Dear AccessWorld readers,
I know the students out there don't want to hear these words, but it's time to think about the start of a new school year.
New classes, new instructors, class projects, presentations, tests, new people, and maybe even a new school or moving away to college bring about uncertainty and new challenges. Uncertainty is not necessarily a bad thing. This time of year can be exciting, too, especially if you prepare in advance.
Pursuing an education can be difficult under the best of circumstances, and doing so as a person with vision loss can increase the challenge.
For the students in our readership, you must take personal responsibility for your education, and you must be your own advocate. It is very important to prepare in advance, speak to instructors, and tell those you'll be working with exactly what types of accommodations will best meet your needs. Your education will have a tremendous impact on every aspect of the rest of your life, so it's crucial that you do everything you can to get the most out of your studies.
Good planning prevents poor performance! It's never too early to begin planning for the next school term whether you're in elementary school or graduate school. Acquiring and learning to use the mainstream and access technology that best suits your situation, registering as early as possible for classes, obtaining reading lists, and searching out alternative formats should be done as soon as you can. Waiting until the last minute is a recipe for disaster.
Just as we have done for the past three years in the July issue, the AccessWorld team once again focuses on providing valuable information and resources for students, parents, teachers, and professionals in the vision loss field to help make educational pursuits less stressful and more enjoyable. We are excited to bring you the information in this issue, and we sincerely hope you will find it useful.
In this issue, Janet Ingber looks at a learning tool perfect for the classroom: the Perkins SMART Brailler, which allows blind and sighted users the opportunity to work and learn together. For those students new to iOS or who want to become more proficient and use their device more specifically as a productivity tool for school, Bill Holton reviews iOS Access for All: Your Comprehensive Guide to Accessibility for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch, by Shelly Brisbin.
In that vein, you may also want to check out an article from last year's "Back to School" issue. Deborah Kendrick's review of iOS Success: Making the iPad Accessible: A Guide for Teachers and Parents (National Braille Press) might be of interest.
If you plan to do a lot of whole-book scanning—especially if the books are borrowed from friends or checked out from the library, Bill Holton's in-depth evaluation of the SV600 scanner may prove extremely useful.
Finally, if you are moving away for school this year, you will surely want to check out Bill Holton's evaluation of the BlindSquare navigation app. finding your way around town or around campus, or finding the coffee shop or the library will be much easier if you have this app handy.
We on the AccessWorld team wish you good luck and good planning as you head back to school!
Sincerely,
Lee Huffman
AccessWorld Editor-in-Chief
American Foundation for the Blind
