[NABS-L] Food for Thought: Time Management Revisited

Tina Hansen th404 at comcast.net
Fri May 17 04:15:12 UTC 2019


Last weekend, I asked everyone a question that a friend and I have been
concerned about. Is there a need for content related to time management for
blind/visually impaired college students.

 

I asked everyone to think about this. If there really is a need for this
kind of content, what would it look like? Would it be a blog? What about a
podcast? What about a book or article, or a series of articles?

 

What about discussions and/or demonstrations on how to really make the most
of the various apps on your smart phone that can aid you as a student when
it comes to time management?

 

I want to expand on that with these questions. Do you feel you have an
infinite amount of time, or do you feel you know where your maximum capacity
is for studying, working, or whatever, so you can stop?

 

My hope is that discussions like this would lead to solutions to the problem
of college burnout and work/life balance if you're a blind/visually impaired
student and may need to work while going to school. I also recognize that
while it would be ideal to have college textbooks in Braille, it's not
always possible. As a result, there are times when audio, either recorded or
using a screen reader, is the best way to get at the textbook or other
content.

 

As I said before a number of books either come with planners or discuss the
benefits and drawbacks of each type. Paper planners on the general market
are highly visual and don't work for blind/visually impaired students. The
only Braille paper planner I know of is produced by the American Printing
House for the Blind. Oh, and by the way, I'm ignorant about large print
planners. Please pardon me for that.

 

One mid-tech solution I experimented with was a pillbox with a strip of
material where I used a voice labeling unit to capture ideas and
appointments. This worked well, but when I was introduced to the iPhone, I
began to use that. I was no longer a student but I did get to experiment
with that. But now that I have an iPhone, I've abandoned that system.

 

My hope is that this kind of discussion could lead to solutions for how a
blind/visually impaired college student can deal with burnout. Also, what
happens when you, as a college student, feel overloaded, yet you need to
complete assignments in a timely manner?

 

I'm hopeful that this discussion will lead to helping students address these
problems. This is why I'm especially interested in the idea of a mix of
articles, blog posts and podcasts. Any thoughts? Thanks




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