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"Supporting
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Table of Contents:
Editor's
Reflection - By Jen Barrow
President's Message - By Enjie Wu
NABS Committee Descriptions - By Rebecca Hodson
NABS Board Bios - 2003-04 Board Members
2003 NABS Convention Report - by Enjie Wu
Reflections On My First Convention Experience - By Nickie
Coby
My Experiences With the GRE - By Christopher Sabin
Review: JAWS 5.0 - By Reagan D. Lynch
Welcome to the Fall Edition of the Student Advocate! This issue introduces the 2003-2004 NABS Board, catches the membership up on NABS' involvement at Convention, and highlights the insights and hopes of blind columnists. Happy reading!
You are still swelled
with pride and self contentment on this afternoon in 1999 as you approach the
doors to your church hall. It has only been a few days since you received the
acceptance package from Boston College, and you are extremely excited to share
your momentous news with the other Sunday school teachers. You make an effort
to appear nonchalant as you gather the supplies you will need for your fifth
grade class, when the Director of Religious Ed. Ambles into the office.
You are a bit intimidated by Sister Mary, but you remind yourself that she has
known you since second grade, and has accepted your offers to teach classes
for the past three years. You joyfully share the news with her, and await the
accolades you assume will follow. Without hesitation, she gleams a patronizing
smile and belittlingly proclaims, "That's wonderful! Will you be in special
classes?"
Your swelled heart deflates with an ardent burst of pain. The first thought
that floods your dumbfounded mind reverberates: "Is that all she really
thinks of me?" You do not have the self confidence, nor the particular
desire to dispute this imposing and matriarchal nun's opinion. You simply and
resignedly answer: "No, BC doesn't offer special classes. " You attempt
to quickly leave the room with dignity, but all you want to do is slink into
the shadows. Even though you did not confront her, your blood is boiling because
you have to deal with this BS all the time. You want to cry because you realize,
again, that you spend a good portion of your energy proving yourself to people
who do not treat you with the basic respect or dignity of being equals. As the
incredulous and indignant sting slides into a trembling anger that sits deep
in your stomach, you so desperately want to tell Sister Mary about your many
academic distinctions and honors… but you can't.
Do any of the emotions
captured in this vignette resonate with you and your personal experiences? At
the time of my encounter with Sister Mary, I was quite defensive, belligerent,
and caught up with the way so called "sighted" people disrespected
me. I saw no other way, and this strategy at least made me feel like I was protecting
myself from being hurt. In my opinion, far too many blind people still dwell
exorbitantly on their negative encounters, and allow the weight of these irritations
to sink their outlook into a general embitterment and cynicism. I offer the
following reflection along the journey of developing a wise and matured understanding
of how to live blindly well.
Have you ever, and I mean ever, considered living in a convent? Don't be shy…
get those hands up in the air! As the astute among you may have well guessed,
I've been living in a convent since August. I'm doing a year of volunteer service
in Laredo, Texas, after successfully graduating from Boston College. Let me
say that I was not aware of the exact living arrangements when I applied for
the volunteer program, but I nevertheless highlight my… unique living situation
because it is the catalyst for some new insight and wisdom I've had about this
whole blindness thing.
Everyone grows into new understandings about his or her life in due time. It
heavily depends on one's personal character, and the experiences he was blessed
or cursed with. As I reflect upon the above excerpt, I marvel at how despairing
and void of self confidence my high school years were. Like so many other blind
students, my family's attempt to protect me by sheltering me horribly backfired.
My college years were a frenzied period of catching up, and embracing more deeply
who I was, by truly becoming self sufficient, confident, independent and accountable.
I had many epiphanies, and many difficult moments of frustration. My years in
college were joyful, but my greater exposure to independence also introduced
a greater exposure to ignorance and injustice. I stubbornly wrestled with these
little injustices because the intrinsic idea that I was somehow "less"
than fully sighted people disgusted me. Yet, this mindset was reinforced daily
by small inconveniences and encounters that, in themselves were insignificant,
but stifling when compounded. In dialogue with other blind students in Boston,
I often questioned what it all meant, why I felt different, and if the future
would offer ANY resolution to my maddening philosophical riddles.
The healing and new grasp of the situation came from an unexpected source. My
pride and confidence was most deeply shaken by a nun five years ago, and I am
being most profoundly touched and taught by a community of 7 nuns today. This
healing presence or influence can be found anywhere- it just happened to be
a volunteer program for me.
I attribute my enhanced outlook and perception of the world to the fact that
I am surrounded by people who support, respect and genuinely seek to understand
me. Every day, I experience the fruits of living with dignity and equality…
just as it should be, but frequently is not. It is the small things added up
that make me feel accepted and alive, just as it was the small things before
that made me feel separate and troubled.
