[nabs-l] Is It just Me: Academic Challenges

Tue Jul 19 18:49:22 UTC 2016

I noticed that blackboard and jaws, while mostly accessible, was a little unpredicbatle. I think some of that was related to my pc; I experienced freezing during tests on blackboard, so I did use extra time.
 One think I did was for tests which were open book, is just put the chapters in the same file, so for example, chapter 5 through 8 in the same file so that was all I was searching through instead of having the entire book.  Sometimes, jaws and word may be a little sluggish with an entire textbook on the screen.

-----Original Message-----
From: NABS-L [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kaiti Shelton via NABS-L
Sent: Tuesday, July 19, 2016 2:38 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Kaiti Shelton <crazy4clarinet104 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Is It just Me: Academic Challenges

Hi, Christina,

Like many before me, my answer is yes and no depending on what specific part of this you're talking about.  I use a high reading speed on my devices and love the search functions.  Usually I understand enough of how a textbook is laid out that I can find something using headings or page numbers if not key words in the search function.  I have found that it is sometimes hard for me to read for extended periods of time with Jaws, but my answer to that solution is to use VoiceDream.  It is a low-cost app on the IOS store that uses pretty realistic voices to read books, and it is connected with Bookshare and other cloud services.  You can also import your own files to the reader, and I plan to try using it for textbooks.  I've found having a more human-like voice works better for me, and allows me to stay concentrated on the material for longer.  If you don't have an I-device there are other technologies that have similar functions, like a Victor Stream or BookSense that your state voc rehab agency might be able to help you get for educational purposes.  Learning Ally is also a good resource, and the library of congress also has some audio books if that is an option for you.

Research is a challenge for me as well.  My university's library web site is completely inaccessible, so I have to rely on resources I can find online, in books I find on Bookshare, or someone from the information desk at the library to help me go through the databases.
If the latter option happens, I then need to have them share the citation or article link from the web site to me in an email so I can go about getting the materials in an accessible format.  Sometimes this is as easy as downloading a PDF and converting it with robo braille, while other times I need to have disability services take over and convert it with their software.  Occasionally, I'll need to request something through inter-library loan and wait to do anything for accessibility until the material becomes available to me.  This is why I start any research project within the week it is first assigned if not the same day.

completing assignments might take me a little extra time, but I don't think it is that much.  It depends on the type of assignment and how visual it is.  Essays, aside from any research I need to do to get information for them, don't take me any longer to write, but forms in tables might take me a little longer.  Math took me significantly longer, but that was because statistics used a lot of graphs and tables.  However, even though it was significantly more time-consuming, I didn't have any trouble completing it within the extended testing time I received.  Do you receive extended time as an accommodation?  If not, you probably should.  Most of the time I don't need to take advantage of this accommodation, but the piece of mind that it is there if I do need it is helpful.

I guess what I'm wondering is this; in terms of completing assignments on time, are you having trouble doing so even with extended time or do you not have this accommodation?

For online tests, I don't have trouble taking these.  Not that I've had to do them often, but the ones I have taken have been accessible.
If you can't complete them within the set time on the timer the professor should be able to make reasonable accommodations for you, but depending on your computer skills this might not be necessary.
E.G, if you can use heading commands and a search function to find the start of the test, you should be able to begin testing right away after the page loads.  Using navigation commands to locate check boxes, form fields, radio buttons, and buttons will also help to speed up the testing process.  I have only had one professor have mini-tests set to a time that came close to being tricky to complete, but since the test was on reading comprehension and you either knew the answers or you didn't, and that was why the timer was in place I didn't ask him to extend the timer.  It is important to consider whether the problem with the tests is accessibility-related or not, but your DS office can help sort that out if necessary so the accommodations are fair.

