Re: Am I really capable of being a computer science major?
Thanks for the responses, everyone. Ultimately, I keep pushing forward and not letting myself give into the struggle, but days like yesterday make me question a lot of things.
The only real issue I'm facing right now is book accessibility, which I have resolved with the necessary departments, but it's coming down to how much time do I really have to play catch up? I imagine other blind folks' transcripts might have some spots where courses appear as withdrawn or failed due to inaccessible materials.
@3, calc 1 is a hard class. I'm currently taking it as well, but this was a class that I did prepare for 8 months in advance. My prescription for any blind person is to
A. Have a good Braille display.
B. Have a proficient understanding of nemeth Braille.
C. Obtain the book in Braille.
D. Have a basic understanding of LaTeX.
E. Have a notetaker (somebody who will sit in class on your behalf and take notes for you) who can produce those notes in LaTeX. LaTeX can be transformed into Braille using Duxbury Braille Translation software.
F. Have a scribe (if you're lucky like me, your notetaker will also act as a scribe/proctor) to write down your work. Blind people waste too much time trying to write all their work down in LaTeX, and it's a real shame. You should only be concerned with your ability to do the math and not the ways in which you convey your work.
I will tell you that it is precisely because of these measures I've taken that I am able to actively receive an A in the course. Admittedly, I struck gold with my notetaker. Not only does he act as a notetaker and scribe, but he is also a math major and has been a UTA/tutor for years. His understanding of the material is advanced, and so he's the perfect trifecta.
All of these things are reasonable accommodations, and while others may interject and say that disability offices may not serve you well in your STEM field endeavors, there are laws and protocols set in place to ensure you receive these types of accommodations. This is where I speak firmly and forthright - you pay thousands upon thousands of dollars to be at your university, so you are entitled to advocate for yourself and receive the help you need, provided that it is reasonable.
Perhaps what your comfortable with (Braille, MathML, etc) is different from what I'm comfortable with, but all of these formats are things. Things can be obtained. The abstraction here is that you reserve the right to receive whatever help it is you need, and classes like calc 1 are classes that really need this kind of attention well in advance. Believe me, I learned the hard way with every math course I've taken before now.
All of that is to say I know exactly what position you're in. I've faced it and even face it now. I think the overall issue here is what others have said: you can't possibly know what to do or how to accommodate for a class you haven't taken yet. This can cost you a lot of time and money in the short-run, but as you advance through your academic career, it becomes an investment. I'm not that far off from graduating, and I do believe it is that fact that I haven't lost all of my vigor quite yet. If anyone ever needs to vent about anything related to this topic, feel free to do so here. I'm sure we all could afford to be heard and have others understand. I'm fortunate that there are indeed others out here that can empathize.
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