The sensitive and perceptive actions and comments of my community always make
me smile. For example: reading the lyrics of a song out loud before singing
them for "anyone who can't read them" (Ha ha… that would be me),
offering me an elbow before I have to ask, or spontaneously collecting the smaller
plastic bags to give to me for my dog. They are extremely cognizant and aware,
like when they explain a certain visual part of a movie without any prompting,
or hand me a bowl of food at dinner with the spoon close to my hand. It seems
like they have lived with blind people forever, even though none of them ever
had. The first day I arrived, someone offered to give me an O&M lesson around
the neighborhood and accompany me on a test run of the bus route to work. I
asked her if she had ever been formally trained in O&M instruction because
she did it as naturally and perceptively as my best instructors, but she just
looked at me quizzically and asked: "What is O&M?" My community
even laughs at the blind jokes I make about myself, and most have caught on
and heartily tease me themselves. That's when I know I'm home: when blindness
can be a topic for serious discussion, but is also game for sarcastic remarks
and good-natured jests. It is how they do the little things with such ease and
comfort that makes all the difference. Their philosophy is to meet each person
where she is: no strings, judgments, assumptions or presumptions attached.
We speak of blindness as a physical disability… but could it be a social
disability as well? I wager that many blind people would agree that the actual
fact of not seeing isn't a big deal. Rather, most daily frustrations arise from
the accompanying implications. For example: having difficulty in finding a job,
receiving unsolicited and condescending help, or being excluded by peers or
professors. Therefore, I feel that blindness is disabling only when those around
one disables him through disrespect, patronage, paternalism, rejection, fear
and an unwillingness to learn to change. However, a person is enabled if those
around him enable him with respect, dignity, comfort with blindness, equal treatment,
understanding, and confidence affirming interactions. If those around you degrade
and disable you, then you feel disabled and compromised. If those around you
empower and enable you, you are likely to feel enabled and worthy.
I do not at all mean to imply that we are not responsible for how we feel, and
that our destiny hinges on the people that we live and work with. No! We are
not victims of society, nor passive floaters. However, even Aristotle points
out that we should surround ourselves with virtuous people if we seek to adopt
a certain virtue. Society's general inclination is to lean towards disabling
blind people through public policies, media portrayals and lingering stereotypes
from 50 years ago. But, this is only a generality, and does not encompass every
single individual's opinion. Psychologists even grapple with how much our environment
contributes too making us who we are in the hot debate of "nature"
vs. "nurture. " Even though the general environment we function in
each day may not be the most supportive ambiance for promoting the rights and
inclusion of blind people, it is up to us to seek out the sub-environments that
provide the qualities each one of us needs to reach Maslow's pinnacle of self-actualization.
Therefore, it is healthy to abandon life-sapping relationships, and seek supportive,
life-giving ones. The strategy of many blind people has been to find refuge
and understanding exclusively among other blind people. I challenge these individuals
to look outside the box, and seek out sighted support as well… it does
exist. It makes life that much richer to have a healthy blend.
I will leave it up to you to interpret anything I've written. I offer my thoughts
as a jumping off point for deeper reflection, conversation and reworking. I
have lamented a few times since being here that I hadn't found a place, frame
of mind or group of people earlier in my life that promoted such peace and acceptance,
but then I remember that: "suffering produces perseverance; perseverance
produces character; and character produces hope. And hope never disappoints
us. "
Another school year has
begun and, along with it, comes the joys and headaches of coursework, term papers,
exams, a job, and socializing with the little time that is left over. I for
one had no idea what was in store for me this semester. Right off the bat, my
semester was tough. My dear friend, Ryan, was in a head-on collision and died
two weeks later: the weekend right before classes began. Ryan was a determined,
dedicated, and caring person. I appreciate his willingness to try new things
and to experience life to its fullest. His philosophy was to "get over
differences from the past and let by gones be by gones," "move on
to make the best of the present, and "plan for but do not worry about what
is to come. " It is my sincere hope that NABS adopts this philosophy in
the upcoming year. We can learn from the past, which in my case, is from the
three years that I have been involved in NABS, working with past presidents
April Shinholster and Jonathan Simeone. With my experience and with the support
of the NABS membership and board, we will persevere and be productive in the
2003-2004 year.
NABS had another successful week as part of the ACB National Convention in July.
We had a packed schedule of events and the attendance was good. Our business
meetings went smoothly and did not take six hours. As part of the second business
meeting, officers were elected. I would like to thank Jonathan Simeone for serving
as president for the past two terms. I also would like to thank Monika Carney,
Erin Lauridsen, Reagan Lynch, and Laura Bratton for their hard work serving
on the board in the past year. We hope to see all of them stay actively involved
with NABS this coming year.
The 2003-2004 NABS board is eager to dive into a productive year. The board
members are: President Enjie Wu, Vice President Rebecca Hodson, Secretary Jeremy
Johanson, Treasurer Gabe Griffith, Elected Governor Mike Gravitt, Appointed
Governors Steve Speicher and John Buckley, National Office Liaison Terry Pacheco,
Junior Representative Nickie Coby, Student Advocate Editor Jen Barrow, and Chief
Information Officer David Tseng.
We invite you, the members of NABS, to join us in meeting our goals. You can
get involved by serving on a committee(s), participate in discussions on the
listserve, attend board meetings, and/or be involved in your state affiliate
or help to start an affiliate of NABS in your state. The committees are: convention
planning, fundraising, legislative, membership/mentoring, public relations,
and technology/communications. Currently, we have affiliates in California,
Florida, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. Members
of NABS are working to establish additional affiliates in Illinois, Mississippi,
and Oklahoma.
