[VABS] nova

[Ashley Bramlett]

Hi,
For those wondering, Nova is the northern Virginia community college.
It has six campuses which is why I asked listers which campus they were at.

Yes we may not always get equal access. We should fight for it, but 
meanwhile reading and assignments need to be done.
So, that is why I suggest finding
readers; you can post flyers for them on bulletin boards; get your parents
or someone to help with that. You can also use an OCR program on your pc
such as openbook or  app on your phone to scan stuff.
The disability office is getting better with the new accessibility
coordinator, but they have a ways to go.

My advice is this. First, be an advocate; explain your accomodations to
professors; send them emails before class about you or at least meet them
after the first class.
Buy your books ahead of time at the bookstore and keep receits in case you
need proof of purchase for procuring electronic texts through the school.
Second, for any student this will apply. Time management and good study
habits are key. Study everyday and prioritize assignments. If you have a
study guide for a midterm or final that is generally helpful. Use that as
you review and look at your notes. If you came to class all the time and
participated, professors are more willing to help you. Go to office hours to
seek clarification on things you need to learn before an exam.
Finally, school is important but don't forget your health and to have some
fun. As a serious student, I never had a good balance of school and social
activities. Get enough sleep. Eat healthy food.
Take advantage of your school's clubs and activities.
At northern virginia community college, something is going on all the time.
They have a Muslim student club; they have clubs for special interests. They
have the green club for environmentalists. There is also the international
club. They also show movies often and have a mystery bus trip once a month.

HTH,
Ashley




-----Original Message----- 
From: Naim Abu-ElHawa
Sent: Sunday, July 02, 2017 2:30 AM
To: Virginia Association of Blind Students list
Cc: Ashley Bramlett
Subject: Re: [VABS] nova

Thank you all for providing me with this information, as this is 
significant/valuable information. However, and in no way am I intending to 
criticize, we must remember that there will be some situations where we will 
not be provided equal access, and we will just have to learn how to bear 
with the circumstance, within reason and without putting our grades/post 
secondary successes at risk. Again, I speak from little to no experience, 
but I will try to walk in with a flexible mindset. Of course, this is easier 
said  then done.  After all of my ramblings, dare I ask for any advice from 
all of you who have experienced more than I have as of yet???

Thank you all for your understanding and willingness to accommodate.

Sincerely,




Naim Muawia Abu-El Hawa


Sent from my iPhone

> On Jul 1, 2017, at 11:32 PM, Ashley Bramlett via VABS <vabs at nfbnet.org> 
> wrote:
>
> Hi Mark,
>
> Thanks for your reply. I am so glad to learn someone else is at another 
> nova campus fighting for equal access. Manasas is a small campus.
> I bet its easier to get around there.
> They are terrible. You cannot even get basic accomodations at nova such as 
> textbooks timely. I was told to use learning ally texts when available. 
> And, I did that myself, paying for it and all! I hate some of the learning 
> ally readers though. And when that was not an option, I used the old 
> fashioned way of finding readers or scanning materials. My MOA said to 
> give me electronic copies of handouts and visual aids like powerpoints and 
> diagrams. That does not always happen. I would then ask my dss counselor 
> to intervene if the professor ignored me and she did ask them to honor my 
> MOA. But still they did it late about honoring my accomodations, and 
> nothing really happened to the professor. I got my study materials late. 
> The professor was not reprimanded or anything. Nova does not have equal 
> access. I’m glad
>
> I’m glad you are getting embossers available to students, Mark. They 
> really need that. Other students can print on campus so blind students 
> should be able to emboss things.
> And once I learn who else is at Nova here I’ll gather up your emails and 
> write more off list. I don’t wish to clutter the list. But IMO I think it 
> will be good to exchange ideas and experiences about NOVA.
>
> At least nova now has jaws at the libraries; that was not the case five 
> years ago.
>
> Take care,
>
> Ashley
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