[nfbcs] Research

Wed Feb 22 17:13:47 UTC 2017

I have a CS degree. I cannot in good conscience recommend it to other
blind students unless they accept that they will experience a lot of
hurt. I don't have satisfying answers to most of your questions.

On 2/21/17, Michael via nfbcs <nfbcs at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hello Andy,
> Thank you for your response. Before answering your questions, I will preface
> my response that this project is entirely predicated on ensuring other blind
> students, who may be considering computer science, do not do what I did;
> namely, believing that blind people cannot do computer science. Now, your
> questions:
> (1) No University, community college, or vocational school is funding this;
> this is an assignment that I have received on behalf of the Louisiana Center
> for the Blind (LCB) for my technology class.
> (2) I graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno, this past December with
> an Honors B.A. in Philosophy with an emphasis in logic, metaphysics, and
> epistemology.
> (3) This guide will serve to educate prospective computer science students
> who are blind. When I was in high school, I was extremely interested in
> doing computer science. I was told that blind people could not do computer
> science; mistakenly, I believed this to be true and thus proceeded into the
> liberal arts. If I can provide clarity to other students thinking about
> computer science, or elucidate blind students when it comes to the copasity
> of blind people, I would be very happy. As it stands, the only place I know
> for sure this research will end up is the national Association of Blind
> Students website, as I sit on the board and can make that happen. Otherwise,
> I have no idea.
> (4) This is true. I did not make this anonimis. If people are willing to
> answer, I would be very happy, and will of course cite you, or not cite you,
> depending on your permission. If people are not willing to, I totally
> understand that as well.
> I hope I was able to address your concerns.
> For anyone else who wishes to help me out, you can email your responses to
> my email (mausbun at nevada.unr.edu) or, if you feel confortible, just
> responding to this thread.
> Thank you again for all your attention and time!
> Respectfully,
> Michael Ausbun
> Vice President, National Federation of the Blind of Nevada.
> Secretary, National Association of blind Students
> Student, The Louisiana Center for the Blind
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Andy B. via nfbcs
> Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2017 2:24 PM
> To: 'NFB in Computer Science Mailing List' <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Andy B. <sonfire11 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Research
>
> I am interested in answering these questions. However, you never displayed
> your credentials or qualifications in the subject. What school is funding
> this study? Where did you graduate and with what degree? What do you intend
> on doing with the guide when it is finished? The results of this survey are
> not anonymous. Therefore, people might be hesitant.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Michael via nfbcs
> Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2017 2:45 PM
> To: 'NFB in Computer Science Mailing List' <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Michael <mausbun at nevada.unr.edu>
> Subject: [nfbcs] Research
>
> Hello All:
> 	My name is Michael Ausbun, and I am currently a student at the Louisiana
> Center for the Blind. I am conducting research, to develop a comprehensive
> guide for prospective computer science students. I would much appreciate it
> if you would take some time and answer the following questions.
> 	Thank you for your attention in this matter.
> Respectfully,
> Michael Ausbun
>
> Research questions:
> Advocacy:
> (1)	What accommodations do you believe were most beneficial to you in
> completing your degree?
> (2)	What accommodation(s) were necessary when completing visual components
> of one’s degree requirements?
> (3)	In what ways have you advocated for the modification of materials to
> ensure equal access for yourself or future computer science students?
> (4)	What is the most important question(s) a computer science student should
> ask their instructors before and during a selected course of study?
> (5)	Are there any Universities, companies, or organizations who have been
> greater benefactors?
> Academics:
> (1)	How much math and science is necessary for a person to be successful
> within the computer science field.
> (2)	In general, are materials accessible with access technology?
> (3)	What are some effective, and somewhat universal, techniques for
> manipulating and writing computer languages?
> (4)	In what ways did your assignments get modified, to establish equal
> access to all requirements?
> (5)	What are some effective ways for designing accessible algorithms and
> data structures?
> (6)	When developing a portfolio, did you find an accessible way of publicly
> displaying your code, or for hosting your portfolio?
> (7)	After publishing your code, what methods do you use to ensure the
> visible code is visually appealing or readable?
> (8)	Are there any courses you might recommend to take in high school to
> prepare someone going into the computer science field?
> (9)	Besides the source work required to obtain your degree, what additional
> course work might you recommend to enhance one’s employment effectiveness?
> Access technology:
> (1)	What access technology gave you the greatest degree of opportunity to
> compete on an equal playing field with your peers?
> (2)	What challenges did access technology present when interacting with the
> technology required to complete tasks and assignments for your computer
> science degree or profession?
> (3)	What role does access technology play in the completion of your daily
> assignments or tasks?
> (4)	How might modifications to standard technology create more opportunity
> for usability with access technology?
> General technology:
> (1)	In what ways is the general technology inaccessible when paired with
> access technology? Are there any work arounds for these issues?
> (2)	What sort of accommodations are necessary for the use of most general
> technology used in this field of study or profession?
> (3)	Can standard tasks be completed on a unit without extensive modification
> or accommodations?
> Does most technology come ready to use? Are there ways to increase one’s
> productivity when using Python JavaScript C++ swift and racket, and
> integrated development environments (IDEs)—such as CodeLite, Eclipse,
> NetBeans, VisualWX, Xcode, and KDevelop?
>
>
>
>
>
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