The three goals of NABS that were identified at our strategic planning meeting
in Pittsburgh are to: 1. improve rapport with the ACB national office, other
ACB affiliates and various disability groups, 2. recruit members, support existing
affiliates and establish new ones, and 3. launch a mentoring project.
I am enthusiastically looking forward to the upcoming year and am confident
that NABS will have a great year. Please do not hesitate to contact me with
questions, concerns, suggestions, or a desire to become involved at any level
of NABS. You can contact me by phone at 419-610-4905 or by email at ewu@bgnet.
bgsu. edu.
Membership and Mentoring
Committee
The membership and mentoring committee is responsible for recruiting new members,
and for finding new ways to keep current members active and interested in NABS.
At our last national convention, NABS came up with some great ideas for this
committee that we would love to further explore, so if you are the type who
enjoys thinking creatively and meeting new people, we would love to hear from
you!
Public Relations Committee
The only way to make NABS grow is to get the word out about who we are and what
we do. The PR committee will work closely with all other committees to get the
name and mission of NABS out to the public, as well as work to increase awareness
on issues imperative to the success of blind and visually impaired
students.
Fundraising Committee
This committee is charged with raising money to operate NABS. Without the efforts
of this committee, NABS would be unable to take on advocacy projects, or pay
for our portion of the annual ACB convention. So if you like to ask for money,
or if you're good at sales, then this is your committee.
Technology and Communications
Committee
The technology committee handles all the technical aspects of NABS, including
the management of the NABS website and list serve. In addition, this committee
works with the PR committee to actively seek content for the website. If you
are knowledgeable about PHP, java script, or HTML code, then you'll probably
find lots of people who understand what you're talking about here.
Legislative Committee
The legislative committee focuses on legislative and legal issues facing blind
and visually impaired students. Our current focus is on equal access to textbooks
and other printed classroom materials, rights guaranteed to all disabled students
in their pursuit of higher education, the Rehabilitation Act and IDEA reauthorization,
and many more issues pertinent to the success of not only the blind and visually
impaired, but all disabled students. With your help, NABS has the potential
to significantly impact legislation for the benefit of current students as well
as those who follow us.
Convention Planning
Committee
The convention planning committee is responsible for all aspects of the NABS
portion of ACB's annual convention, including coordinating the newspaper delivery
fundraiser, Comedy Night, and the NABS Welcome Mixer. If you have any ideas
for seminars or guest speakers for our upcoming convention and enjoy planning
and organizing events, please consider being a part of this committee. With
your assistance and ideas, we can make the 2004 convention in Birmingham, Alabama
a success.
Enjie Wu is the
President of the National Alliance of Blind Students (NABS) and has been actively
involved in ACB for the past three years. She has served as secretary, vice
president, and convention coordinator of NABS. During the summer of 2001, she
worked as an intern for the ACB national office. She has received ACB of Ohio
scholarships. Enjie was a delegate to the National Youth Leadership Conference
in Washington D. C. in 2002 and is a member of several disability advocacy organizations.
She also has served as music liaison and on the worship design team with Toledo
Campus Ministry Fellowship, an ecumenical church group, served as secretary
of the Residence Hall Council, and sang with choirs on campus and in the community.
Enjie is a member of Golden Key International Honors Society and has received
several academic and music scholarships.
Enjie recently graduated Cum Laude with a BA in Speech Pathology and a BA in
Music from the University of Toledo. She is currently a graduate student studying
Rehabilitation Counseling at Bowling Green State University, in Ohio. Enjie
is employed as a graduate assistant for the Dean's Office and teaching assistant
for the Bowling Green State University Division of Intervention Services.
In addition to school, work, and organizational involvement, Enjie enjoys talking
on the phone, hanging out with friends, singing, surfing the internet, traveling,
and reading books for young adults. Her Seeing Eye dog, Candie, better known
as the fashion accessory, accompanies Enjie and keeps her on her toes.
Enjie is enthusiastically looking forward to working with the NABS membership
and board to advance the quality of life for students who are blind and visually
impaired. Together, we can accomplish so much.
Rebecca Hodson is the Vice President of the National Alliance of Blind Students. She has attended Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana and DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. She is currently a senior at DePauw University with a dual major in music and communications. Upon graduation, she hopes to pursue a job in the field of public relations in the Washington, D. C. area. Throughout her college career, she has been an active member of Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity, Delta Gamma sorority, Mu Phi Upsilon (music honorary); and has held executive positions with Student Organized Drinking Alternatives (S. O. D. A), Lambda Pi Eta (communications honorary), and Purdue Advocates for Disability Issues. This summer, Rebecca worked as an intern with the ACB national office in Washington, D. C. For the 2003/04 academic year, Rebecca was selected to serve as a mentor for first year students at DePauw. In addition, she holds a position on the Board of Directors of the ACB Indiana affiliate. In her spare time, Rebecca enjoys socializing with friends, both Listening to and playing music, reading, and traveling all over the country with her dog guide Harris: a 3 year-old male yellow lab from Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, California.
