[nabs-l] Single Room: Opinions

[Arielle Silverman]

Hi Chelsea and all,

Don't get me started on this--when I was in college all the blind
students were urged to get single rooms, for similar reasons as what
you described. We were also urged to get the special
wheelchair-accessible rooms at the end of the hall so we could have
more space and our own bathroom. I ended up doing the single, but
insisted on having a normal room in the middle of the hall so I
wouldn't be so isolated from everyone else (not to mention appear more
disabled than I really am to all my floormates). In hindsight I don't
think having the single was bad, but it certainly wasn't necessary,
and I do wonder if I would have been more socially active had I had a
typical room with a roommate. I also had Braille books, but they
generally fit on one or two shelves on a typical shelving unit. I
think it depends on what equipment you will actually be bringing. I
think most college students have a computer and printer in their dorm
room, so if you bring a laptop or netbook (which takes up very little
space), a scanner/printer/copier (same size as a printer and works
just as well for scanning), and a Braille Note/Pac Mate (also tiny),
you should be fine. Unless you anticipate getting entire books in
Braille all at once, I don't think the Brailled chapters will take up
much extra space (remember, sighted students have several print books
too). I got my Braille books chapter-by-chapter, so I never had the
whole book in my room at once.

Finally, if you do decide to go the single room route, make sure
you're being assigned to a typical room on the same floor you would
normally. Residential life once tried to put me in a
wheelchair-accessible room on an all-guys' floor, which I suppose may
appeal to some women, but would have made social interaction very
awkward, to say the least. Use the communal bathrooms if your hall has
them and keep your door open and go to floor/dorm events if you want
to get to know your dormmates and be part of the group.

Arielle

On 4/24/10, Beth <thebluesisloose at gmail.com> wrote:
> I wouldn't recommend a single room.  I was put in one and in a remote
> location, so watch where you live dorm wise.  It's hard for me to walk
> everywhere and mobility has been a huge concern, so I'm med dropping
> three of my classes.  It's really hard on me because if I need
> something done and my computer freezes up, and I have Windows
> Vista/Pista (don't ask), I have to knock on someone's door and they
> usually help, but I've gotten people who aren't knowledgeable about
> PC's.  So I have to be careful and I'd recommend a roommate until you
> figure things out.
> Beth
>
> On 4/24/10, Chelsea Cook <astrochem119 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hello NABSters,
>>
>>
>> I will be starting college next fall. Likewise, I've been very busy
>> getting everything worked out! Something brought up: It was suggested
>> by a few blind friends that I try and obtain a single room (I will
>> have many computers and a lot of Braille for my physics major.) I've
>> shared a room before and totally intend to participate in dorm life.
>> What do you guys think? From a practical standpoint, it seems like an
>> enticing idea; just want a second opinion.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Chelsea
>> --
>> "I ask you to look both ways.  For the road to a knowledge of the
>> stars leads through the atom; and important knowledge of the atom has
>> been reached through
>> the stars."
>> Sir Arthur Eddington, British astrophysicist (1882-1944), Stars and
>> Atoms (1928), Lecture 1
>>
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-- 
Arielle Silverman
President, National Association of Blind Students
Phone:  602-502-2255
Email:
nabs.president at gmail.com
Website:
www.nabslink.org