College Advice

[TXgolfer]

As my next challenge I am thinking about going to Law School. When I was in college I was hearing so I know nothing about how schools accomodate the deaf. So I am looking for any advice on general accomodations schools provide, how they work, what they cost and if schools happily provide these or make it a hassle. I also welcome opinions on how difficult you believe it would be to be successful using the services provided. Remember I also do not know ASL yet allow I plan to learn ASL at the same time.

 

[Tousi]

As my next challenge I am thinking about going to Law School. When I was in college I was hearing so I know nothing about how schools accomodate the deaf. So I am looking for any advice on general accomodations schools provide, how they work, what they cost and if schools happily provide these or make it a hassle. I also welcome opinions on how difficult you believe it would be to be successful using the services provided. Remember I also do not know ASL yet allow I plan to learn ASL at the same time.

Just to start things off: What State will you be going to law school in?

 

[TXgolfer]

Just to start things off: What State will you be going to law school in?

Probably in Texas. SMU in Dallas. But I really don't know yet. I am also looking in Florida, California and a few schools in the Northeast. I aced the LSAT so I have options.

Which adds another question I guess. Are schools in some areas more accomodating than in others????

 

[Tousi]

Probably in Texas. SMU in Dallas. But I really don't know yet. I am also looking in Florida, California and a few schools in the Northeast. I aced the LSAT so I have options.

Which adds another question I guess. Are schools in some areas more accomodating than in others????

I gotta go....but, yes, that's what I was getting at....your question in the second paragraph. Cya later.

 

[posts from hell]

Probably in Texas. SMU in Dallas. But I really don't know yet. I am also looking in Florida, California and a few schools in the Northeast. I aced the LSAT so I have options.

Which adds another question I guess. Are schools in some areas more accomodating than in others????

You know that since you're Deaf in Texas the state pays for your schooling?

And I would bet that Texas is more accommodating.

 

[TXgolfer]

You know that since you're Deaf in Texas the state pays for your schooling?

And I would bet that Texas is more accommodating.

I had no idea. I know nothing about it........but thanks. I plan to look into alot of that this week. First visit to a DARS office will be this week.

 

[posts from hell]

I had no idea. I know nothing about it........but thanks. I plan to look into alot of that this week. First visit to a DARS office will be this week.

Yep, that's one of the reason a ton of deaf people are in Texas. Especially Austin

 

[Jiro]

yep. 100% full tuition. I was amazed at Texas's generosity. There are a few Texan ADers in here. All you gotta do is get registered with Disability Department as a "Disabled" resident or whatever.... and boom you're good to go.

You have stated in other thread that you're interested in moving somewhere else... and now you want to go to law school. It's best if you finish your law in here since it's free and then go wherever you want.

 

[quirkylibra]

I use CART in the classroom and I love it. There are some challenges, like the fact that it is real time captioning, so it is a little behind and sometimes incorrect. What I like about it is that I am able to read what the prof says and later they send me a copy, so I can go back and look at things that I missed. What I do not like is some wrong spellings, missed things, and the fact that they usually miss questions asked by other students.

The service is free, I live in Pa. All I had to do is contact the "Disability" office. They gave me the option of CART, a note taker, or both. I just went with the CART because I like to take my own notes. I have been using CART for about 3 years. They give me a laptop and mic and I bring it to class and the prof wears the mic, I read the laptop Simple:P

 

[TXgolfer]

yep. 100% full tuition. I was amazed at Texas's generosity. There are a few Texan ADers in here. All you gotta do is get registered with Disability Department as a "Disabled" resident or whatever.... and boom you're good to go.

You have stated in other thread that you're interested in moving somewhere else... and now you want to go to law school. It's best if you finish your law in here since it's free and then go wherever you want.

Yes I agree. SMU is a good school and only a 30 minute drive.

 

[TXgolfer]

I use CART in the classroom and I love it. There are some challenges, like the fact that it is real time captioning, so it is a little behind and sometimes incorrect. What I like about it is that I am able to read what the prof says and later they send me a copy, so I can go back and look at things that I missed. What I do not like is some wrong spellings, missed things, and the fact that they usually miss questions asked by other students.

The service is free, I live in Pa. All I had to do is contact the "Disability" office. They gave me the option of CART, a note taker, or both. I just went with the CART because I like to take my own notes. I have been using CART for about 3 years. They give me a laptop and mic and I bring it to class and the prof wears the mic, I read the laptop Simple:P

Cool, I had heard of CART in here but didn't know anything about it.

 

[Reba]

Probably in Texas. SMU in Dallas. But I really don't know yet. I am also looking in Florida, California and a few schools in the Northeast. I aced the LSAT so I have options.

Which adds another question I guess. Are schools in some areas more accomodating than in others????

The level of accommodation provided varies not only from state to state but also within each state. In other words, it varies from school to school.

Regardless of the school, be prepared to do your own advocating for services.

Do your ADA homework before contacting the school's disability services office.

This will be good "lawyer" practice for you.

 

[Reba]

Cool, I had heard of CART in here but didn't know anything about it.

For a non-signer, CART is probably the best way to go.

Since you'll be attending a law school, I imagine there should be a good supply of transcribers/court reporters available in the area.

Also, make sure all video presentations are captioned or at least sub-titled.

In those huge auditorium-sized classrooms, make sure you get a reserved seat for optimal viewing.

 

[posts from hell]

For a non-signer, CART is probably the best way to go.

