[nabs-l] One can live without disability services and others

Tue Dec 16 01:45:26 UTC 2014

As someone who is going to become a college professor, I would 
never allow a student to take a test unproctored.  I've had 
professors offer to let me do that, and once or twice I have just 
out of convenience, but I have too many blind friends who use 
their blindness as an excuse to take tests on their notetakers or 
worse yet at home so they can cheat by looking at the book and 
their notes.  The level of cheating that goes on in DSS offices 
is horrifying (I know, I've worked there) without even getting 
into giving blind people the chance to take in class exams as 
takehomes.

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Michael D Ausbun via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
To: Gerardo Corripio <gera1027 at gmail.com>, "National Association 
of BlindStudents mailing list" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 22:28:37 +0000
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] One can live without disability services 
and others

Hello Gerardo:
	First, I’d like to say that your experience is admirable and 
definitely worthwhile and one that ought to be heard; after 
all, as you pointed out, a large majority of blind 
individuals belief or seem to believe: if there is no 
disability service, then failure is inevitable.
	With that said, however, I must point out a few things which 
are necessary, in order for something like your story to 
work successfully.
1)	A student must have family support. In some cases, 
especially when an individual is not an only child, family 
members may not always be able or willing to assist a 
student to the degree which is necessary (I.E. reading 
papers, recording books etc.). If there is zero family 
support, the chance of success is exponentially decreases, 
for both sited folks and blind.
2)	A student must have professor(s) trust. I also have had 
occasions where professors have given me the exam to take 
home or to do away from my disability center. In my case, it 
was either because the professor did not want to deal with 
the Disability services office or they did not trust the 
disability services office (professors are interesting 
creatures). In either case, if a professor gives you the 
exam like this, they have to trust that you will not cheat 
in some way shape or form. Many students, if they do not 
advocate well, never reach this level of trust with their 
instructors.
3)	Technology rocks, that is, if you manage to get your hands 
on technology which can help you succeed, then you may not 
need a disability center; however, most students don’t have 
the technology, which you stated, so most need the DSS in 
order to succeed in this case.
Of course, there are other ways for individuals to do things 
without the disability services getting involved; for instance, I 
always request my books from bookshare, so I don’t have to worry 
about the disability center not getting them to me on time. I 
think though, the key fact is that the disability center provides 
students with a safety blanket. You don’t have to advocate as 
much nor do you have to stress as much. If you go through a 
disability services center, then nine times out of ten they 
assist you in shouldering your burden. This, for a lot of people, 
can and probably does, act as relief.
	I hope I addressed your concerns adequately.
Respectfully,
Michael

________________________________________
From: nabs-l [nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] on behalf of Gerardo 
Corripio via nabs-l [nabs-l at nfbnet.org]
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2014 1:57 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: [nabs-l] One can live without disability services and 
others

  HI guys
It's interesting how you've guys talked about how the world comes
crashing down when the Disability service in the college doesn't 
Braille
out tests, make books available etc., so I wonder how do you 
think I
managed in a country where disability services aren't heard of or 
known?
By talking with the teachers, suggesting techniques for instance 
at
first, they allowed me to take the tests home, and have my 
parents read
me the tests and i'd answer on the computer and print them out, 
turning
them to the teachers the next day as if it were homework; as the
semesters wore on, the teachers graduated to seeing them in the
classroom in a time when my classmates were out eating lunch or 
other
activities, and orally test me; another time, I installed Jaws on 
the
college's computer and I'd go and take the test there with the 
teacher
in that she'd read me the questions, and I'd type in the answers,
printing it out afterwards, generally before my classmates took 
the test
in the classroom, but can you believe when the tech guys did 
computer
maintainance, they erased my copy of Jaws?
Books and other written assignments? During the first semester or 
so, my
parents mostly, but also from time to time other family members,
recorded the chapters on cassettes, to which I'd listen, and take 
notes
on an old Toshiba Laptop running Keysoft my parents had bought 
while in
the States; as the second semester ended, however, I guess I was 
lucky
because the university donated for my use, a PC with kurzweil1000 
and a
scanner, to which I afterwards put on Jaws and did all my 
assignments on
there; they also donated me a NoteTaker, the Braille Lite 2000 
for
taking notes etc; as I say again, maybe it was luck, because I've
contacted other college students, and they only dream of having 
these
technologies! I guess it's one of the advantages of having gone 
to a
private college, and not a public university? So there you have 
it;
perseverance/determination, wins! Also support from family 
mostly, and
teachers, except for those who dinde'didn't believe in my 
abilities and
made the semester a nightmare! So what do you guys think? are 
these
experiences worthwhile?

--
Enviado desde mi lap
Gerardo J Corripio Flores Psicólogo, Terapéuta Reiki
Saludos desde Tampico, Tamaulipas México
RompiendoBarreras espacio de psicología/Superación Personal 
Sábados 10PM México http://radiogeneral.com ¡los esperamos!

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