[nabs-l] ENC 1102 Class, Research Paper Assignment

Fri Jul 5 23:13:01 UTC 2013

I began college at Wake Tech Community College in the fall of 2010, but had to drop from the first semester due to the Department of Services for the Blind here in Raleigh, North Carolina failing to provide essential assistive technology in time for use in that semester. The technology included a laptop, refreshable Braille display, and a Braille embosser from which to print needed textbooks and workbooks for use at home and in the classroom. I was left only with a slate and stylus to write notes, impossible for me because of a chronic pain disorder. This was all before I knew about the disability support office and what it can offer. 
I tried again the next semester with my assistive technology and the support of the DSO, but unfortunately had to drop again because of the onset of a grakrg-related emergency that put me in the hospital for two weeks. 
After recovering and resting, I tried once again in the fall of 2011, with the medically necessary accommodation of being considered full-time for rehabilitation purposes at three-quarter-time. I began with English 112, Intro to Psychology, and Pre-Algebra mathematics. For the literature and psychology classes, I needed no initial accommodation other than my books in an accessible format. The psychology book came from Bookshare, and even though the English book was available from Learning Ally, the college also scanned the book and provided it in Word documents so I could see spelling and note paragraph numbers, which they inserted by hand into the documents. For the math class, I was assigned a helper for the math lab homework, as the company website was mostly inaccessible. The reader would read the problem, wait for me to solve it, tutor me on the concepts if I couldn't solve the problem, and type my answer into the website. In class, I used a combination of Braille notes and a fumk-page slate and stylus to work problems as they were presented. I was helped to find a book on the Nemeth code to help with solving problems in math class. 
All of my tests were presented in either a Word document or Braille, and there was a competent assistant in the room to help with any problems students might have. I was given time and a half or double time depending on the test and the media used. For example, I was given double time when taking a test that involved Nemeth code because I was not very proficient in reading it. 
Other classes and other semesters were similar. Professors knew how to work with a blind student because the college had had workshops on the subject that professors could get continuing education credits for. They spoke what they wrote on the board, and provided accessible Powerpoints with descriptions of charts, graphs, and images. If they didn't have these accessible Powerpoints, DSO created them and I always received them at least a week prior to the actual lecture so I would be sure to have it by that time. Visual activities in Communications class and other classes were modified so I could participate. For example, an activity in Psychology class required labelling the parts of the brain on a picture. The professor made it an activity for groups, and brought in a realistic rubber model of the brain that separated into all of the main parts. As I explored this model, she told me what each section was and then had me put the brain back together and name the parts with my partner. 
Fast forward to the most difficult, in my opinion, classes to make accessible: two semesters of Biology, the first in microbiology and the second in grandmother macrobiology. For both classes, I was assigned a lab partner with experience in biology. For microbiology, I was given tactile images of the bell cells and bacteria that was presented to us in lab, along with verbal descriptions of the slide. I was expected, as were all the students, to learn how to use the microscope and handle slides. I did the work and my sighted assistant only provided verbal descriptions and ensured I had the right tactile image. The same was true for macrobiology, where I learned how to cut into a fetal pig and learned the organs by feel. My sighted assistant stood by to provide descriptions of color, placement, and full descriptions of organs too small to feel accurately. Again, I was provided tactile images to supplement and study by. I was also given audio descriptions during videos, and even cut out shapes handmade by DSO employees, such as a shape of a hip to identify gender markers. The only activity I didn't participate fully in was a visit to a nearby state park. I was unable to walk the trails with the other student's due to my physical limitations. The walk was over a mile and included climbing a tall and steep stairway, all at a very fast pace. Instead, I was given an assignment to research the park and its program's and answer questions based on a recording made of the park ranger during the class walk. I felt it was a fair and good alternative assignment. 
I have been very happy at my college and feel I was never discriminated against in any way. The school went beyond and above to ensure I and the other blind student's have an equal opportunity to succeed in their education. I feel that I would not have, without the help of the college's DSO, made it as far as I have. I am a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the community college honor society and have a 3.7 GPA. I feel I will continue to succeed at this college and have the same chance as any student's at the college to do so. 
Sorry about the length. If you have any questions, feel free to ask away. 
-Jewel 

Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 5, 2013, at 3:24 PM, Helga Schreiber <helga.schreiber at hotmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Jewel, this is helga. I just would like to ask you, do you mean testimonials that doesn't involve the issue of discrimination, and that talked about how visually impaired students receive the same treatment as sighted students? I think that is allright, and I would like to hear your experiences. But I was just wondering, have you ever experienced discrimination before in college, or do you know someone that has experience it during his or her college years, or even now in college? Just curious. Thanks! and God bless!
> 
> -----Original Message----- From: Jewel
> Sent: Friday, July 5, 2013 7:22 AM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] ENC 1102 Class, Research Paper Assignment
> 
> Would testimonials that do not support your claim, ie that talk about the equal treatment a student experienced be also welcome? If so, I would be happy to write about my experiences.
> -Jewel
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> On Jul 5, 2013, at 2:18 AM, Helga Schreiber <helga.schreiber at hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> Hi all,
>> I just wanted to tell you that for my ENC 1102 class, I’m doing an assignment called “Assignment for Research Plan and Bibliography” The first part of the assignment is to answer 8 questions regarding my topic in order to write my research plan before writing my draft of my research paper. Remember when I told you before that my topic for my research paper is “Exists Discrimination Against Visually Impaired College Students?” I actually turned in the first draft of this assignment, on Monday July 1st, but the final draft is due on Monday July 8. In fact, I asked my professor after class last Monday, if I could send her my answers of my 8 questions, in order for to provide me with some comments about them, and I actually did so. In one of the questions she suggested if I could give testimonies from other students in order to make my argument that I’m making strong. Here are actually the 8 questions I need to answer for my research plan, and underneath each questions are my answers with her comments.
>> Part I: The Research Plan [no word count specified; answer the questions in as much detail as you can]
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Your research plan will address the following the issues:
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 1)      What is your research question? Explain why your question is appropriate for the length and complexity of the final research project.
>> 
>>      Does discrimination against visually impaired college students exist? This question is appropriate for my final research project because I believe that discrimination occurs frequently in many places in our country and all around the world for visually impaired college students. Discrimination exists for all disabled students, but I will focus specifically on visually impaired college students due to the fact that they are frequently not provided with the necessary accommodations, such as braille materials and technological support. Moreover, they are sometimes rejected by sighted individuals, like administrators, educators, and fellow students. When considering how many issues visually impaired college students face, this topic becomes very complex and requires a great deal of explanation.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Comments on question 1: It seems like you’ve come to a conclusion about the fact that visually impaired students are discriminated against. I think a better way to frame this issue would be to say that you’ve experienced discrimination and you’d like to find out if what you’ve experienced is common—if discrimination against the visually impaired in college exists more widely than just your experience.
>> 
>> 2)      Why are you writing about this question or issue? What makes it important to write about this issue now? What interests you in this issue? [Think about kairos—making an argument at an opportune time.]
>> 
>>      The reason I’m writing about this issue is because I believe visually impaired students and sighted students must have the same opportunities and rights in order to accomplish their goals. This issue is significant now because there is better technological support and human resources, like Disability Support Services for these students than in the past that are not being well utilized.  Because I have firsthand experiences regarding this issue, I am interested in advocating for better understanding of the visually impaired students’ needs and learning methods.
>> 
>> Comments on question 2: looks good.
>> 
>> 3)      Do you have a personal connection to this issue? Could you use this connection or experience as evidence or an emotional appeal in your essay?
>> 
>>      I have a personal connection with this issue because I’m a visually impaired student who is not receiving enough technological support from Disability Support Services. For instance, the first way I learned to study was with braille; however, this method is not being given to me in an adequate manner for books, class notes, tests and others materials even though this is known by the Administration and Disability Support Services. I can use this difficult experience as an emotional appeal to strengthen my argument.
>> 
>> Comments on question 3:  Remember not to rely too heavily on just your experience when you write the paper; your experiences are important, but you need a lot more evidence to create a convincing argument.
>> 
>> 4)      What is your working thesis? [A working thesis is your tentative answer to your research question. You can always change it as your research evolves.] Do you need to use any qualifiers with your thesis to ensure a general audience would be likely to accept it?
>> 
>>      Discrimination against visually impaired college students truly exists due to a lack of technological support and rejection by sighted individuals, who do not thoroughly understand the challenges and accommodations of these students.
>> 
>> Comments on question 4: You might want to add a qualifier to this thesis. Also, do you really think that all visually impaired students are discriminated against? Just because PBSC isn’t doing a good enough job for you doesn’t mean that other colleges and universities aren’t much better at addressing the needs of visually impaired students.  You need to carefully consider this point of view.
>> 
>> 5)      What sort of claim does your working thesis make? Is it one of fact, definition, evaluation, causality, or proposal?
>> 
>>      The sort of claim that my working thesis is based upon is one of evaluations about situations in which visually impaired students have been affected by discrimination.
>> 
>> Comments on question 5: Your question in number one seems to indicate that this would be an argument of fact.
>> 
>> 6)      What sort of evidence are you basing your thesis on? What are you reasons for reaching this conclusion?
>> 
>>      I’m basing my thesis on references of legal cases, personal experiences and written articles about rights and laws that affect the disabled persons. I think that everyone has equal opportunities as stated in the Constitution of the United States and this extends into the college environment.
>> 
>> Comments on question 6: Looks good.
>> 
>> 7)      What assumptions are you making that allow you to connect your working thesis with your reasons/evidence? Will an audience of general readers likely accept the connection you’ve made between your evidence and your thesis? [Basically, what is your warrant?]
>> 
>>      I make the assumption that administrators, support services and students alike are not necessarily knowledgeable about the rights and laws that institutions are required to follow. This is the source for many conflicts between students and institutions when trying to provide services for their needs.
>> 
>> Comment on 7: I think you’re also assuming that other students have experienced what you’ve experienced. Also, as noted above, you assume that all students regardless of disability status deserve the same access to educational materials and effective teaching methods.
>> 
>> 8)      What sort of evidence do you need? What information will you be looking for when you conduct your research? [Basically, what do you still need to know?]
>> 
>>      I probably would need to know statistics, percentages, numbers of cases solved, (or to be solved,) and also how they are getting solved.
>> 
>> Comment on 8: I think you really need to take a look at how widespread this problem is. It might be tough to find percentages, but testimony from other students could be really important to your argument.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Here are actually the questions with my answers. I was just wondering, would it be possible for you to tell me what do you think of the questions,  my answers, and my professor’s comments? Also, I just would like to ask you, could you tell me some of your testimonies regarding the issue of discrimination, and if you have experience it before during your college years and even now in college right now, in order to use them as evidence in my research paper? I will really appreciate it. And if you could provide me with some specific information, like for instance, the name of the college or Univercity, and in what State is located that will be great! as well. Thank you so much for listening to me and God bless!
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Sincerelly, Helga Schreiber
>> 
>> 
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