Since you'll be attending a law school, I imagine there should be a good supply of transcribers/court reporters available in the area.

Also, make sure all video presentations are captioned or at least sub-titled.

In those huge auditorium-sized classrooms, make sure you get a reserved seat for optimal viewing.

All good tips.

You get the PFH Stamp of Approval.

 

[Jiro]

I use CART in the classroom and I love it. There are some challenges, like the fact that it is real time captioning, so it is a little behind and sometimes incorrect. What I like about it is that I am able to read what the prof says and later they send me a copy, so I can go back and look at things that I missed. What I do not like is some wrong spellings, missed things, and the fact that they usually miss questions asked by other students.

The service is free, I live in Pa. All I had to do is contact the "Disability" office. They gave me the option of CART, a note taker, or both. I just went with the CART because I like to take my own notes. I have been using CART for about 3 years. They give me a laptop and mic and I bring it to class and the prof wears the mic, I read the laptop Simple:P

Yea I've had CART service in 5 different states (I'm a NJ resident) at no charge but let me make some slight points here. It is the law for colleges to provide accommodation for students and the students should not be paying for it. However - the law does not require colleges to provide the best accommodation. That's the difference. That's where you have to fight for it. I've taken classes at probably 8 different colleges but most of them - they have never heard of CART. CART is not readily and easily available. It is a very specialized service and it is costly. I've had a few CART reporters coming as far as 2 hours away.

Some of them balked at the cost of CART service and the difficulty in securing one for me so they offered alternative services like "professional" (cough) note-takers and "extra time" for tests but I said HYET!!!! I refused and I was very very insistent about it. I gave them some information about CART and contact information. After a few weeks.... they secured a contract with the CART agency and everything's peachy

I've had C-PRINT service and it was meh... because it is a simple-version of CART but it cannot type out as much word-for-word as CART can because with C-PRINT, it's a regular laptop with a special program but nothing can beat the speed and efficiency of court reporter's special keyboard.

Anyway...... the point here is that it is free for deaf Texans if they want to go to college - 100% free. no question asked. From what I read - I think Texas is by far the most generous state in USA when it comes to college. But it is vitally important to do this preparation at least a few months in advance because like I said before - CART service is not readily and widely available. They need to secure the funding and contract with an agency.

 

[Jiro]

Once you get a CART service (hooray! *wave hands*), what to expect? what to do? I've had CART service for 10 years. I've been thru pretty much all kinds of scenarios.
1. like what Reba said - make sure to put in a specific request like a certain seating position in classroom. do it in advance. or do it right after first day of class.

2. It is a good idea to extend some courtesy to notify your professors about the accommodation service so that he/she won't be surprised or apprehended by it. Some professors do not like being recorded because it may put a crimp on their teaching style and well.... quite frankly - too bad but they get used to it as few weeks go by. Some professor especially male may "tease" your CART reporter (most are women) and that can get pretty f'ing annoying especially when it's being done on regular basis. You must have a talk with professor (after class, his office hour, or email) that he must stop doing that and it's unprofessional... and very distracting to you.

3. Some students would ask you to have a copy of transcript and you must kindly turn them down. But then it's a tricky line because they can eventually be your good buddy in the end and that's a good connection to have. or they can be annoying deadbeats to you. It's up to you.

4. Every CART reporter's personality is different. It is very important to establish a good relationship with one because it can make your classroom experience more positive especially when it comes to class participation. A good relationship with CART reporter tends to lead to speedy & accurate & DETAILED transcript. She/he will assist you that is a little beyond her/his job parameter.

5. Most CART reporters come at least 15 min beforehand to set up their equipments. I've had a couple of reporters who I have a very good relationship with coming in an hour beforehand :-o and they do not get paid for it! So because of that - I do come in 20-30 min early just to have a small chit-chat and a quick review on material that will be covered so that they can program it into their computer.

6. the most important thing to keep in mind - be pro-active and stay in reliable contact with your CART reporter via emails so that you can forward materials to him/her in order to let him/her be more familiar with certain keywords. That way - there will be much less misspelling or garbled words appearing on your screen.

hope this helps!

 

[Glenn]

I hope any disability support office you work with does what ever it takes for your success.

I've had some pretty dismal experiences with the one at CWU.

 

[Jiro]

I hope any disability support office you work with does what ever it takes for your success.

I've had some pretty dismal experiences with the one at CWU.

I'm sorry to hear about that but couple questions for you - what kind of college is CWU? state university? private? community college?

and what happened? I know you have made a post about it but I can't find it.... bleh

 

[quirkylibra]

Jiro's tips are excellent! I always send an email to the prof before the first class. I also get to class early, about 20min to 30mins before class starts. This way you get a good seat, in case you aren't able to get one saved for you. You can also use that time for setting up the equipment and chatting. When I first started, my school had some lousy equipment, but after a few complaints, they upgraded. Good luck, hopefully your school accommodates you well!!

 

[Glenn]

I'm sorry to hear about that but couple questions for you - what kind of college is CWU? state university? private? community college?

and what happened? I know you have made a post about it but I can't find it.... bleh

It's a state school. The DSS director wanted to cut costs so dramatically that he did not provide what I needed to succeed. He would say that it met the minimum standards, but that isn't really the point of a DSS office or a school. And the federal Office for Civil Rights did find problems. This quarter I do have good services. BUT it took the school's legal rep telling them what they needed to do because the administration was not seeing the necessity. That is a really abbreviated version, but that's the gist.