[nfbcs] Preparing for coding interviews

Martin, Vincent F vincent.martin at gatech.edu
Sun Oct 2 23:58:23 UTC 2016 

Nope, they were just incompetent.  If anyone is out to get someone it would be me getting them.  If my goal wasn't to make everything better for those that will follow me, I could become vindictive.  I do have a legally blind mentee here working on his PhD as well.  He is total in one eye and seems to be stable around 20/200 in his other eye.  Unfortunately he has Glaucoma.  He mostly uses his vision for spot reading, but knows Braille and uses screen reading programs for long documents.    

This is also one of those bureaucracies that have many silos and not much communication.  Administratively and Socially, there are a number of major issues that are at play and are diametrically opposed to each other.
Georgia Tech has the largest Engineering school in the country and produces the most graduates of any school as well.  The school culture is actually sink or swim your first year.  Their belief is that the first part of being an engineer is to survive the initial hit in the mouth.  
That culture is in opposition to what the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act stands for.  I have a blind friend who will be graduating from another institution in the Spring with his PhD in computer Science and I told him not to apply here for that reason.  He had been totally blind for only a few years and he was still getting used to the concept of not even having partial vision anymore.  Neither he nor I thought he was prepared to battle like I have been.
I have not only been an engineer for many years, but I also have degrees in Psychology and Human Computer Interaction.  I worked as a rehabilitation engineer for many years and as a research scientist for the Federal government.  Knowing when to fight back is a learned skill and I have used it sparingly.  I had even alluded to my advocacy past, but the school did not acknowledge it.  I have served as an expert witness in many discrimination cases, but all were settled out of court.  My name is proudly on the landmark transportation case, Martin v. MARTA.  This is a Federal injunction against the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority that forces them to comply with the ADA.  They are still under monitoring that they have to pay an independent law firm to conduct.  They actually have to contact me when they propose any major changes.

My case is unique for several reasons, but there are a number of totally blind students who have had pretty good experiences at their universities in all types of majors.   

Four years ago, we started an online Master's program in Computer Science that is delivered in MOOC format.  For that reason, you can actually get a Master's from here for the grand sum of $7,000.  The program now has over four thousand people in it from all around the globe.  I am pushing the accessibility envelop for this program as it is the perfect way for a blind person who wants to continue with a Master's in Computer Science while working.  It has the same courses and entrance standards as the on-campus program, but is delivered totally online.  The lab that I work in had a grant to check the accessibility of it a few years ago.    


-----Original Message-----
From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Amanda Lacy via nfbcs
Sent: Sunday, October 02, 2016 7:06 PM
To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Amanda Lacy <lacy925 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Preparing for coding interviews

> ... the school had just signed an agreement for my second OCR 
> complaint two weeks before my exam.  They violated the agreement in 
> less than a month.

At least in Vincent's case, it sounds like they knew what not to do and chose to do it anyway. So it appears they were out to get him.