Jeremy Johansen
is the newly re-elected secretary for the National Alliance of Blind Students
for the 2003-04 year. As a member since 1995, Jeremy served on the NABS board
as treasurer and secretary during the past three years. He looks forward to
again offer his experience and recording expertise in the coming year.
Currently, Jeremy is a third-year Mechanical Engineering graduate student at
the University of California at Santa Barbara. His focus is sensing and controls,
particularly as applied to robotic systems, earthquakes and adaptive devices.
Despite the challenge of the Engineering field, Jeremy excels in his study,
receiving 'honors and distinction in the major' with his bachelors. Completing
his masters degree this Spring, he now embarks on research towards a Ph. D.
Between his studies, Jeremy stays active in several of the clubs and extracurricular
activities on and off campus. He is currently graduate advisor for the UCSB
chapter of Golden Key International Honors Society, Mechanical Engineering department
representative to the Graduate Students Association, and an active member of
the Commission on Disability Access and the Community Affairs Board of UCSB
as well as the Mechanical Engineering honors society, Tau Pi Sigma and American
Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
When home in Davis California, Jeremy enjoys his many interests and hobbies,
particularly crafts, skiing, tennis, cooking, playing games and traveling with
his family. This past summer Jeremy discovered the best combination of travel
and study by embarking on a ten-week long research exchange in Japan, sponsored
by the National Science foundation, in which he researched robotics and absorbed
the culture of a new land.
Gabe Griffith is a graduate student in communication studies at California State University Sacramento in Sacramento California. He has a bachelor degree in public relations. He is currently serving as treasurer for NABS. Gabe is also involved in the California Council of the Blind as well as other non-profit agencies in his community. In his time at Sac State he has been involved in clubs for disabled students as well as serving on campus and CSU system wide committees for persons with disabilities. He would like to put his degrees and experience to work helping out people with disabilities in the future. he is currently spending much of his time working with and getting to know his new guide dog Kenzie.
Mike Gravitt is the Elected Governor for NABS. Mike is currently a Team Leader for Bender Consulting Services (BCS), in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and works on-site at Bayer Corporation doing technical development. BCS focuses on the employment of people with disabilities in technical careers, and allows Mike to not only utilize his college background in Management Information Systems, but also to stay involved in the disability community. Mike served as NABS Secretary in the 1995-96 year, and as President during the 1996-97 and 1997-98 terms. He also has held positions as Governor (both Elected and Appointed) off and on since 1998. Mike has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Longwood University in Virginia, Mike's home state.
John Buckley is an appointed Governor of NABS. He received his PhD in communication studies from Northwestern University and has taught at UCLA and the University of Tennessee. He has served on the ACB Board, chaired the ACB Scholarship Committee, and is a past President of The National Association of Blind Teachers (NABT). He is an experienced guide dog user who serves on the boards of several local disability organizations, as well as the local unit of Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic. In addition, he is a mediator for the Tennessee courts.
Steve Speicher
is one of the NABS "Governors" appointed by the American Council of
the Blind's president. His job is to advise NABS on ACB policy and point out
ways in which both NABS and ACB can help each other accomplish their respective
missions. Over the past years it has been a great pleasure for him to watch
NABS grow in energy and effectiveness.
Steve is totally blind, uses a cane for travel and prefers Braille, although
he often uses speech technology. He graduated from the Indiana School for the
blind in 1967, although Steve took a number of courses at a public high school.
He spent one of his college years in France and can still speak and understand
that beautiful language a bit. An enduring marriage, studying four languages
(English, Latin, French and Russian) and practicing law have taught him something
about communication. After law school at the University of Chicago Steve passed
the Nebraska (1975) and Indiana (1979) bar exams. Steve now practices law in
Lincoln, Nebraska, where he helps individuals get their Social Security Disability
benefits. Most of his clients have little or no significant vision loss. Steve
and his wife recently celebrated their twenty-fourth anniversary. They have
no children but enjoy spoiling their dog (who prefers his wife to him), their
two cats (one of whom, for unknown reasons, prefers Steve to my wife), and their
nieces and nephew (who are more or less impartial as far as he can tell). Choral
singing, reading and finding new solutions to old problems are among his favorite
endeavors. Steve values friends who help him improve the way he treats them
and other people.
Steve looks forward to working with the new NABS Board as it pursues NABS' goals
of growth, effective advocacy and improving the lives and educational experiences
of blind and visually impaired students.
The CIO position this year will be held by David Tseng. David is a second year undergraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley and is studying computer science and mathematics. He will be responsible for maintaining the blindstudents. org website, the NABS mailing list, and heading the technology committee. His interests include: playing guitar, singing, hiking, bicycling, and chatting online. Some organizations he has been involved in include the ACB and NFB, through their scholarship programs and their national conventions. David hopes for a great year for NABS and can't wait to get his hands dirty in the myriad of things to do.
