[nabs-l] Reasonable technology requests from Rehab andsomeother college questions

Mon Apr 25 05:24:01 UTC 2011

Hi Jordan and all,

When I applied to college, because of advice from my DSS counselor and
encouragement from my parents, I disclosed on the housing application
that I was blind. I was assigned a single room, and initially I was
assigned a handicapped-accessible room. I fought to get a
non-handicapped room, but decided to keep the single because I feared
that my technology would crowd out a roommate. As it turned out, I
brought a Braille printer that I didn't ever use. If I could do it
over again, I would never have told housing that I had a "disability"
or requested a single. I made an effort to socialize with my
floormates, but still I felt I didn't quite click with the other girls
on my floor and I really think if I'd have had a roommate it would
have been a lot easier to get in the social swing. Nowadays, most
college students come with a computer of some sort and I think many
also bring a printer. You can get a scanner that's integrated into
your printer, so if you have a scanner/printer, a computer and
screen-reading software, you really have no more equipment than your
sighted dorm-mates will have. Even if you splurge and also get a
Braille Note, Pac Mate or other portable notetaker, it can easily fit
on your desk, and if you bring a laptop or netbook, your equipment is
even more compact. So don't worry about any special housing
accommodations, unless perhaps if you have a guide dog.

Arielle

On 4/24/11, Nicole B. Torcolini at Home <ntorcolini at wavecable.com> wrote:
>     I just want to make a few points.
>
> The notetakers are definitely catching up on the technology, but there are
> still things that you can and will need to do on a computer that you cannot
> do on a notetaker. One of these things is formatting. Teachers in secondary
> school tend to be much more relaxed about formatting, but, in college, what
> passed in secondary school probably will not pass in college. I hardly ever
> turn any thing in directly from my BrailleNote.
>
>     I don't think that the person was using the Braille display *instead* of
> VoiceOver. I don't know how it works on Apple products, but I know that, on
> windows computers, you have to have a screen reader to act as a driver for a
> Braille display.
>
>     To answer the question of why you would need both speech and Braille,
> some things are easier/faster to do listening and some are better done with
> Braille. For example, I would find it very hard to listen to math. On the
> other hand, I can understand JAWS talking a lot faster than I can read, so I
> listen to things for which it is not critical that I know every little
> punctuation mark.
>
>     One last comment about emailing work. In college, most things are not in
> a format that can be read on the BrailleNote. Most professors use PDF. Some
> use PowerPoint. Very few use word documents. Even if they do, most use docx
> files and/or files with formatting that the bn does not support.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Chris Nusbaum" <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com>
> To: <davidb521 at gmail.com>; "National Association of Blind Students mailing
> list" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, April 24, 2011 8:26 PM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Reasonable technology requests from Rehab andsomeother
> college questions
>
>
>> Hi, guys.
>>
>> Just a few thoughts on David's suggestions.  I agree with your comment
>> about the laptop vs the notetaker.  With the newer versions of the
>> notetakers like the Braille-Note Apex that I have, you can do most
>> anything that you could on a computer with your notetaker as it's all
>> computer technology now instead of PDA technology.  However, if you're
>> doing a Internet research project or something, the more tools in your
>> toolbox, the better.  I know that some sites are accessible to screen
>> readers but not to notetakers, and vice versa.  So I would reccomend
>> definitely seeing if you can get both.  Now keep in mind, as I said
>> before, rehab probably isn't going to get all the technology you need for
>> you, but you never know.  You might need another funding source, like a
>> Lions club or another foundation like the I CAN Foundation that I
>> mentioned in the last email to you.  On the display vs notetaker and
>> Braille embosser topics, I would suggest a notetaker over a Braille
>> display for its portability and convenience.  I would reccomend a
>> Braille-Note Apex over the Braille-Sense, based on what I've heard about
>> the Braille-Sense.  However, one of the NFB executives was showing me a
>> Braille display called RefreshaBraille from APH, which he uses for his
>> iPod instead of VoiceOver.  It really doesn't matter, in my opinion,
