Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Reddit, i need help as a visually impaired person doing an english exam (self.Blind)
submitted 8y ago by littlelaw10
Hi reddit, i have been meaning to make this post for a long time now but alas.....
Over the last three years my vision has become much worse and as a consequence i have been having a very difficult time in school, especially this week and next week when i am sitting my mock exams.
Before my vision became as it is today i loved english as a subject and still do but i am incredibly anxious about my exam, you see a large part of the exam if not the majority is based around writing an essay or descriptive prose, heres where the problem arrises i have been given a scribe to help with this exam and given how i am not familiar with using a scribe or other form of dictation i have absolutely no idea how i am going to come up with an essay on the spot and just say it out loud.
For example when i wright stories i start with a very loose framework in mind (typically a beginning, a particular set piece or event that i want to include or some such) then i just start writing. When i have the comfort of being able to edit my work and rearrange sentences i have no issue with long form writing but when i have to just say it in front of a stranger and hope they understand things get muddled and it ends up taking twice as long.
So please VIs of reddit "how do you dictate long form writing to a scribe or tape recorder?"
Over the last three years my vision has become much worse and as a consequence i have been having a very difficult time in school, especially this week and next week when i am sitting my mock exams.
Before my vision became as it is today i loved english as a subject and still do but i am incredibly anxious about my exam, you see a large part of the exam if not the majority is based around writing an essay or descriptive prose, heres where the problem arrises i have been given a scribe to help with this exam and given how i am not familiar with using a scribe or other form of dictation i have absolutely no idea how i am going to come up with an essay on the spot and just say it out loud.
For example when i wright stories i start with a very loose framework in mind (typically a beginning, a particular set piece or event that i want to include or some such) then i just start writing. When i have the comfort of being able to edit my work and rearrange sentences i have no issue with long form writing but when i have to just say it in front of a stranger and hope they understand things get muddled and it ends up taking twice as long.
So please VIs of reddit "how do you dictate long form writing to a scribe or tape recorder?"
angelcake 2 points
It would be to your benefit to learn how to touch type. You type what you see in your head and then you plug in headphones and get the computer to read it back to you or get your scribe to correct it for you. It's probably a bit late in the game to learn how to touch type right now but it is definitely something you should do in the future, it will make your life a lot easier. My boyfriend is low vision and he does not touch type and it's one of the few things that we argue about. He sitting at his keyboard his face an inch away from his giant monitor using the pick and poke method.
homeschooled 1 points
Touch typing would not help him/her either, as they said they like to rearrange things and do bits and pieces at a time.
angelcake 1 points
I totally understand that but the OP has to get his thoughts written down somehow. If he can get them on paper, digital paper or otherwise, then both he and the scribe will have something to work with. He said one of his concerns was being able to give the information to the scribe in a useful manner [or words to that effect]. This might help with that. Anybody who is low vision or has no vision would benefit from being able to touch type. It may not be 100% accurate but given that software that's available these days to read and edit documents it would be a good place to start.
littlelaw10 [OP] 1 points
Hi guys, so i actually known how to touch type fluently and use on screen keyboards (most of the time), its one of the skills that i made myself take up back when i had the majority of my sight. You might think to yourself then why don't i use my ipad (that i use daily in school for everything from photographing books and recolouring/ reforming the image so i can see it to actually writing out my work) well the answer is quite simply the department of education in Ireland has a very strict policy against any student using any form of technology apart from a department sanctioned tape recorder and calculator in an exam environment, no not even for visual impairments. After going through countless appeals and meetings the most they will let me get away with is a magnifying glass......... That i cant use.
EDIT: and a good analogy for this situation would be if you were to get onto a bus of strangers and a random person says "hey buddy can you tell me a two page exam worthy story on X topic?" "Oh and as you speak i will be writing every word you say and for extra fun you have 40 minutes to do it"
EDIT: and a good analogy for this situation would be if you were to get onto a bus of strangers and a random person says "hey buddy can you tell me a two page exam worthy story on X topic?" "Oh and as you speak i will be writing every word you say and for extra fun you have 40 minutes to do it"
angelcake 1 points
Very glad you can touch type. That's amazing that the people in charge of education fail so badly in supporting students with special needs - especially today when there is so much great tech for visually impaired people.
My BF is low vision and completed a four year honours degree and it was a tremendous struggle for him, in part because of the slow pace big bureaucracies move when change for the minority is needed. It sounds like you're in the same situation. I wish you the best of luck.
