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

Mon Apr 25 16:22:36 UTC 2011

You can purchase room insurance for relatively cheap. Different
campuse have different levels of security, but in my experience dorms
tend to be more secure than off campus housing since RA's are on duty
and someone is always at the front desk, and only certain students
have card access. But it is true that other students might be the
biggest threats. I have generally found people to be pretty trust
worthy though. There are definitely exceptions to this, but I feel
that people are probably at a pretty equal risk of having things
stolen from them. Blindness related technology is expensive, but it is
also specialized, and I feel like someone looking to steal and sell
would want to take something that would be easy to sell and difficult
to trace back to its owner. You could definitely talk to your roommate
and let them know that you think it is really important that if both
of you are gone or sleeping that the door should always be locked.

Cindy

On 4/25/11, Anmol Bhatia <anmolpbhatia at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Good points Arielle.
> The only thing I would add is to keep consideration that our technology is
> expensive and I would hate for any of it to come up missing or stolen. So
> maybe at first unless you know someone and can trust that person get a
> single room until you get there and get to know others and have made
> friends. Maybe second semester or second year
> you can get a roommate with someone you know.
> Anmol
> I seldom think about my limitations, and they never make me sad. Perhaps
> there is just a touch of yearning at times; but it is vague, like a breeze
> among flowers.
> Hellen Keller
>
>
> --- On Mon, 4/25/11, Arielle Silverman <nabs.president at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> From: Arielle Silverman <nabs.president at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Reasonable technology requests from Rehab
>> andsomeother college questions
>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Date: Monday, April 25, 2011, 12:24 AM
>> 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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>> >>
>> >>
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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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-- 
Cindy Bennett
UNC Wilmington Psychology major

clb5590 at gmail.com
828.989.5383