Jen Barrow is the
Editor of the Student Advocate. Jen grew up in Connecticut, and graduated as
Cum Laude from Boston College last May. She has a BA in Theology, a BA in Hispanic
Studies, and a Minor in History. She is currently doing a year of volunteer
service as a member of Mercy Volunteer Corps. She is serving in Laredo, Texas
at the Mercy Women's Clinic as a Case Manager. After this volunteer experience,
Jen intends to pursue a Masters in Social Work. While in college, Jen was an
active member of the Massachusetts Alliance of Visually Impaired Students (MAVIS),
and served as its Treasurer in 2001. Jen was an ACB National Office intern in
2002, and was elected to the Bay State Council of the Blind Board of Directors
in 2003.
On the BC campus, Jen served for three years in the Cabinet of the Undergraduate
Government of Boston College as the Director of Disability Issues. She is a
member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, the Golden Key International
Honors Society and the Order of the Cross and Crown. She loves to travel and
experience different cultures. She went to the Dominican Republic with the Boston
College Ignacio Volunteers for a summer service project, and did a semester
study abroad experience in Quito, Ecuador.
To relax, she enjoys gabbing on the phone, horse-back riding, tap dancing and
writing. Jen's friends tease her that she is often overshadowed by her adorable
yellow Seeing Eye dog, Pumpkin. Pumpkin is learning to be bilingual down here
on the Mexican boarder, so she has preferred to be called Calabasa as of late!
Nickie Coby will
serve as the junior representative to the NABS Board. She lives with her parents
in Forest Lake, Minnesota. She is a Junior at Forest Lake High School, and is
currently studying Journalism as well as many other English and Social Studies
related classes. She serves as the secretary for the state wide Minnesota United
Methodist Youth in Action Team.
Although she plans to get a guide dog this summer, she currently has no pets.
She enjoys being with her friends at church, building web sites, reading, and
planning activities for other blind and visually impaired high school students.
Welcome to Pittsburgh;
would you like some fries on that? In this steel city's restaurants, fries are
often served not only with your meal, but on such items as sandwiches, burgers,
and even pizza. NABS definitely had an exciting time as part of the 2003 ACB
National Convention.
On Saturday night, NABS kicked off the convention week with the NABS Welcome
Party. About 50 students, scholarship winners, and NABS supporters turned out
for this event. What? Pizza, but no plates or napkins? Soda, but no cups? Yes:
this was the predicament at the beginning of the party. Somehow, the groceries
had gotten lost en route from the 7-11 to the hotel. The missing groceries still
remain a mystery. But all was not lost, Eugene M. and Kevin H. came to the rescue
by going to replace the needed supplies. Thank you Eugene and Kevin!
On Sunday morning, many of us got up bright and early for the NABS scholarship
breakfast. Then, it was off to the Employment Taskforce Seminar. Here, we discussed
the question of disability disclosure, various ways to seek employment, and
helpful interview techniques.
That afternoon, we took part in the First Business Meeting of NABS. Gabe Griffith
was appointed to be our delegate to the convention Floor. I served as the alternant
delegate, and as the NABS representative to the nominating committee. The delegates
attend all general sessions because they are responsible for casting NABS votes
at the ACB elections, and during any requested role call votes from the convention
floor on amendments and resolutions. At this meeting, we also decided to use
the non-unit or majority rule for voting, to ensure that the process was democratic.
The theme for Monday was dating: a very interesting topic. We joined with the
National Association of Blind Teachers to bring in Lynne Cooper, who is an image
consultant professional. Then, the students conducted their own discussion about
issues of dating. Thanks to Rebecca Hodson, Eric Bridges, and Jywanza Maye for
serving on the panel to share their dating experiences, and answer questions.
We discussed issues pertaining to dating in the sighted as well as the blind
communities, techniques for meeting people, and appropriate treatment and behavior.
Monday evening, Mike Gravitt facilitated a discussion about mentoring. (By the
way, this session does not fit into the dating theme, just in case you were
wondering. ) Many professionals and students attended, and as a result of the
evident interest and need, NABS will launch a mentoring project in the upcoming
year.
On Tuesday, scholarship winners were recognized during the ACB general session
as part of education day. Congratulations to all the scholarship winners! That
afternoon, we had our Second Business Meeting, where the election of officers
were held and constitutional amendments were voted upon. The newly elected board
members are: Enjie Wu as NABS President, Rebecca Hodson as Vice President, Jeremy
Johansen as Secretary, Gabe Griffith as Treasurer, and Mike Gravitt as Elected
Governor. Jonathan Simeone gave me the opportunity to chair the rest of the
business meeting, since the decisions made would affect the new board. I took
him up on his offer. A big thank you to Jonathan for his two years serving as
NABS President. Thank you also to Monika Carney for serving as Treasurer for
the past year. 14 out of 15 proposed amendments were passed, and these changes
will be made to the constitution very soon. Thanks to Gabe Griffith for offering
to update our constitution. Following the business meeting was the strategic
planning meeting, where we brainstormed and identified goals for the upcoming
year. The goals are as follows: (1) Improving rapport and communication with
the ACB national office, ACB affiliates, and other disability organizations;
(2) Recruiting and retaining members by improving PR through such avenues as
the NABS website and establishing new affiliates; and (3) launching the mentoring
project.
