[nabs-l] introduction

[Christopher Kchao]

Hi all,
I figured I'd finally do the formal thing and introduce myself for the sake of most of you who probably don't know me. I'm completing my third semester at Hunter College of the City University of New York. Presently, I'm in the process of taking care of the rather extensive liberal arts requirements of my education while exploring different career options. I have a great deal of interest in working in a technical field; there's just something extremely appealing about being on the cutting edge. In addition, I'm also continuing to toy with the idea of going to law school to become an attorney.
As far as vision is concerned, I am totally blind from birth. Location was a rather large determining factor when deciding on my school of choice. Staying at home with my parents would be too easy. Staying in suburban New York at the mercy of anyone with functioning eyes and a car would be too inconvenient. As a result of this decision, I am proud to say that I consider myself to be moderately independent and have lived away from home for a little bit over a year. I do however plan to attend one of the NFB training centers in the near future. At the very least, doing so will aid in reinforcing the skills I currently have and boosting my confidence. I feel that independence is an absolutely vital skill and definitely aids in increasing marketability in the workforce.
This mailing list, and the "blind students on facebook" group is the extent of my involvement in the organized blind movement, if I may give it such a designation. I hope to change that in the near future. Only recently have I started to see the value of networking with other blind individuals, especially when faced with challenges that would seem otherwise unconventional to my sighted peers. This list definitely has a lot to offer in terms of being an outlet in which people can share ideas, though networking on a local level would be ideal.
Anyways, this is starting to sound like bits and pieces of a poorly written college essay, so I think I'll stop. :-)
Just from being a nearly silent member on the list, I've already learned a lot in the past few months. Keep it coming.