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

Wed May 11 00:16:40 UTC 2011

To all,
  I guess my university's volunteer reader program's exceptional then.
 I've used them mostly for exams, had to make last-minute schedule
changes sometimes and I never had even a minor problem.  The readers
were all very clear and read exactly how I told them to.  Occasionally
a reader would think I needed something repeated when really I
didn't;but, compared to some of the problems I'm hearing about from
you guys, that seems awesome.  Is my experience really that unique?
  Best regards,
Kirt

On 5/10/11, bookwormahb at earthlink.net <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
> Hi Gedi,
> I agree; we need consumer choice; we need DSS to do their job-- approve
> accomodations.  I think its fine to have your official memo stating what
> accomodations you need so professors really know what you need like what is
> legitimate. But beyond that, you should have the freedom to choose a reader.
> I felt that the exam tested my ability to work with an untrained reader, not
> the content.  The college reader / scribe was bad; he mumbled and did not
> read at a consistent good pace.  I circumvented that reader issue by
> politely demanding my exam be brailled, so they did it.
>
> I hope I do not get forced to get  another bad reader because it affects
> your ability to  do the test. It sucks.
>
> Ashley
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jedi
> Sent: Tuesday, May 10, 2011 7:21 PM
> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] A blind Fulbright grantee's question
>
> 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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