[NABS-L] Urgent - Studying College Level STEM Without Tactile Material

[Bhavya shah]

Dear all,

As an international incoming freshman at a US university, I am now
faced with the real possibility of studying for the entirety of my
frosh year online. There are so many other factors to consider, but
this mail is about one specific one.

I plan on studying subjects and taking classes that have visual
content like graphs, diagrams and other figures, i.e. STEM and related
areas. Since I will be enrolled remotely, my university's Office of
Accessible Education has assured me (a) alt text for images in my
study material, and (b) a visual descriptionist who will be a graduate
student in the subject of the class. However, what is very uncertain
right now is access to tactile graphics because of all the timelines
and challenges of international shipping. We are still exploring this,
but there is a good chance I won't be able to receive tactile graphics
for the period in which I am enrolled remotely.

Which subjects do you think have a substantial visual component to it?
I am not interested in physics or biology, but definitely want to take
up Mathematics, try a Chemistry class or two, study new disciplines
like Linguistics, and be able to have as many options open for
coursework.
For these fields, how important do you think is tactile material to
properly understand and absorb the subject matter? Could I do without
it and be successful while relying only on textual and verbal means
instead?
Do you think it is generally possible for me to design my first year
course load a little differently so as to take only those classes
which are less graphical in nature? I am thinking I could focus more
on probability than conics in mathematics for instance. It is worth
keeping in mind here that not all topics are are covered in frosh
friendly courses so my ability to do this may be limited.

The reason why I indicate urgency in the subject line is because I
need to take my call about going ahead with remote enrollment or
considering a gap year very soon. Any inputs or perspectives are
hugely appreciated.

Best Regards,
Bhavya Shah
Stanford University | Class of (hopefully) 2024
;