Organizing for Success
Should Blind Students Use Note-Takers?
Getting the Most Out of Lectures and Presentations
Getting the Most Out of Reading Assignments
Working with Readers
The Experience of Hebrew Study as a Student Who is Blind
Resources for Parents of Blind Children
Braille Literacy Resources
Orientation and mobility: getting around
Education Resources
Family life
Opinions and experiences
Blindness in Depth
Sarah Blake has lived with blindness/visual impairment due to premature birth since childhood. She has had several surgeries to treat complications such as detached retina, cataracts, glaucoma, and cornea damage which threatened her small amount of vision at various points in her life. She learned both braille and print as a young child. She travels with a dog guide.
Sarah graduated from Anderson University School of theology in 2009 with a Master of Divinity. She is a licensed minister with the Church of God (Anderson, IN) and travels as a guest speaker and singer to churches, colleges, and other community groups. She also works with companies to increase features of software to enable blind students to access foreign language materials.
Sarah serves on the health care issues committee affiliated with the American Council of the Blind, which promotes access to health information and equipment. She also serves as co-moderator for several online discussion groups, including BVI-Parents, a group for parents of blind and visually impaired children.
Sarah provides technology training and support, motivational speaking, and other services. Learn about her services.
Development of content for this site is supported by your contributions, the sale of products through various affiliate programs, and Sarah's work as a writer, speaker, and in other areas listed on her services page. If the material on this site has been helpful or encouraging to you, please consider shopping using the sites linked here--and return to do your shopping anytime using these links to continue supporting this site.
Blind students sometimes find themselves unprepared for the stress and workload at college. Too often they learn through trial and error how to succeed and wishing they had known in the beginning what they learned along the way. Planning your courseload is the first step to success in a given semester. Here are some tips for effective planning.
1. Consider your areas of greatest interest. This is especially important if you are in your first two years of school and are still taking "the basics". Including one or two courses which interest you will help you to stay interested in school.
2. Consider the amount of work required for each course. Some courses require a lot of reading and/or writing. If you are still learning to work with readers or tend to have difficulty with heavy courses, balancing a couple of "light" courses with some heavier ones may be a good idea.
3. Use your time effectively. If you have courses which will be taught in the same building or buildings near each other, you may find it beneficial to schedule them back to back so that you can optimize your study time later. On the other hand, you may find that taking a break between classes helps you to prepare yourself mentally for the next one.
4. Consider the time of day which is best for you. If you work best at night, you may prefer to schedule classes in the afternoon so that you can sleep in. On the other hand, you may prefer morning classes and some time for a short nap in the afternoon. The important thing is to schedule your classes so that you will be most alert and have time available to study when you can concentrate on studying.
5. Don't overload yourself. It is important to leave yourself some time to relax and have fun. Taking care of yourself emotionally and physically is just as important as getting good grades. You're more likely to stay in school and do well if you're happy and free of too much pressure.
Once your courseload is planned out, you'll be ready for the next step to success: organizing. Before you take this step, take a moment to relax. Your courseload is planned, and this is one less thing to worry about.
Return to the students' page.
Sarah J. Blake