Amanda

On 10/2/16, Andy B. via nfbcs <nfbcs at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> I wouldn't take it that far... Just because a school is not 
> accessible, doesn't mean they are "out to get you..."
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Amanda Lacy 
> via nfbcs
> Sent: Sunday, October 2, 2016 5:59 PM
> To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Amanda Lacy <lacy925 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Preparing for coding interviews
>
> That's why I've concluded that school isn't really about learning, 
> it's to see if they can emotionally break you. If they can't and you 
> get through it with a degree, you *might* get a decent job and be able 
> to live out the rest of your existence in relative comfort. I love 
> learning; what you just described doesn't qualify.
>
> Amanda
>
> On 10/2/16, Martin, Vincent F via nfbcs <nfbcs at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Unfortunately the following is only about half the crap I have dealt 
>> with.
>>
>> Over the six years I have been here:
>> Notes provided in actual handwriting!
>> Getting an accessible copy of text books, Braille or Math ML either 
>> never or three months after the course was completed.
>> Access to PowerPoint files a month after the lecture.
>> Every professor, including my own advisor, providing me with 
>> inaccessible (empty document) each semester for the first two years 
>> Inaccessible Learning Management System for classes Having to learn 
>> to code in "R" for my Statistics courses as SpSS was not accessible 
>> in any manner in 2010-2013.
>> I have never gotten one tactile graphic since I have been here!
>> Website for creating IRB protocols was inaccessible.
>> No announcements on campus buses and passing my actual stop twenty 
>> times the first year.
>> Too many inaccessible syllabi to count All graduate school 
>> applications were inaccessible Employee training for graduate student 
>> research assistants were inaccessible and I got my access restricted 
>> for not completing it in time Housing applications for on-campus 
>> apartment was inaccessible and they tried to evict me for not filling 
>> it out.
>> On-line access to research journals still has serious accessibility 
>> issues Initial Employee Pay information was inaccessible and I was 
>> subsequently underpaid for two years to the tune of over $8,000 To 
>> top it all off, I was given an inaccessible question in the middle of 
>> my PhD qualifying exam...
>> I was actually given a question with a photo graph in it and a url 
>> that pointed to an undescribed video!
>>
>> I was so pissed off that I got up and took my guide dog for a half 
>> hour walk.  I then returned and contacted the lead attorney for the 
>> Office of Civil Rights for the Department of Education in this sector 
>> of
> the country.
>>
>> They were and are still totally pissed as the school had just signed 
>> an agreement for my second OCR complaint two weeks before my exam.
>> They violated the agreement in less than a month.
>>
>> They are on campus now conducting their third investigation in three 
>> years and there is not going to be a mediated agreement this time.  I 
>> was even advised that I still have the right to sue in Civil court.
>>
>> If I did not have the technical background I have, I would be one of 
>> the many students that fail due to inaccessibility or quit because of 
>> the stress.
>>
>> PS-  The Disability Services Coordinator was amazed when I showed her 
>> a signing guide.  She had never seen one.  She also did not know what 
>> Orientation and Mobility meant!
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Andy B. 
>> via nfbcs
>> Sent: Sunday, October 02, 2016 3:17 PM
>> To: 'NFB in Computer Science Mailing List' <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: Andy B. <sonfire11 at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Preparing for coding interviews
>>
>> What kind of accessibility problems do you have? The last I 
>> understood, I am the first blind person in the history of my school 
>> to
> graduate with a B.S.
>> in application development, and the first to enroll in a M.S. in IT:
>> software design.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Martin, 
>> Vincent F via nfbcs
>> Sent: Sunday, October 2, 2016 12:03 PM
>> To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: Martin, Vincent F <vincent.martin at gatech.edu>
>> Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Preparing for coding interviews
>>
>> My current foray into my PhD program has been a venerable 
>> accessibility nightmare.  I am the first totally blind graduate and 
>> blind student in the entire history of Georgia Tech.  I have had 
>> every accessibility issue you can imagine, but I intend to always be 
>> going back to school!  This is my fifth different degree and the more 
>> I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know and what I might 
>> need to
> learn.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of david 
>> hertweck via nfbcs
>> Sent: Sunday, October 2, 2016 9:58 AM
>> To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: david hertweck <david.hertweck at sbcglobal.net>
>> Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Preparing for coding interviews
>>
>> "never intend to go back to school again, "
>> You should re-think  this statement.  Even if it is not a formal 
>> class to stay violable as an employee in the CS field you must keep learning.
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Amanda Lacy via nfbcs
>> Sent: Friday, September 30, 2016 3:48 PM
>> To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List
>> Cc: Amanda Lacy
>> Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Preparing for coding interviews
>>
>> I'm specifically preparing for an online coding assessment on Monday 
>> and I'd like to refresh my memory and practice a little. Going back 
>> to community college is overkill and would introduce more 
>> accessibility problems. I know because I've been there. I just 
>> graduated from UT Austin and never intend to go back to school again, 
>> unless it's an online course that I already know is accessible.
>>
>> On 9/30/16, Andy B. via nfbcs <nfbcs at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> I have never been asked questions about coding during an interview.
>>> Instead,
>>> the questions ranged from situational to problem solving in the 
>>> social context to personality questions. The interviewer would 
>>> usually ask questions about future goals, leadership skills, 
>>> successful and unsuccessful projects, and how you perceive yourself 
>>> in conflict. Some sample
>>> questions:
>>>
>>> 1. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
>>> 2. When you failed to meet a deadline, how did you handle the 
>>> problem with group members?
>>> 3. Tell me about a conflict between you and a supervisor. How did 
>>> you resolve the problem?
>>> 4. Tell me about a time when you used [insert technology]. What kind 
>>> of problems did you solve?
>>> 5. What attracted you to [insert company name].
>>> 6. What are the pros and cons of [insert programming language].
>>>
>>> Try telling a short story to answer the questions.
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Amanda 
>>> Lacy via nfbcs
>>> Sent: Friday, September 30, 2016 3:00 PM
>>> To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
>>> Cc: Amanda Lacy <lacy925 at gmail.com>
>>> Subject: [nfbcs] Preparing for coding interviews
>>>
>>> How do y'all prepare for coding interviews?
>>>
>>> I first tried reading Cracking the Coding Interview, but I can only 
>>> find that book in PDF, and it mangles pretty badly when converted to 
>>> plain text.
>>>
>>> I then tried solving challenges on HackerRank, but I have several 
>>> problems with that website. For example, some challenges give me 
>>> incomplete instructions. One has an empty bullet list under 
>>> constraints, so I don't know what they are.
>>>
>>> I need to refresh my memory on data structures and practice solving 
>>> problems without worrying about accessibility.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> Amanda
>>>
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