[nfbcs] Research

Joseph C. Lininger devnull-nfbcs at pcdesk.net
Fri Feb 24 12:31:16 UTC 2017 

Amanda,
Worth while is the point I'm disagreeing with you on. Pretty much any 
degree is "doable", but as you point out with some there's no point 
because you won't be able to learn or do anything with that degree once 
you finish. That doesn't just apply to blind people either; there are 
worthless degrees out there.

What I am arguing is that it is in fact worth while. I studied computer 
science at a couple of schools. In both cases, I was able to learn the 
material and I was able to complete most of the course work. There were 
a couple of situations where I needed some extra help, and there were a 
couple of major assignments I can remember where the professor had me do 
an alternative assignment. In those cases, it wasn't because I couldn't 
do the work in question, it was because the visual aspects weren't the 
point of the assignment and I could get the same information by doing 
something else.

As for whether the degree is worth while from a career perspective, 
well, you can have quite a lengthy discussion on that particular 
question. As someone who has worked in the field for years, both with 
and without a CS degree, what I will say about it is this. If you want 
to work in the computer science field, as in the deep technical aspects 
of it and not just as a network admin or help desk rep or something like 
that, you almost have to have a computer science degree these days. It 
is possible to get hired as a software developer or other highly 
technical job without the degree, but it is not easy and the best jobs 
go to those with the degree.