On Wednesday, We had a program dealing with advocacy in working with Rehabilitation
Agencies and Disabled Students Services offices. Thank you to Richard Rueda,
who is a great supporter of NABS, a former Student Advocate editor and Elected
Governor, and a rehabilitation counselor in the Bay Area, for providing us with
information from a counselors prospective. The information he gave was very
insightful and helpful. Jonathan Simeone and I also sat on the panel to provide
the prospective of the consumer. We discussed our rights and responsibilities
as students. In the second half, we talked about the array of services that
different colleges and universities offer in their Disabled Student Services
offices. A major topic that arose was housing and the advantages and disadvantages
to living in a single room.
The NABS Comedy Night took place after an intense ACB Candidates Forum. Just
a note: I asked the candidates about their views on the role of NABS as the
future of ACB and how they plan to ensure our involvement in the next two years.
The responses they gave were positive, thoughtful, and encouraging. Now, back
to Comedy Night! It was quite a task to cramp 100 people into a room meant for
70. The good news was that we got most people in, and it was a great program.
Mike Gravitt was the MC for the Night. Our comedian was Troy Hammen from Columbus,
Ohio. He is quite talented, and a member of ACB. Following his act was Jonathan
Simeone with his rendition of the Maurer Hour. Jonathan was very entertaining
and hilarious. Thank you to Valerie C. , our NABS Mom from Massachusetts, for
coordinating the 50/50 Raffle.
The ACB business meeting took place all day on Friday. The meeting started at
8:30 AM and continued until 5:00 PM, with a lunch break after the elections.
It was quite the educational experience to see the democratic process at work.
The election results were close. The officers who served for the past two years
will be in the same offices for the next two years: Chris Gray is President,
Steve Speicher is First Vice President, M. J. Schmitt is Second Vice President,
Donna Saliger is Secretary, and Ardus Bazyn is Treasurer.
That is all for the programming of NABS in the way of scheduled events. Outside
of these activities, we took time to experience Pittsburgh, especially the food
the city had to offer, since eating was essential to our health and sanity.
We rode on the T or Trolley, which is Pittsburgh's public transit. We went to
Mt. Washington and rode into town down the Incline.
Though we made sure our tummies were full, sleep was a different story. Many
of us got about 20 hours of sleep in 7 nights, not much at all. Most of the
time was spent wisely hanging out. We however did have the daily convention
paper to deliver as a fundraiser. With a few minor setbacks, mainly the Braille
embossers breaking down, the project was a success. Thank you to all those who
helped to deliver the paper: Jen B. , Emily C. , Milissa G. , Michael G. from
MA, Gabe G. , Kevin H. , Rebecca H. , Jeff L. , Carla K. from NY, Tim, Richard
R. , Samantha S. , Jonathan S. , and Cammie V. A special thanks to Sharon Lovering
from the ACB national office for helping to organize the project and for compiling
the list of subscribers each day. She also sacrificed sleep to help deliver
papers , especially to the Hilton, which was about a ten block walk one way.
Thank you also to Steve Speicher, who checked in with us frequently to see if
there was anything he could do to help, even though he was extremely busy with
the affairs of ACB. Steve took the time to listen, offer advice, lend a helping
hand, and was definitely crucial to keeping me sane throughout the week. NABS
is blessed to have Steve as one of our appointed governors. Thank you to John
Buckley, our other appointed governor, who came to many of our events, offered
a helping hand, and gave us guidance during business meetings.
All in all, convention was a success. Much networking was done. It was a great
opportunity to see old friends and make new ones. The ACB website does have
links to listen to general sessions, the Candidate Forum, and the Banquet. If
you are interested, go to http://www. acb. org/convention/index. html
I am looking forward to working with you, the membership of NABS, and with the
new board. Let us plunge into a productive year to make a difference in the
lives of blind students and in our community. I enthusiastically await to see
what the upcoming year has to bring.
This year, instead of
begging my parents for a bunch of useless junk for Christmas, I had one request
(and it was a big one); I wanted to go to the American Council Of The Blind
Convention in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Even though my parents were a bit apprehensive
about letting me go, they knew it would be a valuable experience. A good friend
of ours is involved in ACB, and she was one of the reasons I joined in the first
place. She has been to a lot of conventions, and she reassured my parents that
it would be okay to let me go. She described how there would be volunteers to
help out if I needed help finding my way around. In the end, I was able to go.
I anticipated it like a little kid anticipates seeing Santa at the mall; I was
excited but scared. Would I be able to handle it? Was I making the biggest mistake
of my life going to a convention when I didn't know as much as I thought I should
about ACB and NABS? Would someone think I was incompetent and a disgrace to
every blind person that had ever lived? Hence, with great fear, I boarded the
airplane and headed off to Pittsburgh.
It turned out to be one of the coolest things I've ever done! My Dad decided
to come along, with the understanding that he'd just stay in the background.
I could ignore him if I wanted to. Even though he helped me find food several
times, he never got in the way of my having fun. I'll never forget when I came
into our hotel room at midnight after having a great time at the NABS mixer.
He just laughed and asked me how my day had gone.
