[humanser] Fw: College Success: More than Textbooks from Learning Ally

[Mary Ann Robinson]

Hello Everyone,

I received this article in my inbox
from another list and think it is well worth reading.

Mary Ann Robinson

> College Success: More than Textbooks from Learning Ally
> Deborah Kendrick
>
> Source page:
>
> http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw161106
>
>
>
> Whether you are a first-year college student or you attended college 20 or
> 40 years ago, chances are that, if you have difficulty reading
> conventional print, most or all of your textbooks came from a single
> source in Princeton, New Jersey. Originally it was known as Recording for
> the Blind and later became Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic. Today
> Learning Ally has been in the business of recording texts for students
> pursuing postsecondary education for close to 70 years.
>
> But earning a college degree for a student who is blind or visually
> impaired is far more complex than simply obtaining access to the texts
> your professors will require you to read.
>
> In 2014, Learning Ally launched an extensive research effort to find out
> just what kinds of help college students who are blind needed to succeed
> in college life, and the result is a new curriculum. It was designed by
> Learning Ally staff and others to guide students through most aspects of
> adapting to life as a college student. Launched in April 2015 and still
> growing, Learning Ally's College Success program
>
> http://www.learningally.org/collegesuccess
>
>
>
> offers an online curriculum to guide students through acquiring the
> necessary tools to adjusting to life as a college student--and doing so
> with confidence and success.
>
> Spearheaded by Kristen Witucki, Learning Ally community coordinator for
> students who are blind or visually impaired, College Success already has
> 237 members and well over a thousand views of some pieces of its core
> curriculum after just six months of going live on the Learning Ally
> website. Although Witucki is quick to point out that she has had plenty of
> help developing the curriculum content, she also possesses a deep pool of
> personal experience from which to draw. At 34, she has an undergraduate
> degree and three master's degrees, all of them obtained as a student who
> is blind.
>
> "My own experience has actually been pretty positive," she says, "but I
> know that not everyone is as lucky as I have been." There are plenty of
> barriers new college students can encounter, situations for which a
> student might not be prepared and that can derail the college experience.
> College Success is designed to assist students by preparing for problems
> before they arise.
>
> College Success Basics
>
> Students entering college directly after high school have often had a fair
> amount of problem-solving handled by a parent or teacher for the visually
> impaired (TVI). If a teacher was apprehensive about having a student who
> is blind in class, the TVI or parent ran interference. If the student did
> all work on a braille notetaker, teachers were willing to accept e-mailed
> versions of assignments. If research needed to be done, someone else might
> have done the heavy lifting and provided the information to the student in
> an accessible format.
>
> College Success offers resources to students on advocating for oneself,
> having up-front conversations with professors, organizing academic
> materials, and making sure that technology skills and equipment are equal
> to the demands of college classes. An assessment tool helps the student
> determine where technology skills and/or equipment might need
> strengthening, and a technology overview guides students through the
> combinations of devices that might comprise the college-ready technology
> tool kit.
>
> Particularly commendable is the attention given in the curriculum to
> aspects beyond textbooks and technology. Henry Wedler, for instance, a
> College Success mentor currently working on his PhD in chemistry, provides
> instruction on how students can teach a fellow student or other assistant
> in making tactile images for science and mathematics classes even without
> any costly technological equipment. Recognizing that the well-rounded and
> ultimately employable college student is not one whose nose is always in a
> book, mentor Cindy Bennett offers her three-pronged approach to having a
> full college experience beyond the classroom.
>
> Most colleges and universities today have offices serving students with
> disabilities. The College Success curriculum acknowledges up front that
> not all disability service offices (DSOs) are made equal and offers
> guidance in navigating those DSO waters accordingly. What does the law say
> about the rights of a college student who is blind? And what are the
> responsibilities each student must assume when claiming those rights? And,
> how can you best partner with the DSO on your particular campus to get the
> assistance you need? These concerns and more are gathered in the
> curriculum resources.
>
> College Success Packaging and Delivery
>
> The resources in the College Success curriculum are organized with
> outstanding clarity on the Learning Ally site. One simple sentence drew me
> in immediately: "In college, you are the leading representative of
> yourself."
>
> This direct statement captures the essence of the College Success
> curriculum as it guides students who are blind through the various
> components needed to assemble a well-rounded student life of capability,
> control, and empowerment.
>
> Clearly indicated headings and links render the site one of the most
> effortless online navigation experiences you will encounter, so that
> getting directly to the information you are seeking is fast and easy.
>
> Concise, easily digested articles present each topic in a convenient (and
> short) package, so that you can work through the entire curriculum in a
> relatively short period of time or, alternatively, go directly to a topic
> of immediate concern for answers.
>
> Most resources include a text transcript that you can read with your
> screen reader, notetaker, or smart phone. Many have audio versions of the
> text transcript as well.
>
> This audio aspect--the voice of the author of the resource or another
> human reader voicing the transcript--is absolutely the simplest, most
> accessible audio interface I have ever encountered online.
>
> When an audio reading of the resource is available, you are prompted with
> the necessary keystrokes to play or pause, move forward or back in the
> audio file, etc. The simplicity and ease of use is truly commendable.
>
> Become a College Success Member
>
> At this writing, 237 students have joined College Success. While joining
> is not a prerequisite for accessing curriculum content, there are definite
> advantages to membership.
>
> First, due to the generosity of the Lavelle Fund, the same organization
> that funded the original research that led to College Success, a student
> who joins College Success gets a free membership to Learning Ally.
> Secondly, and perhaps of greater significance, membership opens the door
> to mentorship. A College Success student who requests a mentor begins a
> one-on-one relationship with a College Success mentor, a blind college
> graduate who is a seasoned veteran of the college experience and who can
> thus provide direction and support.
>
> Conclusion
>
> Learning Ally has identified a kind of secret ingredient in pulling
> together the overall college experience for students who are blind and
> visually impaired. It takes more than reading comprehension or a knack for
> testing well to succeed in college. Blindness skills are essential as are
> an understanding of technology, a flair for self-advocacy, and the
> willingness to step outside one's comfort zone.
>
> In its first year, the curriculum holds promise. There are some
> inconsistencies in the content - some pieces are offered as human audio
> only while others are text transcript only. To appeal to all learning
> styles, it is hoped that all content will eventually be made available in
> both text and audio formats.
>
> Witucki reports that more than half of those who have joined the College
> Success program are nontraditional students. Recognizing that demographic,
> a stronger representation of mentors over 40 would be a welcome addition.
>
> For now, the curriculum is a fabulous beginning and the site worth more
> than a look by every college student who is blind.
>
> To join College Success or just ramble around in its content, visit
> Learning Ally.
>
> http://www.learningally.org/collegesuccess
>