[Arizona-students] hello again, again

[Arielle Silverman]

Hi Alexis,



    Glad you asked! Others should elaborate on this, but I don't think it's 
unusually hard for a blind student to succeed in college. Thousands of blind 
people have gotten bachelor's and postgraduate degrees and kept up high 
GPA's. I don't think that college is harder for a blind student than for a 
sighted one, but it does require using different skills to get the job done. 
We have to find ways of reading print textbooks and taking notes in class 
besides simply reading and writing in print. Luckily, there are many 
tried-and-true methods out there to make this possible, from hired readers 
and recorded books to scanners and Braille notetakers.



    As far as the skills that you would need, I would say that the most 
important skill for succeeding in college is Braille. In today's world it is 
also important to have at least some knowledge of how to use a computer to 
write emails, surf the Web, and prepare simple documents in MS-Word. Be sure 
that your cane travel skills are sharp enough so that you can get around 
campus easily. Finally, it is important to have some practice with 
problem-solving and advocating for yourself before getting to college. 
Whether you have to find your way around a new campus, hire a reader, or get 
your professor to start reading the board aloud, being assertive and 
confident in your problem-solving abilities goes a long way.



            There are several places in Arizona and nationally where you can 
assess and work on your skills. Asking these kinds of questions is the first 
step to getting there.



Arielle

----- Original Message ----- 

From: "Alexis Tamayo" <a_tamayo90 at hotmail.com>

To: <Arizona-students at nfbnet.org>

Sent: Sunday, June 04, 2006 6:04 PM

Subject: [Arizona-students] hello again, again



> Hey everyone I have something to ask. Is it hard to go to college if your
> blind? What skills would some one need?
> Alexis
>
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