>> whether you get a screen reader for your computer or a Braille display.
>> It really serves the same purpose.  If you have a screen reader, it's
>> already reading the screen, so why would you need a Braille display, and
>> vice versa? On the Braille embosser, it all comes down to individual
>> preference.  I used to love hardcopy Braille until I got the Apex.  Now my
>>
>> teachers email homework or classwork to me and I detach it right onto my
>> Braille-Note.  I also email my teachers homework as attachments to emails
>> instead of printing them out and labeling them in Braille, which saves a
>> lot of time.  I also use the good old thumb drive all the time in school.
>> What's awesome about that is that in the middle of class, my teacher will
>> say "Chris, I need your thumb drive to put a paper on it for today." If
>> he/she has an electronic copy in their computer of the worksheet, they can
>>
>> stick it on my thumb drive and I can import it into the notetaker.  It's a
>>
>> life saver! But if you prefer hardcopy Braille, it's a louder process and
>> you'll use a lot more paper, but it's whatever you prefer.  If you have
>> any more questions, let me and the list know.  Good luck!
>>
>> Chris Nusbaum
>>
>> "A loss of sight, never a loss of vision!" (Camp Abilities motto)
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: David <davidb521 at gmail.com
>> To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> Date sent: Sun, 24 Apr 2011 20:38:29 -0500
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Reasonable technology requests from Rehab and
>> someother college questions
>>
>> Hi, Jordyn.  Here are some things to keep in mind.  Definitely try to get
>> a
>> laptop with a screen reader.  I know that some agencies may not purchase
>> computers, but rather the adaptive devices like screen readers,
>> notetakers,
>> etc.  But there are always exceptions, it seems.  You'll want a powerful
>> computer with quite a bit of ram and processing speed, as well as a
>> decently
>> sized hard drive.  As for OCR, if you're reasonably good with computers,
>> look
>> in to OmniPage, which is a mainstream OCR solution with excellent OCR
>> accuracy.  I believe that it might be better than Kurzweil and OpenBook,
>> and
>> you should be able to get it for less than $200.  Be aware that OmniPage
>> is
>> not quite as easy to learn as OpenBook and Kurzweil, but if you are a
>> decent
>> computer user, you'll have little trouble with it.  As for the Braille
>> display and notetaker, I would personally recommend a notetaker with
>> Braille
>> output, since it's very portable, and you can just open it and take notes
>> immediately, rather than waiting for the laptop to boot up.  I'd get the
>> notetaker before the Braille display, since most notetakers can act as
>> Braille displays.  However, I don't think it's as convenient as a
>> dedicated
>> Braille display.  Maybe they'll get you both.  A Braille embosser would be
>> nice, but they can be loud depending on the model, and that may be a
>> problem
>> in a dorm setting.  But if you really like using hard-copy Braille, then
>> do
>> try getting one.  It would be preferable than having to schedule time to
>> use
>> the university's.  Those are my thoughts.
>> David
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf
>> Of Jordyn Castor
>> Sent: Sunday, April 24, 2011 7:09 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Subject: [nabs-l] Reasonable technology requests from Rehab and some other
>> college questions
>>
>> Hi again guys!
>> I'm going to college in the fall, as I already said yesterday.  This is
>> why I have so many questions! I just want to be sure I'm doing
>> everything right, and what better way to do this then asking other blind
>> students? :) So, thanks for all your great advice on everything!
>> My other question is, what are reasonable things to ask Rehab for in the
>> way of technology?
>> I'm thinking a laptop, 40 cell braille display, Window Eyes, and a
>> printer scanner combo thinggy with software like OpenBook or Kurzweil.  I
>> don't know if I'd get a notetaker though as these are super expensive.
>> lol Any suggestions or other things you'd ask for? What are you all
>> using as far as technology in college?
>> My college also has a place where I can, I think, borrow technology like
>> an embosser or Braille Display.  Should I use that rather than asking
>> rehab for some of the things like the display and the printer? I think
>> it would be awesome to have a printer in my dorm though lol!
>> Oh, speaking of dorms, do most of you have a roommate or a single room?
>> A lot of my blind friends seem to have single rooms because of the
>> expensive technology, but, I want a roommate, I think.  lol Thoughts?
>> Anyway, I'll stop rambling! :)
>> Thanks again,
>> Jordyn
>>
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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