[nabs-l] Sad news, from my DSO

Sun Aug 28 17:52:25 UTC 2011

Hello folks,
	I feel compelled to chime in here, because in order to give Josh
effective advice, we need to have a clear understanding of the situation
he's facing. First, while the acronym DSO would seem to be referring to the
place on a college campus where you would go to request test accommodations
and the like, it would seem to me that in Josh's state it refers to what we
in California would call the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. This
entity is responsible for providing such equipment as is necessary for Josh
to successfully complete school, provided he is a client of theirs, which it
would seem he is. 
	Secondly, in the matter of the textbook, I believe I read correctly
that it will be needed next semester, not this semester. Josh is starting a
search for it a full semester ahead of time, giving him plenty of time to
find it and have it transcribed if necessary. The office of services to
students with disabilities, or whatever it is called at Josh's school, is
responsible for providing transcription services if a Braille copy of the
textbook is not found elsewhere. As another lister pointed out, the Louis
database found on the APH web site is an excellent resource. Math texts are
more difficult to find in accessible format than those in other subjects
however, so Josh if you know which book you'll be needing it might be a good
idea to begin the process of having it transcribed as soon as possible.  
	Folks, to criticize Josh for lack of preparedness is unhelpful at
best and potentially down-right discouraging to a student who may or nay not
be struggling to learn the complexities of college life. His level of
blindness skills training is irrelevant in this case also. I myself am a
Colorado Center for the Blind graduate. Even so, I am struggling to grasp
the complex and frustrating workings of all the different departments within
Sac State university with which I must deal and which, as best I can tell,
have absolutely no communication with each other.     
	Josh approached this list seeking practical advice. As students, we
all have situations which we suddenly find ourselves up against which we are
not sure how to best resolve. Resolution of these situations brings wisdom
however, and I'm sure Josh will take note of anything he can do next time to
be better prepared for whatever may lie ahead of him. We are all students,
engaged in a constant learning process in class and out. Resources like this
list are a great source of support and knowledge. Please people, let's not
diminish them with unhelpful criticism.
Sincerely,
Angela Fowler

-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Donahue [mailto:pdonahue2 at satx.rr.com] 
Sent: Sunday, August 28, 2011 9:50 AM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Sad news, from my DSO

Hello Chris and everyone,

    And a 30% rate of employment among the blind. More to the point his guy
bit off more than he could chew. He should have investigated  all of these
concerns prior to enrolling in school for this semester. Now he must deal
with the consequences of such a decision. He is not alone in this respect. 
I've seen it happen numerous times. Blind people enroll in school that have
not received good blindness training and lacking the skills and equipment
needed to study independently and succeed in college. This is well
documented by our organization. Hence it's not just Peter Donahue blowing
off hot air. 70% or not if you want it bad enough you'll find a way to raise
the needed funds to persue your dreams. Peter Donahue

  Peter Donahue

----- Original Message -----
From: "chris nusbaum" <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, August 28, 2011 10:46 AM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Sad news, from my DSO

Hi Peter and everyone,

That's one thing I agree with you on. That's the NFB right there: "If
the going gets tough, the tough get going, and win in the end!" I've
heard Dr. Maurer say this a lot. Now, as to the rest of your comments,
you can't jump to conclusions and criticize people without knowing all
the facts. This was the same problem we had when we were discussing
national convention and its online streaming. Remember that there is a
70 percent unemployment rate among blind people. So, "raising the
funds yourself" is, more often than not, much easier said than done.
This, unfortunately, will stay a proven fact until we get totally
integrated into society, and we have a long way to go in that area. I
am not trying to be a downer, in fact, I'm very optomistic about the
work of the Federation. I'm trying to be a realist, and this, I
believe, is the unfortunate reality. Therefore, I don't think you can
fairly criticize other list members when they ask for advice to
resolve their problems with getting the needed accomodations in
school, when none of us; you, me, anyone, know every little fact about
the person's situation and the person in general. So, I propose to all
of you that we work to just give some constructive advice when a
lister posts a question about a problem they're having. If one of us
feels that they could do something differently, we could just suggest
it encouragingly: "Have you tried doing this? Maybe you could try this
instead of that." Hope this makes sense!

Chris

P.S. Joshua, while I understand your frustrations, I don't think Peter
should be banned from the list altogether because of his recent
comments. Of course, that's up to Mr. Andrews, but I think we should
encourage freedom of speech on our lists. I think people should only
be banned from the list if they are spamming it (Alexander Kaiser, for
example,) or posting inappropriate content to it, i.e. sexual material
or a lot of cursing.

On 8/27/11, Peter Donahue <pdonahue2 at satx.rr.com> wrote:
> Good evening Josh and everyone,
>
> If you're faced with a "Last resort" situation you'll need to hire a
> transcriber and have the book translated and embossed and raise the funds
> for this service yourself. Furthermore why did you not research this 
> before
> the semester began! It sounds to me like you have a rough road to hoe. The
> good news is that when the going gets tough the tough get going and win in
> the end. This is what Mary and I would do if we were in your situation.
>
> Peter Donahue
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Beth" <thebluesisloose at gmail.com>
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, August 27, 2011 7:08 PM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Sad news, from my DSO
>
>
> I would try APH and the Hadley School for the Blind's Braille
> transcribing services.  It may cost a bunch, but that's all I can
> offer.
> Beth
>
>  ----- Original Message -----
> From: Joshua Lester <jlester8462 at students.pccua.edu
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Sat, 27 Aug 2011 18:17:56 -0500
> Subject: [nabs-l] Sad news, from my DSO
>
> Hi, it's Joshua Lester.
> My DSO lady informed me, that they've contacted the National
> Braille
> Press, about my Math textbook.
> They said, that they don't have any college textbooks, in
> Braille.
> Where else can we go?
> Thanks, Joshua
>
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-- 
Chris Nusbaum

"The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight. The real
problem is the misunderstanding and lack of education that exists. If
a blind person has the proper training and opportunity, blindness can
be reduced to a mere physical nuissence." -- Kenneth Jernigan

Visit the I C.A.N. Foundation online at: www.icanfoundation.info for
information on our foundation and how it helps blind and visually
impaired children in MD say "I can!"

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