[nabs-l] schools

Thu Aug 25 12:40:14 UTC 2011

I had had mixed opinions about this school, and i really feel that i rushed 
into the school before i fully did my research, but they were so unorganized 
and disability services were so rude.
keri

"Sometimes your nearness takes my breath away; and all the things I want to 
say can find no voice. Then, in silence, I can only hope my eyes will speak 
my heart."
--Robert Sexton

"For every beauty there is an eye somewhere to see it. For every truth there 
is an ear somewhere to hear it. For every love there is a heart somewhere to 
receive it."
--Ivan Panin

Find that guy that will pick up every piece of your shattered heart & put it 
back together; Replacing it with a piece of his.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Arielle Silverman" <arielle71 at gmail.com>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2011 12:32 AM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] schools

> Hi Kerri,
> Would you be willing to tell us what happened? Depending on what it
> was, we might be able to suggest some things you can do to avoid
> having it happen again, regardless of what school you decide to
> attend. As blind students, there are a number of things we can do to
> plan ahead and be able to get the best possible education regardless
> of the school's attitudes toward blind students.
> Best,
> Arielle
>
> On 8/24/11, bookwormahb at earthlink.net <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
>> Kerri,
>> Your questions are very broad and one could write a book on college
>> experiences.
>> I don't have too much time, but I'll try and summarize my experience and
>> answer your questions.
>>
>> Selecting a college should be based on how you like the school; do you 
>> want
>> a large school or a small school and small classes?  Do you want one with
>> diversity? A religious private school adhereing to your beliefs?  I
>> recommend touring a school and even visiting a few classes if you can. 
>> See
>> how you like it. Of course the school may  be determined on who accepts
>> you. But if several schools accept you, you can choose.
>> Also, I recommend having the solid academic skills; if your grades are 
>> only
>> average, you may want to attend a community college to start. College
>> admission is very competetive now.  Some scores accept the SAT, others 
>> the
>> ACT, and some don't require any scores.
>> You do not want to get to college and struggle with the basics that they
>> assume you have.
>> Also, have a way to take notes, have good computer skills, and if you 
>> live
>> in a dorm know how to do laundry, hang clothes, make a bed, and other 
>> basic
>> daily tasks. You will need computer skills such as typing in Word, basic
>> formatting in Word like Bold, centering, spell checking etc. Know the
>> internet and email too.
>>
>> I say this because such skills help you in college. No one is perfect and
>> other life skills will be practiced and sharpened in college.  I mean 
>> such
>> skills as planning a schedule; I used my braille note calendar for that.
>> Also notetaking and test taking skills are important. You should be a 
>> good
>> advocate to your professor; communication skills are important too. And,
>> finally, if you live in a dorm, you'll want to go out with friends or
>> shopping alone and maybe out to eat; so have a system to identify money. 
>> If
>> your parents can assist you in getting a bank account and a  debit card,
>> this will help a lot.
>>
>> So what college did I go to? I attended George Mason University as  a
>> commuter; I heard some nasty things went on in the  dorms and did not 
>> have
>> the confidence to walk so far from the dorm, so I wanted to commute. I
>> transferred to a small school, Marymount university, and liked it there. 
>> I
>> had a roommate on campus some semesters and experience the ups and downs 
>> of
>> a public bathroom.
>> What was my major?
>> I couldn't decide; I tried to be an education major and got too 
>> discouraged.
>> I  was a
>> liberal studies major; so a general BA degree focussing on psychology and
>> communication.
>>
>> How were disability services? At GMU they were huge; the DSO was  large 
>> and
>> more impersonal. You met with a counselor and filled out an accomodation
>> form and took a copy to your professors.
>> GMU provided more services, but when they scanned texts it was not always
>> efficient; I'd get the text after I needed it; but they improved since I
>> left.
>> Accomodations included: accessible texts via electronic format or 
>> Learning
>> Ally, testing accomodations such as extended time and alternative formats
>> including braille, copies of professor's notes and handouts that he/she
>> showed to the class, human notetakers, and computers with adaptive 
>> software
>> like jaws.
>>
>> At MU it was only one DSO counselor and she really new students by name.
>> They had less services. I was not able to get braille tests; they said 
>> the
>> equipment was too expensive. But they did procure jaws for the library.
>> I worked out accomodations with professors though and did not run into 
>> much
>> trouble. My hardest thing in college was access to textbooks and 
>> research.
>> The library had a wealth of material such as encyclopedias, reference 
>> books,
>> periodicals, etc which is not accessible.
>> I used readers to get me through those research tasks.
>> At MU services were: accessible texts if available, testing 
>> accomodations,
>> electronic handouts from the professors, human notetakers, and adaptive
>> software on the public computers. They put jaws in the library and one
>> computer lab.
>>
>> So college is tough, but its hard for any student. I found the pace of
>> classes rather stressful. I even got extentions on some papers 
>> occasionally.
>> But some classes were very interesting and some professors could be
>> entertaining.  I enjoyed the class discussions too. It fostered my 
>> thinking
>> skills and gave me some new perspective on an issue or topic.
>> I suggest finding a major you like and one that will prepare you with 
>> skills
>> for your desired career. If you do not know what you wish to study, you 
>> can
>> go undeclared for a year or two. Another suggestion is if you are caught
>> between two majors, either do both or decide on your best one; take some
>> classes in both areas and talk to those students in those majors.
>> This way you can get a feel for the work involved in that area of study.
>>
>> Ashley
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: keri
>> Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2011 1:51 PM
>> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: [nabs-l] schools
>>
>> I'm looking to hear of personal experiences with colleges.
>> what college did you attend, your major, how was the accessibleness for 
>> you,
>> and how were disability services there.
>> keri
>>
>> "Sometimes your nearness takes my breath away; and all the things I want 
>> to
>> say can find no voice. Then, in silence, I can only hope my eyes will 
>> speak
>> my heart."
>> --Robert Sexton
>>
>> "For every beauty there is an eye somewhere to see it. For every truth 
>> there
>> is an ear somewhere to hear it. For every love there is a heart somewhere 
>> to
>> receive it."
>> --Ivan Panin
>>
>> Find that guy that will pick up every piece of your shattered heart & put 
>> it
>> back together; Replacing it with a piece of his.
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>
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