[nabs-l] Equipment Coming In

Thu Sep 2 18:53:26 UTC 2010

Hi, Jewel,
  I'm glad your equipment finally arrived, and I can totally
understand your frustration with having to postpone your college
classes. I agree you did the right thing by dropping your classes this
semester though given the information you had at the time, as you were
definitely at a huge disadvantage with the lack of equipment. You are
overcoming a lot of obstacles to attend college, including
transportation and your mobility issues, and I just want to offer you
encouragement as you move forward. As others suggest, use this
semester to learn all your new technology well, check out on-line
courses, and work with your instructors for the spring term to make
sure everything is ready to go by January. You seem to be a very
resourceful person and I know you will not give up easily.
  And Joe, I have to respectfully disagree with a lot of what you
said. Most college students utilize technology on a daily basis for
their learning and would be hard pressed if all computing tools are
ever taken away from them. Because assistive technology is much more
expensive than mainstream devices, the state rehab is responsible for
funding the purchases, and just because they are often ridiculously
delayed doesn't mean that blind students shouldn't expect equipment
that allows them to efficiently access information, take notes, etc.
Yes, blind students did once function with only the slate and stylus
and a tape recorder, but times have changed and technology is now
expected to be part of everyone's toolkit. While those few sighted
students without their own computers can make use of computers in the
library or computer lab, blind students can not do this as readily;
many schools, mine for one, do not have equipment in the DSS office as
they expect students to recieve them through voc rehab. Furthermore,
As Serena said, access in higher education is often more challenging
than in the workplace, not to mention that dealing with temporary
break-downs of some of your technology is very different from not
having any of your equipment at all for the entire semester.
  I agree with your general philosophy of not giving up, and I'm very
impressed with you for making through your first semester of freshman
year without technology. However, everyone's situations and abilities
are different, and blind students are entitled to a level playing
field with their sighted peers and should not be labeled as giving up
too easily when they are not provided with the most basic learning
tools.
  Just my thoughts!
   Katie

On 9/2/10, Serena <serenacucco at verizon.net> wrote:
> Joe:
>
> With respect, although I agree with your point that people have to learn how
> to deal with difficult times in their lives, I think being in the working
> world is easier than being a student, as far as blindness services go.  Once
> you have a steady career and assuming your equipment doesn't totally break,
> you won't have to have the Commission for the Blind involved.  At least in
> NJ, once the Commission buys you equipment, it's yours forever.  If you
> change jobs, you can use the equipment at your new job.  I'm not sure, but
> I'm guessing that Juel's Commission issue added to her mobility impairment
> seemed like too much pressure for her to handle at this time of her life.  I
> know it was her decision not to use a wheelchair, but what's done is done.
>
> Serena
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
> To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, September 02, 2010 7:55 AM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Equipment Coming In
>
>
>> Jewel,
>>
>> I apologize, not for what I wrote but for still not understanding.
>> Several
>> suggestions were made for you on how to locate loaner equipment.  I wonder
>> if you contacted your NFB affiliate to raise hell on your behalf at the
>> agency.  I think it easy to utilize the organization's lists but sometimes
>> forget that there really is a machinery in place behind the lists to help
>> people in these types of everyday situations.  I specifically offered to
>> write or call on behalf of students experiencing difficulty in obtaining
>> accommodations.  Did you get in touch with your local Lions' Club?  Since
>> we
>> spoke of accommodations on campus, did you fully assess the availability
>> of
>> equipment at your school?
>>
>> I am one individual who did not receive their equipment until November of
>> my
>> freshman year.  Actually, the boxes arrived just as I was checking out of
>> my
>> dorm to go home for Thanksgiving.  The only reason things sped up is
>> because
>> after speaking to my counselor's supervisor I threatened to take my
>> grievance to the top of the agency, never mind regional office nonsense.
>> Until that point I was using an old desktop I'd scrounged up from my
>> parents' house and a slate and stylus.  Looking back, I probably took
>> better
>> notes on the slate because I was concentrating on only taking down main
>> points.  But, fine, my abilities are not the abilities of others, and no
>> one
>> likes being compared to other people.  Yet, I think it important for us to
>> realize that just as someone is out there doing something better than us,
>> there is also someone who is having it a lot worse.
>>
>> My fear with your situation is that you feel the answer to your success in
>> school relies on the availability of a long list of equipment.  Technology
>> breaks down.  My freshman year was not the first time I found myself
>> slating
>> notes, and so when one of your devices breaks down, are you going to drop
>> your classes midway?  Later in your professional career are you going to
>> not
>> show up to work if your Braille device malfunctions and breaks down one
>> day?
>> People have offered various ways to make the equipment that you do have
>> work
>> to your advantage.  If you feel genuinely at a loss, perhaps training is
>> something worth considering.  I don't say this in a spirit of
>> condescension
>> but rather as a feasible suggestion.  There is a lot wrong with forced
>> rehabilitation training but nothing at all wrong with voluntary
>> enrollment.