My BF is low vision and completed a four year honours degree and it was a tremendous struggle for him, in part because of the slow pace big bureaucracies move when change for the minority is needed. It sounds like you're in the same situation. I wish you the best of luck.
OneFishTwoFish 1 points
Touch typing won't solve all of this person's problems, but it will be incredibly useful and will be one less frustration.
geoffisblind 1 points
So I'm legally blind with a condition called LCA. It's very similar to a lot of other degenerative conditions like RP. I have some functional vision but I use a white cane and other tools to help me get around/ function. I'm also currently in school as well. Compensating for declining vision can be hard because if you have been using vision for everything it is difficult to adapt techniques for low vision. So with that background out of the way I will tell you what has worked with in my experience with declining vision.
First off, I'm not you, but scribes have never worked for me. I have had them provided for me for countless tests both school sanctioned as well as national tests like Advanced Placement examinations. I never made use of them because I personally need to have my thoughts in front of me and I can't just come up with an essay off the top of my head. So I can't really speak for that idea, other than that it has never personally worked for me, but it may work for you so don't feel like I'm discouraging you.
I personally choose to make use of disability assistance technology (primarily on computer) so that I can write independently. Simply saying "rely on touch typing" isn't always helpful, especially if you already work visually. That being said, make sure you can touch type, it's a life saver. That's the first step. The second step is to get a screen magnifier, I use ZoomText as do my VI friends. It is very powerful software that will allow you to magnify, adjust colors/ contrast, and it can read to you to just name a few benefits. It has a heavy price tag though, I believe over $500 USD. If that is a problem, you can apply for support through a government disability office or through a local private Blind support organization. I had ZoomText given to me by my state. If you are losing vision it is good to establish relationships with these groups anyway. They can provide you with technology, mobility training, and more. If you need to take this exam soon, you can get a trial version for 60 days from AiSquared.
If you need to hand write it, looking into a CCTV, video magnifier, or powerful traditional magnifier might not be a bad idea either. Again these organizations can help you with that.
I find that these techniques work for me, because I have not stopped using my vision as a resource, and likely won't until I have hit my absolute limit, at which point I'll need to reevaluate, but until then I'm personally sticking with using my eyes with heavy assistance.
If that's what you need, then I'd explore those options, otherwise if you think going with a scribe is your best option I'd start talking to one as soon as possible to develop strategies and possibly practice prior to your exam.
I hope this was helpful. Good luck on your test!
First off, I'm not you, but scribes have never worked for me. I have had them provided for me for countless tests both school sanctioned as well as national tests like Advanced Placement examinations. I never made use of them because I personally need to have my thoughts in front of me and I can't just come up with an essay off the top of my head. So I can't really speak for that idea, other than that it has never personally worked for me, but it may work for you so don't feel like I'm discouraging you.
I personally choose to make use of disability assistance technology (primarily on computer) so that I can write independently. Simply saying "rely on touch typing" isn't always helpful, especially if you already work visually. That being said, make sure you can touch type, it's a life saver. That's the first step. The second step is to get a screen magnifier, I use ZoomText as do my VI friends. It is very powerful software that will allow you to magnify, adjust colors/ contrast, and it can read to you to just name a few benefits. It has a heavy price tag though, I believe over $500 USD. If that is a problem, you can apply for support through a government disability office or through a local private Blind support organization. I had ZoomText given to me by my state. If you are losing vision it is good to establish relationships with these groups anyway. They can provide you with technology, mobility training, and more. If you need to take this exam soon, you can get a trial version for 60 days from AiSquared.
If you need to hand write it, looking into a CCTV, video magnifier, or powerful traditional magnifier might not be a bad idea either. Again these organizations can help you with that.
I find that these techniques work for me, because I have not stopped using my vision as a resource, and likely won't until I have hit my absolute limit, at which point I'll need to reevaluate, but until then I'm personally sticking with using my eyes with heavy assistance.
If that's what you need, then I'd explore those options, otherwise if you think going with a scribe is your best option I'd start talking to one as soon as possible to develop strategies and possibly practice prior to your exam.
I hope this was helpful. Good luck on your test!
homeschooled 1 points
That is really tough. I would ask if you could meet with the scribe ahead of time. Or honestly just practice with a friend beforehand. Sit down and see what it would be like writing an essay with someone else scribing it.
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