[nabs-l] Best techniques for group computer science projects

[Ashley Bramlett]

Suzanne,
I wish you had given more detail because it would be easier to think of 
adaptations.
Are you using your central vision to see? How much magnification i s needed?
So, you all sit around looking  at one pc, and what are you supposed to 
accomplish? Building a website or is it programming?
You referenced seeing the code which could mean html or computer language.
Oh, I so empathize with your reluctance to use a reader.
If I had more vision, I'd use it too. I absolutely hated group assignments 
in which
we had to look at a handout and do something with it. Two examples here, and 
while they did read it to me, it made little difference as it was too much 
to remember and organize in my head. Besides, the noisy environment was NOT! 
conducive to listening clearly. First instance, we had to read a jumbled 
short article in journalism and rearrange the paragraphs in a logical order. 
Second instance, in public relations, we read a page of maybe 12 sentences. 
Our task was to organize them and write a lead paragraph for an article with 
those misarranged sentences. How I wish I could have read them myself 
because I very much wanted to contribute to the group.
Having people read to you doesn't work well in class; you have limited time 
for the activity. Having a student read to you takes up more time as reading 
aloud is slower than reading silently, and then you only hear it once, while 
your classmates study the text and read it multiple times to analyze and 
synthesize it. Oh, and you are then, struggling to hear the darn reader, 
who, has never read to a student before, and is reading too fast or 
unclearly.

Is this a graded project? How large are the groups?

If you can do a task where you do not have to read their screen, this would 
be best. For instance, writing the work to turn in or editing it.
Can you divide the work up and do something just on your pc?
Gee, I was going to suggest dual monitors where you see a mirror of theirs 
on your screen, but you say it won't work.

If you feel the only route is to look at the text, you might have to look at 
it later.
Could your group members look at it on your pc, and then you enlarge it for 
yourself to see?
While I have not done this at school, I did this with other projects at 
summer jobs.
I just enlarged it later to see the layout.
Another option might be for you to get an enlarged print out of what they 
are seeing if they don't have to see multiple screens.

I took a computer concepts class but as we all did individual work, I did 
not have this issue.

I have some vision, but do use a cane and other blindness tools, so I kind 
of see both sides of the issue.
I have my central vision a little bit.
I used print for math as its so spatially different than just reading 
braille text and it was easier to represent charts and diagrams in print.

Its easy for those of us using auditory means to just say that, but we have 
to consider the misunderstanding that arrises when a high partial who does 
not look blind, like yourself, needs assistance. I know from experience that 
getting classmates to read you material is easier said than done, not to 
mention a struggle to understand the reader amidst the background noise.

Good luck.
Ashley
-----Original Message----- 
From: Suzanne Germano
Sent: Monday, October 28, 2013 8:58 PM
To: nfbcs at nfbnet.org ; National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: [nabs-l] Best techniques for group computer science projects

I have a group project in one of my computer science classes and several
more to come before I finish the degree. Most sighted people sit around one
computer and all look at the screen. I use ZoomText so no one likes to look
at my screen since you lose so much view but obviously I can't see theirs.

What techniques do you find work best for situations like this. It is not a
situation that we could run dual monitors and mirror them with one having
zoom text enlarged. I am also not super fond of that since what I see
depends on where they have the mouse which may not be the area we are
talking about.

Thank you

Suzanne
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