--
Joe

On 2/23/2017 13:34, Amanda Lacy via nfbcs wrote:
> Joe,
>
> I agree that it's doable. Whether it's worthwhile is another question.
> I transferred to UT Austin because I loved programming and learning.
> Once there, I spent much more time struggling with access than I spent
> programming or learning.
>
> On 2/22/17, Joseph C. Lininger via nfbcs <nfbcs at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Amanda,
>> I have to disagree. I currently have an under grad degree in CS, and I
>> am working on a Ph.D. I am also employed full time as a computer
>> scientist. There are some issues the blind will experience with
>> technical degrees that are unique to those degrees, but it's definitely
>> doable.
>>
>> --
>> Joe
>>
>> On 2/22/2017 12:13, Amanda Lacy via nfbcs wrote:
>>> I have a CS degree. I cannot in good conscience recommend it to other
>>> blind students unless they accept that they will experience a lot of
>>> hurt. I don't have satisfying answers to most of your questions.
>>>
>>> On 2/21/17, Michael via nfbcs <nfbcs at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>> Hello Andy,
>>>> Thank you for your response. Before answering your questions, I will
>>>> preface
>>>> my response that this project is entirely predicated on ensuring other
>>>> blind
>>>> students, who may be considering computer science, do not do what I did;
>>>> namely, believing that blind people cannot do computer science. Now, your
>>>> questions:
>>>> (1) No University, community college, or vocational school is funding
>>>> this;
>>>> this is an assignment that I have received on behalf of the Louisiana
>>>> Center
>>>> for the Blind (LCB) for my technology class.
>>>> (2) I graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno, this past December
>>>> with
>>>> an Honors B.A. in Philosophy with an emphasis in logic, metaphysics, and
>>>> epistemology.
>>>> (3) This guide will serve to educate prospective computer science
>>>> students
>>>> who are blind. When I was in high school, I was extremely interested in
>>>> doing computer science. I was told that blind people could not do
>>>> computer
>>>> science; mistakenly, I believed this to be true and thus proceeded into
>>>> the
>>>> liberal arts. If I can provide clarity to other students thinking about
>>>> computer science, or elucidate blind students when it comes to the
>>>> copasity
>>>> of blind people, I would be very happy. As it stands, the only place I
>>>> know
>>>> for sure this research will end up is the national Association of Blind
>>>> Students website, as I sit on the board and can make that happen.
>>>> Otherwise,
>>>> I have no idea.
>>>> (4) This is true. I did not make this anonimis. If people are willing to
>>>> answer, I would be very happy, and will of course cite you, or not cite
>>>> you,
>>>> depending on your permission. If people are not willing to, I totally
>>>> understand that as well.
>>>> I hope I was able to address your concerns.
>>>> For anyone else who wishes to help me out, you can email your responses
>>>> to
>>>> my email (mausbun at nevada.unr.edu) or, if you feel confortible, just
>>>> responding to this thread.
>>>> Thank you again for all your attention and time!
>>>> Respectfully,
>>>> Michael Ausbun
>>>> Vice President, National Federation of the Blind of Nevada.
>>>> Secretary, National Association of blind Students
>>>> Student, The Louisiana Center for the Blind
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Andy B. via
>>>> nfbcs
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2017 2:24 PM
>>>> To: 'NFB in Computer Science Mailing List' <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Cc: Andy B. <sonfire11 at gmail.com>
>>>> Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Research
>>>>
>>>> I am interested in answering these questions. However, you never
>>>> displayed
>>>> your credentials or qualifications in the subject. What school is funding
>>>> this study? Where did you graduate and with what degree? What do you
>>>> intend
>>>> on doing with the guide when it is finished? The results of this survey
>>>> are
>>>> not anonymous. Therefore, people might be hesitant.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Michael via
>>>> nfbcs
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2017 2:45 PM
>>>> To: 'NFB in Computer Science Mailing List' <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Cc: Michael <mausbun at nevada.unr.edu>
>>>> Subject: [nfbcs] Research
>>>>
>>>> Hello All:
>>>> 	My name is Michael Ausbun, and I am currently a student at the Louisiana
>>>> Center for the Blind. I am conducting research, to develop a
>>>> comprehensive
>>>> guide for prospective computer science students. I would much appreciate
>>>> it
>>>> if you would take some time and answer the following questions.
>>>> 	Thank you for your attention in this matter.
>>>> Respectfully,
>>>> Michael Ausbun
>>>>
>>>> Research questions:
>>>> Advocacy:
>>>> (1)	What accommodations do you believe were most beneficial to you in
>>>> completing your degree?
>>>> (2)	What accommodation(s) were necessary when completing visual
>>>> components
>>>> of one’s degree requirements?
>>>> (3)	In what ways have you advocated for the modification of materials to
>>>> ensure equal access for yourself or future computer science students?
>>>> (4)	What is the most important question(s) a computer science student
>>>> should
>>>> ask their instructors before and during a selected course of study?
>>>> (5)	Are there any Universities, companies, or organizations who have been
>>>> greater benefactors?
>>>> Academics:
>>>> (1)	How much math and science is necessary for a person to be successful
>>>> within the computer science field.
>>>> (2)	In general, are materials accessible with access technology?
>>>> (3)	What are some effective, and somewhat universal, techniques for
>>>> manipulating and writing computer languages?
>>>> (4)	In what ways did your assignments get modified, to establish equal
>>>> access to all requirements?
>>>> (5)	What are some effective ways for designing accessible algorithms and
>>>> data structures?
>>>> (6)	When developing a portfolio, did you find an accessible way of
>>>> publicly
>>>> displaying your code, or for hosting your portfolio?
>>>> (7)	After publishing your code, what methods do you use to ensure the
>>>> visible code is visually appealing or readable?
>>>> (8)	Are there any courses you might recommend to take in high school to
>>>> prepare someone going into the computer science field?
>>>> (9)	Besides the source work required to obtain your degree, what
>>>> additional
>>>> course work might you recommend to enhance one’s employment
>>>> effectiveness?
>>>> Access technology:
>>>> (1)	What access technology gave you the greatest degree of opportunity to
>>>> compete on an equal playing field with your peers?
>>>> (2)	What challenges did access technology present when interacting with
>>>> the
>>>> technology required to complete tasks and assignments for your computer
>>>> science degree or profession?
>>>> (3)	What role does access technology play in the completion of your daily
>>>> assignments or tasks?
>>>> (4)	How might modifications to standard technology create more
>>>> opportunity
>>>> for usability with access technology?
>>>> General technology:
>>>> (1)	In what ways is the general technology inaccessible when paired with
>>>> access technology? Are there any work arounds for these issues?
>>>> (2)	What sort of accommodations are necessary for the use of most general
>>>> technology used in this field of study or profession?
>>>> (3)	Can standard tasks be completed on a unit without extensive
>>>> modification
>>>> or accommodations?
>>>> Does most technology come ready to use? Are there ways to increase one’s
>>>> productivity when using Python JavaScript C++ swift and racket, and
>>>> integrated development environments (IDEs)—such as CodeLite, Eclipse,
>>>> NetBeans, VisualWX, Xcode, and KDevelop?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>>
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>>>>
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