[nabs-l] A Struggling Blind Student Looking for Some Advice

Sat Jan 30 00:24:15 UTC 2016

Elizabeth,

I'll say one more thing. I'm sorry this testing accomodation has you so 
down.
I know blind students going through school without braille and I know some 
with multiple disabilities. It is definitely doable.

I wanted to say, do not give up.  There should be a way to succeed.
I reiterate that taking exams orally is the best option.
Either arrange to take it with the professor or have it recorded for you.
I agree with Jamie that asking the disabilities office for a tape recorder 
or digital recorder is a good idea.
You're assuming a lot of things.
If they don't have it, then you have to look at other options.
But surely, if they don't, some department on campus has something to lend 
you.
And if not, maybe a classmate has something. Heck, if you were near me, I'd 
lend you my tape recorder or digital recorder. I got an Olympus year before 
last.
If there is anyone that can lend you money, you can buy a digital recorder.
Some place like best Buy or Target sells them or  online vendors.
Also Independent living aids also sells some cheap recorders.
I think the prices are like $40 or $50  depending on the model.

Another option might be to type your answers on the pc without jaws. Your 
reader and scribe person can then read it  back to you and correct
any mistakes you told them to.

Again, I hope something gets worked out. Talk to your professor and then the 
dss office about these options.
They legally have to accommodate you, and if they do not, you can pursue 
further action later.

Ashley
Ps, do something to relax!
-----Original Message----- 
From: Elizabeth Mohnke via nabs-l
Sent: Friday, January 29, 2016 6:56 PM
To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
Cc: Elizabeth Mohnke
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] A Struggling Blind Student Looking for Some Advice

Hello Jamie,

How can you assume the disabilities office would have a tape recorder? As
far as I can tell, the disabilities office does not have much of anything.

And if I have a difficult time using the screen reader voice that I have
been using for years, I do not believe I would be able to learn how to use a
new voice that I simply cannot understand.

I am sorry if you do not understand or believe me. And I am even more sorry
that I posted my question about how to take my exam on this email list.
Having everyone jump down my throat about not being able to attend an NFB
training center or not having perfect Braille skills was definitely not what
I needed today. It looks as though the positive support of the NFB is for
everyone else besides me.

Elizabeth.

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jamie
Principato via nabs-l
Sent: Friday, January 29, 2016 6:31 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Jamie Principato <blackbyrdfly at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] A Struggling Blind Student Looking for Some Advice

The disability office probably has a tape recorder. Also, if you don't
understand a speech synthesizer, practice actually does help with that. It's
just like how toddlers don't understand grown up speech until they've
listened to it a lot. A big part of it is to not throw ideas out with an "I
can't" or "I'll never be able to" right off the bat.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jan 29, 2016, at 3:35 PM, Elizabeth Mohnke via nabs-l
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
> Hello All,,
>
> If I cannot understand the voice from NVDA then what good is it going
> to be for me to practice using it? No amount of practice is going to
> change this for me.
>
> The only recording device I have is a Victor Stream. So how exactly
> would this option work for me? It would seem to me the only way to
> allow my professor to listen to my answers would be to give her my
> victor stream. I would not feel comfortable doing this because I have
> all my reading materials on it. And since the victor stream has its
> own special recording format, I cannot just simply save a copy of the
> recording and send it to my professor.
>
> It seems as though there would be too many logistics for this option.
> And I have absolutely no idea if the disabilities office would allow
> such an accommodation. The disabilities office seems to be rather
> controlling in what it is willing to approve of as an accommodation.
>
> Elizabeth
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mikayla Gephart [mailto:mikgephart at icloud.com]
> Sent: Friday, January 29, 2016 5:13 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Elizabeth Mohnke <lizmohnke at hotmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] A Struggling Blind Student Looking for Some
> Advice
>
> Elizabeth, I understand some of the frustration. We are not at all
> implying that a training center would solve all your problems. How
> many of our members have left a training center, only to still need
> help with their colleges? could you practice with NVDA from wherever
> you are emailing right now? The more you practice, the better.
> Blindness and health problems do not have to stop you from living the life
y want.
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
>>> On Jan 29, 2016, at 5:02 PM, Elizabeth Mohnke via nabs-l
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>> Hello All,
>>
>> I honestly wish I had never posted my email to this email list. I
>> really
> hate the fact that it just seems like all you are wanting to do is
> tell me that an NFB training center is somehow going to solve all the
> problems in my life. Even if I could ever go to an NFB training
> center, I will probably never gain the Braille skills necessary to be
> able to use them in a testing situation.
>>
>> I have never used a smart phone before, so this option would not work
>> for
> me. There is absolutely no way I would be able to learn how to use it
> good enough to use for a test that is in two weeks. I am already
> trying to catch up in this class after being sick, so I am not looking
> to add anything more to my plate than what is already on it.
>>
>> Using NVDA sounds like a good option, but again, I have never used it
> before, and I cannot understand the voice that comes with it . So I am
> not quite sure how this option would work for me.
>>
>> I am sorry that I am not able to fight my college and the vocational
> rehabilitation all on my own. The Client Assistant Program does not do
> much of anything here. And no one in the NFB has never really been
> willing to help me either. All I wanted to do was to find a way to
> pass this class. But it looks as though I simply do not have the
> support, resources, and capacity to do the things I wanted to be able to
do before my accident.
>>
>> I should have never signed up to take this class. I really did not
>> have
> the money to pay for it in the first place, and right now it just
> feels like this was only a waste of my money. And I should just learn
> that I am never going to be the same person that I was before my accident.
>>
>> Elizabeth
>>
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