[nabs-l] Would love some help or advice from any blind graduate students

Arielle Silverman nabs.president at gmail.com
Mon Sep 13 04:55:30 UTC 2010


Hi Natalie and all,

My name is Arielle Silverman and I'm a third-year doctoral student at
the University of Colorado studying social (experimental) psychology.
I am also totally blind and the president of NABS and would like to
welcome you to the list.

I'd be glad to answer any questions on or off-list about GRE's or
anything else related to grad school. However, I would like to offer
just a few positive words about grad school because I think many blind
students in particular have a lot of fear and trepidation about
entering grad programs. What I will say from my experience is that the
past two years of grad school have been a hundred times easier for me
as far as accessibility than my undergrad days. There are a few major
reasons for this: no required textbooks, much smaller classes, and no
complicated online teaching systems, to name a few. Of course I have
to read a lot, but my reading all comes from articles that are emailed
to my entire class, for example, so I don't need to get anything
"converted" to alternative format. Every program has its own unique
situation, but it is definitely possible that you will find yourself
on a more equal playing field with your classmates as a grad student.
I am very busy and challenged in my program (i.e. general
comprehensive exams approaching this May!) but very little of the
stress I experience in school is related to blindness.

Anyway, I look forward to hearing from you about your academic
interests. I also agree that a GRE/applying conference call would be
very beneficial. Ruth Loew, assistant director of disability policy at
ETS, has been a longtime partner with NABS and I believe she is
following our listserv. She is always available to answer emails from
students at
rloew at ets.org
and I am guessing she would be willing and interested in participating
in a conference call with our membership.

Arielle

On 9/12/10, Cindy Bennett <clb5590 at gmail.com> wrote:
> I just took the GRE, and some great advice has been given, but what
> hasn't been mentioned is that now blind students can use a voiced GRE.
> It is awesome, and ETS will send you a practice test so you can become
> familiar with the key strokes which honestly are not different from
> typical screen readers, just a few test specific things. That way, you
> can get your unofficial math and verbal scores right after the test so
> no suspense in waiting!
>
> Definitely email me at clb5590 at gmail.com. I have some great study
> materials to pass along, and can give some tips. I am just now looking
> at programs, so I can't tell you what grad school is like, but I can
> tell you what I plan to do, and just some general grad school tips
> that i have heard.
>
> And NABS board, I think a grad school/GRE/other grad school entrance
> exam conference call would be well attended just based on how many
> emails i have seen on the list about it in the last year. Maybe
> sometime sooner than later would be better since grad apps are
> typically due in December, psychology ones that is; other programs
> might be different.
>
> Cindy
>
> On 9/12/10, Jedi <loneblindjedi at samobile.net> wrote:
>> Natalie,
>>
>> Getting into grad school is a multi-step process that can (lets face
>> it) be anoying and difficult for anyone regardless of disability. The
>> trick is to stay on top of things once you get the process started and
>> try to stay as organized as possible. So far as blindness goes, you'll
>> need a list of skills in order to float this grad school boat.
>>
>> firstly, you'll want to consider the school you wish to attend. Most
>> schools have decent web sites with reasonable amounts of info regarding
>> their programs. You may find surfing these sites useful to get a sense
>> of what you're doing. Also, make friends with people in the program
>> you'd like to get into because a phone call or personal conversation
>> can do a lot for you in terms of collecting information and getting
>> noticed.
>>
>> Some university programs have electronic application forms whee you can
>> apply for grad school online. Some don't. It just takes a bit of
>> investigation on your part. If the application is online and
>> accessible, I highly suggest you do it online. If not, you'll need a
>> reader for a paper ap.
>>
>> As for the GRE, you can only apply on paper because your application
>> will need to go specifically through the disability center. Your
>> application has four parts: the general registration form, your
>> disability information (the nature of your disability and your proposed
>> acommodations), a statement from a service profesional varifying that
>> you have a disability and that you use your proposed accommodations on
>> a regular basis, and some sort of varification from a physician
>> regarding your disability. The application fee is $130 and can be paid
>> by either yourself or your rehab agency. If your rehab agency pays for
>> it, you'll have an additional step in your process in order for them to
>> both authorize the expenditure on their end and fill out their payment
>> info for the ETS. Once your paper application is in, you play the
>> waiting game for about four to six weeks in order for ETS (the
>> Educational testing services) and their disability center to register
>> you, find you a testing center, and agree to your proposed
>> accommodations. Generally, you'll get the accommodations you want.
>>
>> In terms of blindness, there are several accommodations to choose from
>> including a Braille test, a live reader, a live scribe, a recorded
>> test, a print test, a print answer sheet, large print materials, a
>> special workplace with additional lighting, a typing device such as a
>> brailler or laptop or typewriter for essays, a slate and stylus, a
>> computer test, and a number of ways you can mix and match these. You
>> can also ask for extended time. To be honest with you, I took the
>> extended time because I wanted my test in Braille, but I'm not the
>> world's fastest reader. I also have test anxiety during standardized
>> exams. The time I had still wasn't enough for everything, and there's
>> no way in hell sighted people get all their test done in the 2 hours
>> and 50 minutes alotted to them. Frankly, they need more time, too.
>>
>> In terms of communication and coordination between ETS and your grad
>> school, make sure there's loads of time as things can get dicy in terms
>> of getting your scores electronically from ETS to your grad school, the
>> actual application, etc. Don't be surprised if you find yourself making
>> tons of phone calls to either entity for any reason.
>>
>> You can get GRE practice materials in Braille if you want. that's what
>> I did. When they get your paperwork, a representative from the GRE
>> disability group wil contact you by phone or TTY just to touch bases
>> and clarify anything needing clarification. You can also choose your
>> test date at this time and request practice materials.
>>
>> Sorry for the rambling nature of this post, but I hope it helps.
>>
>> Respectfully,
>> Jedi
>>
>> Original message:
>>
>>> Hello Nabs list,
>>
>>> My name is Natalie and I only joined the mailing list a day or so ago.
>>> I'm really hoping to get some help. Someone recommended I try this
>>> mailing list, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
>>
>>> First off, I'm a totally blind person, and while I'm not a student now,
>>> I was a student up until this past May. Since graduating I've debated
>>> with myself on whether to continue on with a masters degree. I really
>>> would love to, but I've come across a few roadblocks.
>>
>>> My first roadblock is taking the GRE. I really would like to talk with
>>> anyone offlist if they're blind and have taken the GRE. Or done
>>> whatever needs to be done to get into the graduate program at their
>>> respective schools. I really would like to know how they studied, what
>>> kinds of accomodations they got for it and so on.
>>
>>> I have more questions, but I don't want to clutter this e-mail. I'm
>>> interested in talking to anyone who can help me. Even if they're not a
>>> graduate student now. Anyone with any kind of tips, advice, or
>>> suggestions will be appreciated.
>>
>>> Thank you,
>>> Natalie
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-- 
Arielle Silverman
President, National Association of Blind Students
Phone:  602-502-2255
Email:
nabs.president at gmail.com
Website:
www.nabslink.org




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