[nabs-l] A blind Fulbright grantee's question

[Jedi]

That's one reason why I avoid DSS offices if at all possible. DSS 
offices should work like any other entity serving people with 
disabilities: they should honor consumer choice. I think it's fair to 
say that a reader for an exam should not be the same individual who 
helped you prepare. And if need be, the reader could sign a statement 
or something. But as a consumer, you should be able to pick your reader 
because you want to choose a reader/scribe who will reflect your 
intelligence, not their ability to read the material and relay it to 
you in a way that makes sense. So in other words, your test should be a 
reflection of your ability, not your reader's. I've had that problem 
before and it was damn annoying! Same goes for notetakers. You want 
someone who will take the notes you want them to take rather than the 
notes they think they should take. And how else would someone know what 
to take down unless they've worked for you and know what's important to 
you? But in my opinion, I really think it's up to the student to take 
notes for themselves for that very reason: you want notes that 
emphasize what you're interested in in a way that will make sense to 
you sometime down the line when you study. A notetaker kind of puts a 
kink in that system just because the information has to filter through 
someone else's brain before it gets to yours. The only place where I'd 
feel all right using a notetaker is for diagrams drawn on a board, but 
I would tell them that I want them to tactally draw exactly what they 
see with no interpretation on their part whatsoever. Luckily, 
technology is making that happen much more easily than it used to.

Respectfully,
Jedi

Original message:
> Gedi,
> I do my own stuff as much as I can too. For books, I've hired readers as I
> much prefer that to electronic text anyway; e-text you miss the tables and
> graphics in the text and my psychology classes had plenty of that.
> I ordered books as well from RFB. But you got to go through DSS to get an
> accomodation letter.
> If you need a notetaker, you have to go through DSS; same for testing
> accomodations, unless your professor lets you take the test on your laptop
> or something.
> But at least at Nova (community college)  they do not let you pick your own
> readers for tests and notetakers. So you are pretty much stuck with them.  I
> think they should provide such accomodations; it should not be our job to
> pay a notetaker for something like a math class, but students should have
> that option.  Often the notetakers and readers are bad quality and a student
> would be better off using their own people.  But you got to use their
> readers for tests.  When I had my own reader and my DSS counselor found out,
> she almost got mad because she thought I used her for the exam and I
> explained I used my college assigned reader.  "You have to use our
> reader/scribes." she said.
> I explained that the reader helped me prepare for the test by reading
> material, not take the test. She thought I had used her for the exam because
> the reader tried to get a room in the counseling center for us to study
> since the library was full and that is how word got to her.
> Oh and as for professors emailing handouts, I had a lot of issues this
> semester.
> So its not as easy to work with professors as you make it seem, at least for
> some professors.
> I tried it on my own.  The professor ignored me. Then DSS had to tell him
> and copied the dean on the email request, and then finally something got
> done!

> I guess my point here is that we can do it, but I think its good to form a
> good relationship with your DSS staff because you never know when you may
> need them like when I needed them to back me up on following my
> accomodations to get electronic handouts.

> Ashley
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jedi
> Sent: Tuesday, May 10, 2011 6:42 PM
> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] A blind Fulbright grantee's question

> I've decided that, for me on the whole, disability service offices are
> highly over-rated. Usually, I just make my own accessible documents,
> especially since e-mail is so easy to get at these days. Most
> instructors are pretty cool with making on-the-fly adaptations for
> assignments and tests as needed. As for books, I usually just order
> mine or get my own reader. the only time i tend to use the DSS offices
> is for those classes where I can't do something for myself. For
> example, I needed a Braille math text that wasn't printed yet, so I got
> the DSS office to get me an electronic brf that I read through my
> notetaker. I used the DSS for science lab readers and a tactile
> interpreter for ASL classes. But this particular office was one of the
> better ones. But generally speaking, I just do my own stuff out of the
> box. So, I guess what I'm saying is that your need for  a DSS office
> will greatly depend on your courses and what you can do for yourself.
> If your need is low, then DSS offices might not be as concerning to
> you. But if your need is high, you bet that the DSS office will on the
> top of your quality control list.

> Respectfully Submitted

> Original message:
>> Jedi,
>>   I pretty much agree with you here-although I would add one more
>> consideration to the mix.  All disability resource centers are not
>> created equal.  Some have the capability to produce braille books,
>> others do not.  Some have the ability to scan large textbooks and
>> convert them to suitable computer files while others don't.  The
>> reliability and quality of volunteer reader programs can vary
>> considerably from university to university.
>>   Adriana,
>>   I suggest you do a little research on the disability centers at each
>> of the universities you're considering.  Look at their web sites, send
>> them emails-if you can, call them up and see if they can do an
>> over-the-phone appointment to talk about their capabilities and
>> limits.  If you need any help finding contact info for the disability
>> centers, I'm sure someone on this list can be of assistance.  We're
>> here to share information, after all.
>>   Hope that helps,
>> Kirt

>> On 5/9/11, Jedi <loneblindjedi at samobile.net> wrote:
>>> Adriana,

>>> There is no such thing as "the best university program out there for
>>> blind people." At least, not in the context you're in. The fact is that
>>> you should choose a university you're genuinely interested in. The
>>> blindness stuff can be worked out wherever you are. The only concern
>>> that might be valid as a blind person is transportation. You want a
>>> university that's close to things or that has good transport so you can
>>> go places. But beyond that, the world is your apple and I suggest you
>>> have a bite.

>>> Respectfully,
>>> Jedi

>>> Original message:
>>>>     Hello!

>>>> My name is Adriana Pulido. I'm a blind Fulbright grantee from
>>>> Colombia, and I'm going to study a Master's degree in communications
>>>> and Journalism.
>>>> At this moment, a placement officer at LASPAU is working on my
>>>> admission process. I have 5 university options, namely: the University
>>>> of Florida, the University of South Florida, Temple University,
>>>> Northern Illinois University, and the University of Arkansas, which
>>>> was suggested by my Placement officer.

>>>> Could you please tell me which of these universities is the best
>>>> option for a blind student?
>>>> I also would like to know which is the best option academically
>>>> speaking.

>>>>                                         Thank you for attending this
>>>> message.


>>>> Best,



>>>> --
>>>> Adriana Pulido
>>>> Filóloga y músico de la Universidad
>>>> Nacional de Colombia. Becaria Fulbright.

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