HOpe this helps,

On 7/18/16, Jameyanne Fuller via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Amy,
> I haven't started law school, butt I volunteered for the NH 
> disabilities rights center this past year, and they showed me how to 
> use Westlaw and how to do footnote citations. I found footnotes worked 
> pretty well with JAWS in MS Word, and I didn't have any trouble using 
> the Westlaw website on my laptop. Then again, I wasn't doing very 
> complicated stuff, so I might not have the full picture.
> Jameyanne
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NABS-L [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Aimee 
> Harwood via NABS-L
> Sent: Monday, July 18, 2016 9:49 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list 
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Aimee Harwood <awildheir at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Is It just Me: Academic Challenges
>
> Hello Ashly.  I will agree with you on the extra time and fewer 
> credits.  I wish those who take full credits and or double major would 
> write a book on their process.  I would love to be able to do that.
>
> As far as research goes, I am in law school and I use the iPad version 
> of lexis nexus and WestLaw which are pretty accessible.  Blue book 
> citations can be fun.  I have not been required to use footnotes as of 
> yet.  Footnotes will happen in the spring. Aimee
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Jul 18, 2016, at 5:50 PM, Ashley Bramlett via NABS-L 
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>> Jameyanne,
>>
>> I agree. You said it nicely to summarize the challenges of research. 
>> I also found all that to be the case. I know some NFbers are against
>> extended time, but   I find it necessary to do well. I use extended time
>> on exams. For assignments, I sometimes get extentions particulary for 
>> research.
>>
>> For research, databases are a mixed bag. Yes, jstor is fairly usable 
>> but the pdfs are usually scanned images.
>> I have had the same difficulty citing sources because I don't always 
>> know the page numbers since that does not scan well or if I use a 
>> reader, the reader forgets to announce pages.
>> I also take extra time in the library finding print material such as 
>> books.
>>
>> Time management is a good thing to master. For me, I did my homework 
>> and reading late afternoon and evening. II t also depended on my 
>> reader's schedule. Typically, my readers were available at 3:30 or 
>> later. Often, I'd use a reader right before dinner or right after dinner at 7:30.
>> Like some of you, I also threw my energy into academics and neglected 
>> sleep.
>>
>> Great discussion. I always took less credits than most students and 
>> took longer in college. I thought I was the only one though as many 
>> blind students here take 18 credits and double major.
>>
>> So, yes its challenging but you have to find what works for you.
>>
>> Ashley
>> -----Original Message----- From: Jameyanne Fuller via NABS-L
>> Sent: Monday, July 18, 2016 4:33 PM
>> To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
>> Cc: Jameyanne Fuller
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Is It just Me: Academic Challenges
>>
>> My answer is also yes and no. I find I can search within a textbook 
>> or article faster because I can use a search function to find exactly 
>> what I'm looking for. On the other hand, I've also found that I take 
>> in and remember information better if I read it in Braille than if I 
>> listen to it using JAWS or the speech on my BrailleNote. It's faster 
>> to listen, but I inevitably lose focus or fall asleep. Like Cricket, 
>> sleep is always like my last priority, which is a bad idea. On the 
>> other hand, I don't read Braille quite as fast as my sighted peers 
>> read print, so sometimes listening becomes the only option if I want 
>> to keep up. One solution I've come up with is to have something to do 
>> with my hands while I'm listening to an article or textbook. I make 
>> gimp lanyards, fiddle with a puzzle, draw with my tactile drawing 
>> board, knit, wander around cleaning up my room and folding laundry 
>> and such. It's not a perfect solution, but it helps.
>> In terms of research, I think that definitely takes me more time, 
>> especially since I need assistance finding books in the library and 
>> then have to wait for the disabilities services office to scan them. 
>> Databases can be a mixed bag. I've found JSTOR to be pretty accessible.
>> One problem I've had a lot is the lack of page numbers in scanned 
>> documents or even page numbers in strange places so I could never 
>> tell what was on which page and it was never consistent across the 
>> scanned documents from disabilities services. I usually figured it 
>> out for each book and made sure to make my professors aware of the 
>> problem so they wouldn't take points off if my intext citations cited 
>> the wrong page or so they would give me a phrase to find in the book 
>> rather than a page number when discussing things in class.
>> Take all of this with a grain of salt, because I was last in school 
>> two years ago, and things might be different for me when I start up 
>> again this fall.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: NABS-L [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Karl 
>> Martin Adam via NABS-L
>> Sent: Monday, July 18, 2016 3:55 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list 
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: Karl Martin Adam <kmaent1 at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Is It just Me: Academic Challenges
>>
>> Well, the answer to this is yes and no.  I find that I read 
>> significantly faster than cited people because my text to speech set 
>> to the top speed is faster than they can read, and it's significantly 
>> easier for me to find things in the book because I can search while 
>> they have to flip through their paper copy.
>> Doing research on the other hand is much more time consuming for me 
>> because of the difficulty of using databases and because of the 
>> inaccessibility of print books in the library that sighted students 
>> can use.  I also have usually needed a sighted person's help getting 
>> my papers correctly formatted so everything looks right on the page.
>>
>> HTH,
>> Karl
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Christina Moore via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list 
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org Date sent: Mon, 18 Jul 2016 15:21:59 -0400
>> Subject: [nabs-l] Is It just Me: Academic Challenges
>>
>> Hello Everyone,
>>
>> I am wondering if it is just me or do other blind people have 
>> challenges academically that are due to their blindness.
>> Does anyone else find it challenging to search for information in a 
>> textbook? Do you feel it takes longer for you to complete assignments 
>> because it takes you longer to read information that is given to you 
>> utilizing text-to-speech software? Does anyone else find it 
>> challenging to take online tests/exams in the allotted time?
>> I know that is quite a few questions but I?셫 wondering if it is just 
>> me or if other people have these experiences.
>> What do you do to manage your assignments, papers and research 
>> articles/information?
>> Thanks for any and all responses.
>> Christina
>> P.S. If I am set to no mail will I receive the responses to this 
>> question since I posted it?
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--
Kaiti Shelton

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