[NABS-L] Developing Skills to Manage Things Independently in Grad School

[Neel Sheth]

Hello Rahul, 
My name is Neel Sheth, I’m a 21 year old undergraduate student studying microbiology from South Carolina in the United States. My parents are actually originally from India, so I think I’m somewhat aware of the accessibility challenges unique to India that you mentioned. Firstly, with regards to mobility, as long as you are comfortable using a cane, learning how to cross streets independently should be easy enough with the right amount of practice. I attend a university about 214 km from my home town, so I live there during the academic year, and during the summers I take online classes through my university online. When I first started, I only did a couple of days of mobility, I just walked with different friends to and from classes, and learned the campus by using this method. 
With regards to organization, I usually have a particular place for everything when moving into a new location, and for consistency, I do my very best to keep all of my things where I first put them. I’ve lived in three completely different locations all three of my previous academic years, so that is really the only method. With regards to clothes, I usually where neutral colors, so matching clothes isn’t a problem. however, the method I use for distinguishing between regular t-shirts and t-shirts with my university’s colors is by the fact that t-shirts in my university’s colors usually have some type of design. Additionally, I tare off the tags from the back of t-shirts with my university colors. 
With regards to cooking, what are you comfortable with? Have you ever helped in the kitchen before? I ask this since when ever family from India come to visit, they are always surprised at the admittedly few thins I can cook. I’d recommend starting with learning to cut vegetable, and progressing from there. 

> On Jun 3, 2018, at 10:21 AM, Rahul Bajaj via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I hope this message finds you well. By way of introduction, I am a
> 23-year-lawyer from India who happens to be blind since birth. On
> account of the accessibility barriers that the blind have to face in
> India, I have mostly relied on sighted assistance all my life to get
> most things done. I have had access to personal aides who've helped me
> with mobility, organizational stuff, cooking, etc. I went to a local
> college in my hometown for my undergraduate education, and used to
> stay with my family during this period. Further, I used to stay with
> very well-resourced relatives when I would travel to a different town
> for my internships who could meet all my needs. So I've never really
> had to truly fend for myself.
> 
> I will now be moving to Oxford for my postgraduate education. This
> being the case, I was wondering if you could help me understand how I
> might be able to deal with the following challenges:
> A. Mobility - I will be provided O and M training when I move to
> Oxford, but I am wondering what the best way of getting to a
> particular location is. While I am reasonably able to get from place a
> to place b (though not adept at stuff like road-crossing), I struggle
> with orientation i.e. figuring out how to find my desired location. In
> this respect, is committing all routes that one has to frequent to
> one's memory the best solution, or should one focus on other things
> like GPS applications?
> B. I also need help with organizational stuff such as locating objects
> that I may have misplaced, matching clothes, etc. Are there any
> particular techniques that you use in these matters? I hear that
> there's a device using which you can ensure that the object that
> you're looking for starts emitting a beep, making it possible for you
> to locate it by this sound. Have you tried it?
> C. While I will have access to meals, what would be the best way for
> me to learn how to cook some basic things?
> D. Are there any other talking devices that you use which help you on
> a regular basis?
> 
> Thank you for your help.
> 
> Best,
> Rahul
> 
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