Robert Acosta, President
Helping Hands for the Blind
(818) 998-0044
www.helpinghands4theblind.org
From: dan Thompson [mailto:dthompson5@xxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Monday, November 30, 2015 5:49 AM
To: dan Thompson
Subject: College Success: More than Textbooks from Learning Ally, Dan's tip
for November 30 2015
Things to ponder
How can they arrest you for being 'legally drunk'? If it's legal, why is
there a problem?
If there's a speed of sound and a speed of light, is there a speed of smell?
Fact of the day:
Omar Knedlik of Coffeyville, Kansas, invented the Icee (also called a
Slurpee, Slush, or Mr. Misty) in the late 1950s. The first flavor he offered
was root beer.
The "recombobulation area" at Mitchell Airport in Milwaukee is the place
where travelers try to recover their belongings and composure after going
through airport security.
College Success: More than Textbooks from Learning Ally
Deborah Kendrick
Source page:
<http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw161106>
http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw161106
Whether you are a first-year college student or you attended college 20 or
40 years ago, chances are that, if you have difficulty reading conventional
print, most or all of your textbooks came from a single source in Princeton,
New Jersey. Originally it was known as Recording for the Blind and later
became Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic. Today Learning Ally has been in
the business of recording texts for students pursuing postsecondary
education for close to 70 years.
But earning a college degree for a student who is blind or visually impaired
is far more complex than simply obtaining access to the texts your
professors will require you to read.
In 2014, Learning Ally launched an extensive research effort to find out
just what kinds of help college students who are blind needed to succeed in
college life, and the result is a new curriculum. It was designed by
Learning Ally staff and others to guide students through most aspects of
adapting to life as a college student. Launched in April 2015 and still
growing, <http://www.learningally.org/collegesuccess> Learning Ally's
College Success program
http://www.learningally.org/collegesuccess
offers an online curriculum to guide students through acquiring the
necessary tools to adjusting to life as a college student--and doing so with
confidence and success.
Spearheaded by Kristen Witucki, Learning Ally community coordinator for
students who are blind or visually impaired, College Success already has 237
members and well over a thousand views of some pieces of its core curriculum
after just six months of going live on the Learning Ally website. Although
Witucki is quick to point out that she has had plenty of help developing the
curriculum content, she also possesses a deep pool of personal experience
from which to draw. At 34, she has an undergraduate degree and three
master's degrees, all of them obtained as a student who is blind.
"My own experience has actually been pretty positive," she says, "but I know
that not everyone is as lucky as I have been." There are plenty of barriers
new college students can encounter, situations for which a student might not
be prepared and that can derail the college experience. College Success is
designed to assist students by preparing for problems before they arise.
College Success Basics
Students entering college directly after high school have often had a fair
amount of problem-solving handled by a parent or teacher for the visually
impaired (TVI). If a teacher was apprehensive about having a student who is
blind in class, the TVI or parent ran interference. If the student did all
work on a braille notetaker, teachers were willing to accept e-mailed
versions of assignments. If research needed to be done, someone else might
have done the heavy lifting and provided the information to the student in
an accessible format.
College Success offers resources to students on advocating for oneself,
having up-front conversations with professors, organizing academic
materials, and making sure that technology skills and equipment are equal to
the demands of college classes. An assessment tool helps the student
determine where technology skills and/or equipment might need strengthening,
and a technology overview guides students through the combinations of
devices that might comprise the college-ready technology tool kit.
Particularly commendable is the attention given in the curriculum to aspects
beyond textbooks and technology. Henry Wedler, for instance, a College
Success mentor currently working on his PhD in chemistry, provides
instruction on how students can teach a fellow student or other assistant in
making tactile images for science and mathematics classes even without any
costly technological equipment. Recognizing that the well-rounded and
ultimately employable college student is not one whose nose is always in a
book, mentor Cindy Bennett offers her three-pronged approach to having a
full college experience beyond the classroom.
Most colleges and universities today have offices serving students with
disabilities. The College Success curriculum acknowledges up front that not
all disability service offices (DSOs) are made equal and offers guidance in
navigating those DSO waters accordingly. What does the law say about the
rights of a college student who is blind? And what are the responsibilities
each student must assume when claiming those rights? And, how can you best
partner with the DSO on your particular campus to get the assistance you
need? These concerns and more are gathered in the curriculum resources.
College Success Packaging and Delivery
The resources in the College Success curriculum are organized with
outstanding clarity on the Learning Ally site. One simple sentence drew me
in immediately: "In college, you are the leading representative of
yourself."
This direct statement captures the essence of the College Success curriculum
as it guides students who are blind through the various components needed to
assemble a well-rounded student life of capability, control, and
empowerment.
Clearly indicated headings and links render the site one of the most
effortless online navigation experiences you will encounter, so that getting
directly to the information you are seeking is fast and easy.
Concise, easily digested articles present each topic in a convenient (and
short) package, so that you can work through the entire curriculum in a
relatively short period of time or, alternatively, go directly to a topic of
immediate concern for answers.
Most resources include a text transcript that you can read with your screen
reader, notetaker, or smart phone. Many have audio versions of the text
transcript as well.
This audio aspect--the voice of the author of the resource or another human
reader voicing the transcript--is absolutely the simplest, most accessible
audio interface I have ever encountered online.
When an audio reading of the resource is available, you are prompted with
the necessary keystrokes to play or pause, move forward or back in the audio
file, etc. The simplicity and ease of use is truly commendable.
Become a College Success Member
At this writing, 237 students have joined College Success. While joining is
not a prerequisite for accessing curriculum content, there are definite
advantages to membership.
First, due to the generosity of the Lavelle Fund, the same organization that
funded the original research that led to College Success, a student who
joins College Success gets a free membership to Learning Ally. Secondly, and
perhaps of greater significance, membership opens the door to mentorship. A
College Success student who requests a mentor begins a one-on-one
relationship with a College Success mentor, a blind college graduate who is
a seasoned veteran of the college experience and who can thus provide
direction and support.
Conclusion
Learning Ally has identified a kind of secret ingredient in pulling together
the overall college experience for students who are blind and visually
impaired. It takes more than reading comprehension or a knack for testing
well to succeed in college. Blindness skills are essential as are an
understanding of technology, a flair for self-advocacy, and the willingness
to step outside one's comfort zone.
In its first year, the curriculum holds promise. There are some
inconsistencies in the content - some pieces are offered as human audio only
while others are text transcript only. To appeal to all learning styles, it
is hoped that all content will eventually be made available in both text and
audio formats.
Witucki reports that more than half of those who have joined the College
Success program are nontraditional students. Recognizing that demographic, a
stronger representation of mentors over 40 would be a welcome addition.
For now, the curriculum is a fabulous beginning and the site worth more than
a look by every college student who is blind.
To join College Success or just ramble around in its content, visit
<http://www.learningally.org/collegesuccess> Learning Ally.
<http://www.learningally.org/collegesuccess>
http://www.learningally.org/collegesuccess
"The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken
those who seek you."
Psalm 9:9-10
To subscribe to Dan's tips or HotSpot with God Daily Devotional, send a
blank message to dthompson5@xxxxxxxxx and include "subscribe Dan's Tips" or
Subscribe HotSpot with God" in the subject line.