>>
>> Your schedule was a tough one but is not altogether an abnormal one.
>> First,
>> I somehow doubt your schedule was the same every day since you would have
>> had to have been taking a ridiculous number of hours for this to be the
>> case.  Since you've made it pretty clear that there is only so much work
>> you
>> can handle, I do not think an exceptionally full load was the case.  I
>> think
>> it possible for you to have caught up on transcribing notes during down
>> times, whether at home or on campus at a library somewhere.  Second, part
>> of
>> your extended schedule is owed to your mobility.  It may very well take
>> you
>> longer to walk about, but not using a wheelchair is a choice you
>> independently made.
>>
>> I promise I am not nearly as mean as I may be coming across.  I thoroughly
>> enjoy reading your posts and think you generally have excellent ideas.  A
>> lot can be gleaned from a person's writing style, and although it is no
>> substitute to knowing a person, I feel it is enough to sense you are a lot
>> more resourceful than you are giving yourself credit.  I do not like the
>> precedent this sets for younger students who may think it okay to stop
>> something just because the situation is not perfect.  Life is not perfect,
>> but many people did it, and did it well, long before the idea of Braille
>> notetakers and screen readers were conceived.
>>
>> Now, moving forward, let me first suggest you consider using Jarte.  It's
>> an
>> editor that you might think of as WordPad on steroids and is fully
>> accessible with screen readers.  You can find it at Jarte.com.
>>
>> Next, are there any online courses you can consider enrolling in?  Are
>> there
>> perhaps any Hadley courses you can take and gain credit for one or two of
>> your college credits?  Time's too valuable to let a semester slide by.  I
>> might also consider maintaining contact with the professors you would have
>> had this semester to see about pre-arranging things for the next round.
>>
>> Third, you may not be enrolled in class this semester, but this does not
>> mean you can't start to become active with some of the campus groups.  Can
>> you contact some volunteer organizations about potentially arranging
>> transportation for the spring term?
>>
>> Finally, what can your disability office start doing to help reproduce
>> some
>> of your textbooks?
>>
>> The overriding point here is not to let challenges get the best of you.
>> You
>> can do a killer job at whatever you commit yourself to accomplishing.
>> There's nothing wrong with venting, and I'm sure during my undergraduate I
>> did plenty of it.  There's also nothing wrong with building ourselves up
>> with the support of other empathetic individuals, but just know that in
>> every supportive group there is at least one person willing to give you a
>> healthy kick in the ass to get you moving again.  It's not out of malice,
>> just a little tough love.  Ask Mike Freeman how many times he's set me
>> straight.
>>
>> Anyway, there I go writing a damn novella again.  Whatever you do, I hope
>> you try your hardest, and whatever you do in the future, do, not, give,
>> up!
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> Joe
>>
>> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves,
>> some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Jewel S. [mailto:herekittykat2 at gmail.com]
>> Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 2010 9:30 PM
>> To: jsorozco at gmail.com; National Association of Blind Students
>> mailing list
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Equipment Coming In
>>
>> I don't think you realize the computer I'm using...this computer is
>> over ten years old, doesn't have Microsoft Office (so I use WordPad
>> only), and has NVDA only, whic can be a mjaor pain. I use this
>> computer for internet use only, and it's not even reliable for that,
>> since it can randomly freeze up and require a reboot. It has also
>> completely crashed several times in the last year, requiring repairs
>> that left me without a computer for a minimum of a week (and once, it
>> was out of commission for a month, since I couldn't afford the
>> repairs). Other than what little I can do on this computer, I have to
>> go to the public library (which takes minimum half an hour bus ride
>> and quite a bit of walking to get to) or to the community college's
>> computer lab (which takes me two hours to get to). With my school
>> schedule, I was getting home at 6:30pm after classes already, so
>> staying after school really wasn't an option, and I was leaving at 6am
>> just to get to school 10 minutes before class started, so early
>> arrival was out, too.
>>
>> Don't assume that I wanted to postpone classes for my own reasons. I
>> would do anything to be in classes right now, but now that I've
>> dropped, I can't get back in. I *want* to be in classes, and I thought
>> long and hard before dropping from classes, giving it a full week of
>> trial without equipment. Between my physical condition deteriorating
>> and my limited ability to participate in classes, it simply wasn't
>> possible for me to stay in classes and work at my full potential.
>> Sure, I could have stayed in and worked at less than potential, but I
>> need to keep up a great GPA in order to get into the college I want to
>> transfer to and get the grants and scholarships I need to attend that
>> school. Because I am a visual and tactile learner, the audio books and
>> recorded classes were difficult for me to work with. I needed hands-on
>> learning, which I will get with the refresthable Braille display and
>> the Victor Stream (which is audio, but allows me to spell words as
>> needed, so I can write things down knowing the right spelling, like
>> vocabulary and names).
