[nabs-l] Is This a Typical Request for Disability Services?
Karl Martin Adam
kmaent1 at gmail.com
Sun Jul 24 04:26:12 UTC 2016
That's very important. Everyone gets lost. Sighted people blind
people everyone. The trick is getting unlost again. This is a
bit more difficult for blind people because we don't have all the
streets and buildings conveniently labeled like the sighted do,
but apart from reading labels there are really only three ways of
getting unlost, and they are used the same by the blind and the
sighted. One is to use GPS, another is to find someone to ask,
and the third is to walk until you find a familiar landmark. The
latter often works best if you turn around and go back to the
last place you knew where you were though if you can't do that
you can just walk until you find something like a major road that
you can follow. I find that having a compass or using the
compass phone app is very helpful too because if you have a
general idea of how things are related to one another you can
usually figure out which compass direction should take you
towards an area that you know.
----- Original Message -----
From: Justin Williams via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Sat, 23 Jul 2016 21:00:55 -0400
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Is This a Typical Request for Disability
Services?
I learned the campus from not only my mobility instructor, but my
brother, other people on campus, and trial and error were my
teachers. My mother also walked a few routs with me, and once
again, I got lost few times as well. I would follow people who
were going the same way I was to learn the campus. And, did I
mention that I also got lost? My mobility instructor did teach me
the basics, so I had a good strong basic knowledge of the campus
when I got there, but I learned a great deal when I got there and
started attending college. You are only really going to learn the
campus by just being there.
-----Original Message-----
From: NABS-L [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Arielle Silverman via NABS-L
Sent: Saturday, July 23, 2016 1:00 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Cc: Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Is This a Typical Request for Disability
Services?
Hi Vejas and all,
I know it can take a while sometimes for voc rehab to get their
act together and send out a mobility instructor. In the meantime,
though, anybody who knows the campus can show you around. Even a
visitor who doesn't know campus, but who is a good map reader,
can help you find your classroom buildings. If your parents or
other family or friends are helping you move in, they could also
help you practice routes to classes simply by reading the maps.
There is nothing particularly special about having it be a
certified O&M teacher or someone with any kind of disability
background.
It will be good for you to learn where your class buildings are
relative to big landmarks on campus, such as fountains or major
streets bordering campus. Then, if you get lost, you can ask
directions based on those landmarks. If you are living in the
dorms, you could also request help from the resident assistant
(RA) or other staff in your dorm, whose job it is to help all
freshmen.
You may be surprised in how quickly you are able to learn to find
your classes.
Best, Arielle
On 7/23/16, Greg Aikens via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
I also had my DSO offer to have someone help me orient myself
before
the start of my freshmen year of college (too many years ago).
That
person helped me for one or two days, maybe three. They would
have
been available if I had a specific question about a route, but
not to
walk me to my classes every day.
I certainly did get lost several times those first few weeks,
but so
did all freshmen. It was normal to stop someone and ask where a
building was, normal for an older student to offer to show a
group of
freshmen where to go by walking part of the way, etc. I went to
a
small private school though, and that may not be so typical on a
larger campus.
If you are going to request this accommodation, I recommend you
limit
it to the first day you have each of your classes, or at most
the
first week. For me, my concerns about getting lost were a great
catalyst for making friends in my classes early on. I would ask
people
where they were headed next after class and if they were heading
in
the same direction, I would ask to walk with them as far as our
paths
went the same way. This also motivated me to make friends with
people
in my dorm. I looked for people who might have a
9:00 AM class in the same building or in a building close to the
building I needed and asked if we could walk together, at least
at the
beginning. You don’t want to be wholly dependent on these
people of
course, but it is a perfectly natural way to connect with others
and
learn your way at the same time.
On a related note, my difficulties navigating the dining hall
lead me
to invite people to grab lunch after class etc. I got turned
down
plenty of times of course, but it was a good way to connect with
people and learn my campus without them really even knowing it.
Upon
reflection, I probably would have benefited from better travel
skills,
but I made it work and developed some cool relationships in the
process.
Anyway, that’s just my take on it. I probably gave you more
than you
were asking for but I hope some of this helps.
Best of luck with starting school this fall.
-Greg
On Jul 22, 2016, at 10:23 PM, Justin Williams via NABS-L
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
Mine actually sais that they would also, but they also said that
it
was a very short term thing because they just didn't have the
man power.
Justin
-----Original Message-----
From: NABS-L [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Logan
Anderson via NABS-L
Sent: Friday, July 22, 2016 9:53 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Cc: Logan Anderson <logan4447 at gmail.com
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Is This a Typical Request for Disability
Services?
Hi,
I to begin college in less than a month. I have not requested
this
particular service from my disability services office, but they
have
told me several times it is very typical to have someone help
you
learn the campus.
Though they have said that it is typically only a few days that
this
person will help you. I am in the process of requesting my
accommodations from them, and will probably have no & M on my
list of
things that I am going to ask for help with, but I myself don't
need
a long-term partner. I honestly don't think my disability
services
office even offers a long-term option like this. I don't have
much
insight on the situation, but I am sure they will willingly work
with
whatever you need to help you succeed in college.
If you are working through the vocational rehabilitation system
in
your area, if there is one, then they also might have assistance
that
they can offer you with this question.
Sent from my iPhone
On Jul 22, 2016, at 8:54 PM, Vejas Vasiliauskas via NABS-L
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
Hi All,
I start college next month, and have been trying to get
everything
ready,
which includes meetings with Disability Services and the normal
due-dates.
(I never would have thought that there would be so many
due-dates
between college acceptance and the start of school-lesson
learned there!"
Although I have been getting to know my disability services, I
have
only
just today received an accmmodations letter.
One accommodation that I requested from them is to have someone
walk
with
me to each of my classes for the first month or so, while I am
still
learning the layout of the campus. Travel is one of these
aspects
for me that I just need to have constant repetition for, and
although
I will be working with someone authorized by the Department of
Rehab,
this process is still happening and I feel that knowing myself
and my
travel skills, I need this. DSS seems unsure if this is
possible,
but is willing to discuss the matter further. I don't know if
their
hesitation has anything to do with the fact that I have 5
classes at
5 completely different times, although I think it would be more
of a
matter of me communicating with these students via text to
arrange
times.
I have a meeting with them in two weeks, but was just wondering
if
you
have had any similar issues with them and how you have dealt
with them.
Thanks,
Vejas
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