[Trainer-Talk] unique situation working in higher-education

[Nancy Coffman]

Hello:

I understand where you are coming from. I work at the Nebraska Commission for the Blind but i run into the same thing. I work with technologies that I am not a candidate to use. Some of them are totally visual.

I try to get command lists before i have to work with someone. I more responsible for evaluating people to see what is going to work best for them. Coming up with questions and having them do specific tasks so I know they are able to use the echnology is helpful. The tasks don't have to be long or hard, just enough to get them started and assess whether they can use the technology. You may also be able to getsome help for them through your state's Assistive technology Partnership in association with Vocational Rehabilitation. Remember, we cannot all know it little.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Oct 27, 2017, at 1:04 PM, Kevin Andrews via Trainer-Talk <trainer-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> Please excuse the length, but it is necessary so I can explain my situation
> fully.
> I write with a bit of a unique situation.
> I work at a university here in California. I am blind myself, but we do not
> have any blind students currently. I am the Accessible Technology
> Coordinator for our Disability Resource Center.
> I could really use some advice here.
> 
> For background, a lot of what we do is Kurzweil 3000. It is a great program
> for people who have learning disabilities, dyslexia, tracking issues,
> prefer audio, etc. It is an extremely visual program by nature
> (highlighting, text/highlight extraction, dragging text around, different
> kinds of notations in your document, etc). A student gets referred to me
> and we provide them with a demonstration to see if they think this will
> meet their needs, part of the interactive process for providing
> disability-related accommodations. I digress. I have a tremendous amount of
> bandwidth, with six student workers, called technology assistants, who
> report directly to me.
> For programs like this, as well as things like Smartpens, which facilitate
> notetaking in conjunction with an audio component, which we also provide, I
> am essentially relying on my techs to provide these demos. I have been in
> this role for not quite a year. In the excitement of learning a new job, I
> did not think much about this, but it has been nagging at me more and more
> lately--how to be more independent in my job.
> Part of the role of the techs is to conduct demos of software and other
> devices, so it's not like they were hired specifically for me. In any case,
> I am concerned I am relying on them too much, but as I've said, these
> programs are very visual.
> 
> Am I overthinking this too much? Any advice, thoughts, wisdom, etc is
> sincerely appreciated. Thanks so much!
> 
> -- 
> Best,
> 
> Kevin Andrews
> Pronouns: He/Him/His
> Accessible Technology Coordinator,
> Scribes and Readers Coordinator
> Disability Resource Center
> University of California, Santa Cruz
> Website: drc.ucsc.edu
> 
> 
> Direct Line: 831 459-1262 <(831)%20459-1262>
> 
> Please allow 24 hours for a response. For immediate needs, contact the DRC
> main line by phone at 831-459-2089 <(831)%20459-2089>.
> 
> 
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