>>
>> Please don't make assumtions like this when you can't possibly know
>> the full story. You are putting the blame on me for not being able to
>> accept my fate and work at less than full potential. I *will* work at
>> full potential, and I will not allow other people to stop me from
>> that. Me stopping me is a different story, but other people stopping
>> me from being all I can be is not acceptable.
>>
>> ~JEwel
>>
>> On 9/1/10, Joe Orozco <jsorozco at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Jewel,
>>>
>>> How does that Darryl Worley song go?  Sounds like life to me?
>> You know, I'm
>>> not downplaying the necessity of equipment to successfully
>> complete class
>>> assignments, but between a recorder and a computer that appears to be
>>> working reasonably well to write posts, I think you could
>> have made it work.
>>> >From this position it sounds as though you were looking for
>> reasons to
>>> postpone class, and now you'll have several months to
>> contemplate why you
>>> should not give up too soon.  Circumstances will not be quite
>> so forgiving
>>> when your sustainability depends on a job salary.  You may
>> liberally yell at
>>> me for assuming and for pretending to understand your
>> situation, but it's
>>> frustrating to see up and coming students generate much
>> larger lists of the
>>> challenges than the abilities.
>>>
>>> Respectfully,
>>>
>>> Joe
>>>
>>> P.S. You can hear the song here:
>>>
>>>
>> http://s0.ilike.com/play#Darryl+Worley:Sounds+Like+Life+To+Me:10
>> 5008242:s315
>>> 60646.12494198.9720862.0.2.233%2Cstd_a3cbac552e9145ca912afe1e8fdd407d
>>>
>>> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up
>> their sleeves,
>>> some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org
>>> [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jewel S.
>>> Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 2010 8:38 PM
>>> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>> Subject: [nabs-l] Equipment Coming In
>>>
>>> Hey all,
>>> I got my VictorStream Reader today, and have it authorized for RFBD
>>> already and have the process started for NLS books.
>>>
>>> DSB says that my equipment is coming in and as soon as all of it is in
>>> (except the VictorStream, which was shipped directly to my apartment),
>>> they'll deliver it and get me set up and start learning it. This from
>>> the people who said they likely wouldn't have it until the end of
>>> semester...I am so mad that I dropped my classes now, since it's only
>>> 3 weeks into classes now. I wish I had waited until the final drop
>>> date.
>>>
>>> So I'm saying Yay for my stuff, but Grrrrr that now I have to wait
>>> till next semester to get going with school.
>>>
>>> In the meantime, I'm going to be on DSB's butt about this. In NC, the
>>> funds are not released until August 1, which is two weeks before
>>> school starts...this gives no time for equipment to get shipped in in
>>> time for school to start. This means that any student who needs
>>> equipment to be able to work to their full ability in class can't
>>> start in the fall but must wait until Spring semester. That's
>>> ridiculous, in my mind. I wasn't able to keep up with classes on the
>>> first week even because I didn't have even basic tools, like a way of
>>> taking notes that didn't hurt me more than it helped or a good
>>> accessible way of reading textbooks in class. Now I have the
>>> VictorStream, so that'll be good for next semester, and they already
>>> have my laptop (though they won't release it until all of the stuff
>>> comes in).
>>>
>>> Does anyone else have trouble with late funding release in their
>>> state? My local president and state president are pushing me to
>>> self-advocate this, but I'm having trouble speaking up for myself (I'm
>>> a bit timid in person), and I'm really not sure what I should be
>>> demanding. Any suggestions on what I should be doing here? I think I
>>> need to advocate for the fund release date to be changed to allow more
>>> time, and I know I need to advocate for more students being allowed
>>> into the college prep class at the Voc Rehab (they have a 15 week
>>> maximum, and there was  a really long waiting list for college prep,
>>> so I was unable to get into the college prep class at all). I'm also
>>> hoping to see if they'll let me back in the voc rehab for intensive
>>> college prep training to make up for the training I didn't get when I
>>> was there full-time. They do allow intensive training (one week of
>>> working on one subject only), but it is usually computer training, and
>>> there is only one teacher there who can teach a scanner, one of the
>>> things I'll need to learn, and she's the one who teaches the college
>>> prep *and* consumer education classes, plus she has an intern she's
>>> supervising, *and* she teaches a cooking class)...they have this poor
>>> woman way overworked., and they aren't helping the students meet all
>>> their goals by having a limited college prep placements...
>>>
>>> It's all a bit mess, and any suggestions, ideas, or advice would be
>>> gratly appreciated. And horray for my equipment coming in finally!
>>>
>>> ~Jewel
>>>
>>> --
>>> ~Jewel
>>> Check out my blog about accessibility for the blind!
>>> Treasure Chest for the Blind: http://blindtreasurechest.blogspot.com
>>>
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>>
>> --
>> ~Jewel
>> Check out my blog about accessibility for the blind!
>> Treasure Chest for the Blind: http://blindtreasurechest.blogspot.com
>>
>>
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