The NABS programming was excellent. I have to admit that I didn't get to go
to everything, but I loved what I attended. The mixer was great. It was wonderful
to finally meet many of the people who I've heard the names of for so long.
The Dating seminar was also awesome. There was so much I've never considered
before.
I went to many other classes and workshops during the week, but what stood out
for me was how easy it was to have fun and learn. I was never criticized because
I didn't know how to do something. Everyone seemed very comfortable with there
blindness and was willing to help me learn new things.
The ease of finding a dinner companion was also very cool. I loved meeting people
I've wanted to meet and then having dinner with them.
I could talk about many more things, but to do that would take a book. For now,
I'll just say that if you're at all able to go to convention, I urge you to
do it! You'll learn a lot about ACB, but most important: You'll have fun and
learn more about yourself.
Taking the GRE is not
a decision that people make lightly. It is one of the most important exams in
the life of anyone planning to study beyond a Bachelor's degree. Professional
schools, in disciplines ranging from Information Technology to the social sciences,
utilize GRE scores as an indicator of a candidate's likelihood for success in
Graduate studies.
For people who are blind, the GRE presents special and unique challenges. The
Educational Testing Service (ETS), which is the international organization that
administers the GRE and other standardized tests, has made some cursory efforts
to make this exam accessible. Yet, many problems still loom for the potential
test-taker who is blind or visually impaired. Materials in Braille and other
alternative formats are often hard to come by, support at the testing site is
often inadequate for the needs of the blind or visually impaired test taker,
and current policy prohibits the use of screen readers and other crucial assistive
devices at testing sites. This is the story of my experience taking the GRE
in October 2001.
Background Information
I initially took the paper and pencil test in 1995 at my university, with a
reader provided by the testing site. When I took the computerized version of
the GRE in October of 2001 at a testing center in suburban Cincinnati, I used
a personal reader. My reader was a retired LD tutor from my high school- someone
I new I could rely on and trust to accurately read the material on the test.
At the time I took the GRE, I had just finished a three-and-a-half year job
as a social worker at a local non-profit child welfare agency. I had a Master's
degree in Social Work and was considering a doctorate in Social Work or the
human services.
At the time I took the GRE in 2001, the test was divided into three sections:
Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical. (ETS replaced the Analytical Section of
the test with a written essay in 2002. ) ETS starts everyone beginning each
section of the computerized test with a score of 500. The first question is
a "500-level" question, which ETS believes half of all test takers
will answer correctly. If you answer the question correctly, you are given a
"580-level" question, or one that a person with a score of 580 on
the test would answer correctly. The value of each correct answer decreases
with the value of the previous one. For example, if you answer the second question
of a given section of the GRE correctly as well as the first for a score of
580, the value of the third question is only 40 points instead of 80. Thus,
you will have a score of 620 if you answer Question 3 correctly and 540 if you
answer it incorrectly. Scores for each section of the GRE range from 200 to
800, with 800 considered a perfect score.
This scoring system has two implications for people taking the electronic test.
First, the first five or ten questions on the test are the most important. This
means you can still do fairly well on the GRE if you only answer the first ten
questions correctly. Second, since the computer selects questions for you based
on the levels of the questions you answer correctly, the questions will become
more difficult with the more correct answers you have. Thus, a good sign is
when the questions become really difficult.
Preparing for the GRE
I first applied to take the GRE with accommodations for my visual impairment
in late May 2001. After I spoke with someone in the ETS Office of Disability
Services who could not assure me that I would have an adequate reader, I was
directed to another staff person for information about using my own reader.
This person indicated that I had to certify that the reader was not a relative
and was not involved in any test preparations. She also told me that my reader
had to present two forms of identification on the testing day, and complete
a certification form for ETS. At that time, ETS would mail me a confirmation
letter detailing my accommodations and the date and time of my test.
After six weeks went by with no forms, I made another call to ETS Office of
Disability Services. The person I talk to earlier said that the form had been
sent, but I hadn't received it. Eventually, I had ETS fax the form to my workplace.
I had my reader complete it, made a copy, and returned the original to ETS.
Three more weeks went by with no confirmation letter, and another call to ETS
revealed that the Office of Disability Services never received my completed
certification form from my reader. I finally persuaded ETS to take a faxed copy
of the form from my workplace. Remember, I made my initial application to take
the GRE in late May. By this time, it was early August. I had spent so much
time focusing on the accommodations that I had done little to study for the
actual test.
I began studying in mid August and quickly realized that I needed a tutor to
help me study. Since I wasn't connected with a college or university, my main
option was one of the two major test preparation companies, Kaplan or the Princeton
Review.
Kaplan and the Princeton Review provide study materials, test prep classes,
one-on-one tutoring, and a fairly comprehensive array of online information
that includes sample questions from actual GRE exams.
I contacted the Princeton Review and requested one-on-one tutoring, because
I was concerned that classes would not help me with geometry and other visual
aspects of the test. This was an excellent resource for me in preparing for
the GRE. However, at $990 for ten hours, the only reason I could afford tutoring
was because of my full-time social work job.
