Thanks for this reminder. I agree that students also need assistance and
advocacy should be done with the University on this. One thing however struck
me. You have said that you need an assistant to " scribe my exams". This
reminded me that someone said that University students are writing their
exams in braille and then other people scribe them. I wonder where this
tradition began because as one of the early blind students in the University
of Nairobi, we always typed our exams on the traditional type writer even
though we could not see what we were typing or even go back to correct once you
have made a Mistake. I personally felt that this was much better because as an
A-level student in Thika High School, I wrote my exam in braille with the
consequent that some of my paper alongside with those of two other students who
were with me there were misplaced and it took ages to locate them and to have
them transcribed and then marked. We nearly missed the University intake
because our exam result were delayed compared with those of our classmates and
hence the believe that turning in my exam alongside with other students is much
better. I did this through my first degree and all subsiquetn studies. As we
speak of reasonable accommodation, things have improved much and with the use
of computers, it should be much easier for one to write his own exam and not to
have to subject it to another person before it goes to the one who will mark
it. This is because I believe in any process of this type, other mistakes that
are not yours will be introduced in to your exam and will be associated with
you. Lines or words or even punctuations which change meaning of what you want
to say may be dropped orintroduced and thiscould make all the difference. I
wonder whether this practice of writing exams in braille is only in one
University or in all of them. It is a practice I would suggest need to be
addressed. I stand corrected in case I am out of tune with the current trends.
Sam.
-----Original Message-----
From: sopvid-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:sopvid-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On ;
Behalf Of Laura Etori
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2016 7:40 AM
To: sopvid@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [sopvid] Re: Discussion on guides and personal assistants for the VI
hello everyone,
I would like to add on to this matter.
speaking as a student I think we should not forget the students in universities
when talking about assistants.
in my opinion having a student assistant while in university is important and
it should be made an accommodation.
from my own experience in school I have two readers/ scribes who help me in my
math, economics and finance classes and any other classes that might need
someone to read out anything on the board, describe graphs or pictures and
scribe my exams.
most of the time they are graduate students who have taken the course and
passed.
this students are paid by the school and most of them are on work study.
as we continue advancing access within disability remember we are not only
making ourselves adapt to the mainstream world but also making the mainstream
world accessible to us -- and such accomodations from an early time such as in
school can go a long way in helping us, the young ones, fulfill our potentials.
such accomodations as having a scribe/reader and getting good orientation and
mobility training around campus can be very helpful.
for students I would imagine having a guide can be a bit too intruding as we
sometimes have "personal matters" to tend to and plus the mobility around
campus helps us improve our networking ability and confidence.
as we consider those in the job sector we should also remember the students
also.
I hope what I have outlined makes sense. again as everyone has pointed out I do
not think training is required as such but the competency matters....
yes you can criticize my input have a grhrhrhrhrrheeaat day everyone!!!!
On 4/17/16, Dr. K I Laibuta <laibuta@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Sam, you are right.
In my previous appointment, my two assistants were University
graduates, one of them being a lawyer. The nature of work demanded
just that. The guide was a driver, and the personal skills and
attributes of the guide depended on the tips I gave him as to what I
required of him. In my current office, I require no less of a Diploma
holder, a person conversant with library research in addition to being a
proficient reader.
I have been in discussion with Lawrence on this matter and it would
appear that an average Form 4 certificate holder is for all practical
purposes semi-illiterate, particularly the men who could double up as
a driver. While basic training helps in very general terms, I can
assure you that the rest depends on you, the caliber of the person you
get and your specific needs.You can train someone to be a good guide
in a couple of hours, but you can't train them to be good readers or task
executors otherwise than on job.
Those are my personal views, which might not necessarily match those
of others.
Dr. K I Laibuta
Advocate of the High Court of Kenya
Chartered Arbitrator and Mediator
P.O.Box 6455-00300
NAIROBI
Cell:0722521708; 0788344111
Email:kilaibuta@xxxxxxxxx
-----Original Message-----
From: sopvid-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:sopvid-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] ;
On Behalf Of Samuel Kabue
Sent: Saturday, April 16, 2016 9:31 PM
To: sopvid@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [sopvid] Re: Discussion on guides and personal assistants for
the VI
Dear Stanley and all,
I agree with you that the personal assistant one has will either hinder
or enhance the performance of a person with visual impairment.
However, I do not think that training is the key issue as this kind of work
very much
depends on both the attitude and the qualification of the individual
personal assistant. Attitude may be changed on the job where possible but
the other factor is what needs attendtion. Every job calls for
specific qualification and the type and level of the job held by the
person who needs assistance is a major factor in choosing the personal
assistant. If you teach in Primary school, an average form four person
with the necessary drive should be able to help you. However, If your
job entails marking scripts from the University students or making
presentation in which you need specialized computer skills like
preparing power points or excel sheets , an average form four
assistnat wil find a lot of challenges in helping you. If you are a
member of Parliament or a Commisioner in one of the constitutional
Commision, your assistant should be a person who is able to go to the
library and cary out research to enhance your knowledge base and to keep you
abreast with your expected role. If you are a social worker or
an administrator, this research role may equally apply. At times, your
personal assistant may play other roles like driving in addition to the
professional roles if there is no room for such. This bring to
question the Sarah Selem level of remuneration for personal
assistnats which does not make this ddistinction. She seem to have
taken the role of guiding as the most important but my argument is
that the professional level of the assistnat need to be such that
consideration is made for the other roles at professional level such
an assistnat will be required to play. As for the training, each
principal should be able to train their personal assistnat in
accordance with their expectation. These are my views but I am open to
challenges and criticism.
Sam.
-----Original Message-----
From: sopvid-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:sopvid-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] ;
On Behalf Of Stan Mutuma
Sent: Saturday, April 16, 2016 3:49 PM
To: sopvid <sopvid@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [sopvid] Discussion on guides and personal assistants for the
VI
Dear SOPVID fraternity,
I trust you have been well and Our Dear Lord has kept you in good
health and spirits Kindly find the attached on going discussion
regarding the issue of
guides and personal assistants for the VI.
Kindly go through the attached document and give your input.
With kind regards and best wishes,
Stan
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