[Arizona-students] FW: [nabs-l] One month till College starts again.

[Silverman, Arielle]

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org]On
Behalf Of Jeffrey Thompson
Sent: Sunday, July 23, 2006 10:23 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: [nabs-l] One month till College starts again.


Hello Students,
The summer is moving right along and it is time to start thinking about the 
upcoming semester.  I put together some thoughts and ideas below and if you
have additional ideas send them out and we all will be that much further 
ahead. I hope you all are enjoying the summer and looking forward to a great 
fall
semester.
Here are some tips and general helper ideas:
1.    Get your books as soon as possible.
        A.    call RFBD and check for the availability of your text books. 
There phone                 number is 1-800 221 4792 also make sure your 
membership
is up to date. You can also go online at
index
http://www.rfbd.org/index.htm
B.    Check for holds at your campus and meet with your department counselor 
if you have any questions                     about your schedule or 
transcript.
I have found that a meeting scheduled early is easier and it is a 
good pick-me-up for the start of a semester.
        C.    Pick a day and go to the campus and locate your classrooms. 
This may sound silly and to some                         juniors or seniors 
and
they all know that assuming can leave one wanting. Find your classrooms and 
keep that in your back pocket.
        D.    Check out your bus schedules and stop locations.
        E.    Write a letter of introduction to your professor/instructor 
and let them know how you will be accessing                 the material and 
how
you will take your tests. This is the best line of communication that you 
will need.                 One-on-one with your professor. Make sure you and
your professor are both clear on your ability to                     take 
there class. Some professors are experienced with having students who are 
blind
while others                     need to be educated and I am sure that you 
all can help with that task. If you have any problems or
  concerns, that is what we are here for and just send out a message and one 
of us can give you some                 tips on what has worked for us in
the past.
        F.    Make sure that your tools are working. Carry your slate and 
stylus with you along with some paper so                 that you are sure 
that
you can get the notes recorded. With this tool being handy what can go 
wrong?                  Be sure to be able to operate your other note taking 
devices
confidently.  Make sure your computer is                 functioning 
properly. Be sure that your email is working. One other thing, put together 
a personal
                        profile with your name, email, major, year of school 
such as sophomore or Junior, etc. This will help 
when
the professor asks everyone to fill out some note card or something.
        G.    Find out where the accessible computers are located. Each 
campus is different so you may want to                     contact your 
individual
campus to find out the location.
        H.    Locate some restrooms near your classes. This may sound silly 
but silly is as silly does.
        I.    Start getting your work space ready at home so that you can go 
to work right away. Keep that scanner             handy and get all your 
settings
set on Kurzweil or open book if you use it.Having a comfortable work 
space is important to me and hopefully you can have this, too.
        J.    Let your family members know that you will need to schedule in 
study time so they can expect and                         respect your space
and time. This balance is important and if handled well can be most 
rewarding for                 all concerned.
        K.    Get to know some of your classmates, especially ones that pay 
attention and take notes. You never                     know when you have 
to
miss a class or lecture and they can be a great resource for missed 
information. I found this out when I attended the Washington
Seminar last spring, so get to know                         someone right 
away, plus, meeting people is fun and interesting anyways.
    I am sure that there are many more tips that we all can consider so feel 
free to send out your tips. I will be looking forward to hearing from you 
all.
Enjoy the summer.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey Thompson, President
Minnesota Association of Blind Students

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