My tutor was an immense help in my efforts to prepare for the GRE. Since I have
some usable vision, I had my tutor draw enlarged diagrams for geometry and analytical
problems on scrap paper with a magic marker- this was an accommodation I was
able to secure for the actual test as well. My tutor was patient, understanding,
and extremely willing to take on the challenge of working with his first student
with a disability.
The Big Day
By mid October, I finally felt ready to take on the GRE. I had had five sessions
of one-on-one tutoring and spent hours mulling over electronic and print study
guides from the Princeton Review and ETS. Things seemed to be looking up.
Then, two days before the test, my reader called. She said she was sick and
indicated that she might have to send someone in her place. The next day, I
contacted the ETS Office of Disability Services and was told that I could not
bring a replacement reader on the day of the test. The person I talked to also
said that ETS could not provide a replacement, and I could not reschedule my
exam without a week's notice.
Several panic-filled hours later, my reader called and said that she could read
after all. Despite all this, I met my reader the morning of the test, excited
and nervous as any test taker. My reader was fine throughout the Verbal and
Quantitative sections of the test. However, the Analytical section was another
matter.
As we started the Analytical Section of the GRE, my reader had a coughing fit,
and we had to stop for several minutes. She almost could not continue, and of
course, a replacement reader was not an option. I made it through the Analytical
Section, though I think the problems with my reader did affect my score on that
section of the test. (Remember that the first few questions on any section of
the GRE are considered the most important. )
Conclusion
I received scores of 650 on the Verbal section of the GRE, 540 for Quantitative
and 490 for Analytical. While I did reasonably well on most of the test, the
process of taking the exam was grueling. Wile ETS has made some minor concessions
to enable us to take the GRE and other tests that it administers, applying and
preparing for the GRE can be a frustrating exercise in self-advocacy and patience.
As someone who has taken the GRE with a visual impairment, I believe that researching
where you plan to take the test, the available resources, and the scores of
the ideal candidate of the graduate school to which you are applying are essential
factors. Several months of preparation and advanced planning are also key to
success on the GRE and any high-stakes exam.
For the last few weeks
I've been playing with the latest release of JAWS from Freedom Scientific. I'm
writing this review shortly before the Labor Day weekend, and by the time you
read this Freedom Scientific will have released the final version of JAWS 5.
0.
I am running the public beta on a Windows 98 SE operating system with 254 MB
of RAM and a 1. 7 GHz processor. . . I have no problems.
I make reference to several places on the internet in this review and the URL's
for those places will be posted on reaganlynch. com or blindstudents. org.
First, the insert key has been renamed to the JAWS key. This most likely was
done to avoid confusion with the insert key, which is present on almost all
keyboards.
The change that will probably help the most is the new Personal Web Settings.
This allows you to set settings for each site you visit. So, for example, let's
say you visit a website which uses frames to display ads, and those ads cause
you allot of trouble navigation wise. Well, you can now press JAWS key + shift
+ V and tell JAWS to ignore in-line frames. . . poof no more ads.
JAWS 5. 0 is also more strict when it comes to html design on websites using
the W3C html recommendation. You should notice that this will make your internet
browsing much easier.
Many more enhancements were made to the internet functions of JAWS, and are
too numerous to list here. These features are detailed in their entirety on
the Freedom Scientific website. But, among the updates are: identify links using
OnClick or OnMouseOver, list all form fields on the page, and give context sensitive
help for html elements.
JAWS has made a major breakthrough in screen reading. Imagine being able to
tell JAWS that when you get to an e-mail with an attachment instead of saying
attachment it
plays the sound of a stapler. This is possible using the new Sound Scheme manager
found in the configuration manager.
Copy an paste has also become more user friendly. JAWS will now tell you in
the error message voice that no text was selected, instead of remaining silent,
as in previous versions.
New drivers for the Focus and PAC Mate portable Braille displays have been released.
New scripts have also been written for Microsoft Access 2000 and XP making them:
much easier to use.
On the instant messenger side of things the AOL Instant Messenger support has
been completely rewritten and is now comparable to the MSN Messenger support.
You are encouraged
to read the JAWS help topic on the new AOL Instant Messenger features.
For users of the audible. com service, the scripts have also been updated for
version 4. 0 of the Audible Manager. This includes new support for the program
when in CD Burn mode.
Many fixes since the 4. 51 release have also been made. The most significant
was the problem of system sluggishness on the Windows XP operating system.
Freedom Scientific has fixed the problem of JAWS being unloaded for no reason
on many websites. This fix is also detailed in a TSN on the Freedom Scientific
website.
New drivers for the DoubleTalk LT and TripleTalk have been released, which fix
problems that have been open for a long time. You can get the driver update
from the TSN on the
Freedom Scientific website. This is also a fix for users of 4. 51.
Overall I think the new version of JAWS is the best release to come out of Freedom
Scientific since version 3. 7.
Many new technologies were added to this version, some of which are not discussed
in this review for technical reasons and reasons of space.
For students, this is the version you want to make your DSS office upgrade to
or be left behind.
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Reagan D. Lynch is a web developer, marketer, copywriter and
entrepreneur. Visit his personal site at
http://www. reaganlynch. com/
and his company at
http://www. midwaypublishing. com/
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