to Heidi and Denise for a great team effort.

Best,
Allison

-----Original Message-----
From: blindkid [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of hpscheffer--- via blindkid
Sent: Friday, August 28, 2015 8:26 AM
To: blindkid at nfbnet.org
Cc: hpscheffer at aol.com
Subject: [blindkid] technology journey

I've been for a while pondering on a big issue I see seems way too common with kids on this list. I like to share with those who are willing to listen/read our story.

My daughter now in 10th grade, had as lots of your kids, a Braille Note with which she did most her work on and the Perkins to do math with. She did a little computer work with Jaws, but just the very basic from elementary to middle school. I got excited when the iPad came out which such great access as is Voice Over and iOS computers, which she quickly learned on her own. We thought this would be good and sufficient. She was keeping up and moving forward, her teachers and school were happy with what she was doing and knew she was smart, and doing extremely great. However, at the middle of 7th grade, I asked my daughter what the rest of the class was working on, and she said "oh they are all doing a power point presentation, but I can do something else instead. This was a big red light for me. I started questioning "why at this technology age would she not be able to do the same", I got onto a quest, I found our schools curriculum on the schools website and started comparing what others were doing and what she was no, this is a great resource for parents. 

Her VI teacher, as great as she was, did not know enough about Jaws to teach her, I started to research what a blind student could do on a computer and got lots of great information. I thought I should be able to find someone somewhere that would know enough to train the VI teacher and then she could train my daughter. Well, as I learned more, I realized this would be impossible since it would take too long, how about bypassing the VI and just get someone to train my daughter 1 on 1?. I found Dr. Denise Robinson, and we started exchanging emails and got the real picture of really how much can be done with Jaws on a laptop. No more carrying around the Perkins, sheets of paper, Braille Note, iPad. All she would need was just a laptop and a braille display? yes, all she would need from now on was "access" and not modifications! Of course there are books in braille she would still need, just like her peers, (she has all 36 volumes of Math ll, as well as other hard copies. 

After a technology assessment, which I requested, it was clear she was not up to par with her peers. The EC department finally approved lessons with Dr. Robinson, this was not an easy journey, it was long and arduous but I knew it was either that or below standard education and a limited future and dependency. I was not going to settle just because it was easier. Thankfully her VI was on board since she had her best interest at heart, she has learned a lot as well and is an amazing team player!

Fast forward to 10th grade now, she does "ALL" her work on her laptop, math (plots, lines…etc), english, biology, does beautiful power point presentations, inserts pictures, music, gets her homework from the school learning platform "Canvas", sends in her work to teachers, teachers send her work by emails, and she does all the same work as her peers, and I mean all the same! She uses Jaws and sometimes NVDA paired with APH braille display, also her iPhone and sometimes her iPad for other specific work. She has books on her computer and her Braille Note, but the BN stays at home to do homework with.

The world opened up for her in ways we never imagined, she loves knowing what she knows now, yes it was a lot of extra work, but considering the alternative we and her were happy to put in the time and fight to get to where she is now.  She will go to college and use all the skills she has learned and is still learning, to be completely independent. She sends requests to web designers to make them accessible to screen readers, as many are not, I hope sometime soon everyone will make the changes needed. I wish this could be enforced.

A Braille Note and an iPad will not make it for their future and their independence. Surely there is much technology on the way to make life easier for everyone, but this will not happen without proficient computer skills. 

Don't want to make this too long, so this is in a nutshell what I wanted to share, I hope it starts the conversation of the need of more training in the technology age for VI's and our kids.

Heidi

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