[nfbcs] Research
Amanda Lacy
lacy925 at gmail.com
Thu Feb 23 18:55:01 UTC 2017
> The profile of the typical freshman undergrad is someone who has been coding for
> quite some time, has familiarity with a *nix environment, and is capable of picking up
> major topics at each lecture (two or three times a week).
A friend recently made a video to encourage women in CS in which she
described a time she cried in high school because she couldn't
understand recursion. I couldn't relate; I'd never even heard of
recursion in high school. I'm glad I attended community college.
On 2/23/17, David Tseng via nfbcs <nfbcs at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> When it comes down to it, the experience imo, depends on the university.
>
> In a big research university, say top 50 in the country, the emphasis is on
> a fairly challenging course load. The profile of the typical freshman
> undergrad is someone who has been coding for quite some time, has
> familiarity with a *nix environment, and is capable of picking up major
> topics at each lecture (two or three times a week). Classes are typically
> large; say ~100-200. Professors are extremely brilliant, which also means
> they go fast. Peers are at the top of their game. CS tends to attract
> students who exceled in high school. These are kids who took multi variable
> calculus, discrete math, and linear algebra before even graduating high
> school.
>
> While in undergrad, I spoke with plenty of sighted kids who found the
> experience daunting :).
>
> If you want a taste, you can "preview" much of the lower division classes
> from Berkeley. CS61A, for example, is the first course and it is a weeder
> for just about all students.
> I don't think I know many people, including colleagues, who could stand
> against the rigorousness of the grading. But, that's why it's a top
> program. However, in that environment, even little bit counts and blindness
> is a major disadvantage because you are judged against your peers without
> having access to 100% of what they've got.
>
> If I had one piece of advice to give, skip the CS undergrad unless you're
> in a lower teir school or a university you know well to be student centric
> and not heavily weighted towards performance metrics. Get your fancy CS
> graduate degree :) at a top teir school. That is a totally different animal
> and quite a bit easier imo. I know of many blind professionals who went to
> great uni's for their masters/Ph.D's for CS and due to a variety of
> factors, they all seem to find the experience better than those who took
> the undergrad route.
>
>
>
> On Wed, Feb 22, 2017 at 6:31 PM, Joseph C. Lininger via nfbcs <
> nfbcs at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
>> Amanda,
>> I have to disagree. I currently have an under grad degree in CS, and I am
>> working on a Ph.D. I am also employed full time as a computer scientist.
>> There are some issues the blind will experience with technical degrees
>> that
>> are unique to those degrees, but it's definitely doable.
>>
>> --
>> Joe
>>
>>
>> On 2/22/2017 12:13, Amanda Lacy via nfbcs wrote:
>>
>>> 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?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> nfbcs mailing list
>>>> nfbcs at nfbnet.org
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbcs_nfbnet.org
>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>> nfbcs:
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbcs_nfbnet.org/sonfire11%40gmail.com
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> nfbcs mailing list
>>>> nfbcs at nfbnet.org
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbcs_nfbnet.org
>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>> nfbcs:
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbcs_nfbnet.org/mausbun%
>>>> 40nevada.unr.edu
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> nfbcs mailing list
>>>> nfbcs at nfbnet.org
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbcs_nfbnet.org
>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>> nfbcs:
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbcs_nfbnet.org/lacy925%40gmail.com
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>> nfbcs mailing list
>>> nfbcs at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbcs_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> nfbcs:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbcs_nfbnet.org/devnull-
>>> nfbcs%40pcdesk.net
>>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nfbcs mailing list
>> nfbcs at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbcs_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nfbcs:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbcs_nfbnet.org/davidct1209%40gmail.com
>>
> _______________________________________________
> nfbcs mailing list
> nfbcs at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbcs_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nfbcs:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbcs_nfbnet.org/lacy925%40gmail.com
>
More information about the NFBCS
mailing list