In the Classroom

As someone who has had the good fortune of being able to obtain several degrees, I can tell you that education for blind persons is today more possible than probable.  I am proud to tell you that I am one ofthe first Blind persons in Canada to have obtained a Master's degree in

Business Administration and I am one of the first blind persons in the world to have obtained certifications in Microsoft systems engineering and Novelle network administration. 

 

My road to success has been one of bumps, lumps, but it has also been marked with great enjoyment, satisfaction, and an eternal gratitude to all those who have helped me along the way.  Many things have changed in the classroom since I first set out on my long journey and as time goes by we can certainly expect more changes to take place.  When I first started out, I used to take notes with writing devices that were very noisy.  These devices produced Braille and were called Braillers.  Then I graduated to taping my lectures and then coming home to listen to them and take notes on my Brailler.  Many of my textbooks were read onto cassette while others were put into Braille for me.  Sometimes, readers read to me.  The longer textbooks were taped and the more technical ones such as Maths were brailled for me.  My exams were put into Braille for me and I reproduced my answers by typing them out on a clunky typewriter.  Quite often, important technical texts were also brailled.  That was then and this is now.

 

In today's world, many students use computers as note takers and in several instances they have human note takers to take notes for them.  Their texts are on CDs and quite often, professors send texts of important information to students via email.  These texts are formatted in readable alternate formats such as Word, or in RTF or TXT forms.  The pursuit of the more technical courses such as Maths, finance, economics, accounting, and information technology has become much easier today but there are still several challenges to overcome.

 

With regard to where is best for a blind student to sit when in the classroom; I guess that it would be a matter of choice just like any other student.  For me, I used to tuck myself away at the far end of the room, on whichever side that was furthest away from the professor's lectern and towards the front of the class.  There are several organizations that provide reading services for blind students and I am going to recommend two to you; www.aph.org, and www.rfbd.org. 

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and encouraging you to go out there and tell others how blind students get along in classrooms.