#college campus accessibility

[howtobeapersonwithfibro]

However bad you think accessibility on college campuses is, it's worse.

Looked around today and basically wanted to give up just trying to figure out where to enter this one building and how the hell I am supposed to even park close when there are only special lots.

It makes me want to give up just because of that. I shouldn't have to panic about just getting to and from my classes.

We deserve better.

[fluorescentbrains]

i reblog a lot of posts about jewish history and antisemitism and i hope people don’t think that’s because i believe antisemitism is more important and dire than the situation in gaza. it’s just that pretty much everyone i know is already anti-zionist and/or pro-palestine and i don’t see a lot of good information about jewish history and antisemitism unless i seek it out myself so i feel compelled to like. make people at least vaguely more aware of it idk

[evergreen-pumpkin]

Today was my first day of senior year.

I used my wheelchair today. People were amazing about it. Asking before helping/ touching and being overall respectful. However, I shouldn't have had to accept their offers of help.

Why are there no accessibility buttons for the heavy doors? Why are the ramps full of cracks and dips? Why are there giant hills with no sidewalks? Why are the elevators so tiny? Why are some of the buses so narrow that I have to lift my German Shepherd service dog into my lap to be able to maneuver into the wheelchair spot? Why are the cafeteria tables so close together?

I feel good physically, but tired mentally. I'm constantly having to choose between the two and I hate it.

[mejomonster]

I hope the daily dracula thing leads to people writing and/or linking some analysis on the feminist points made or not made, the lucy/mina homoerotic angle that so many later adaptations end up highlighting, and interpretations specifically on mina and Lucy's povs and roles in the story (which again many adaptations seem to dive into)

Because like. When I read dracula first at age 15 sooooo much went over my head. I remember picking up on how sexist and repressed a society it sounded compared to my 2000s life, at the time without much context to even determine if for it's time it was pushing boundaries or trying to enforce them, and I picked up on the anticlimactic ending which reminded me of HG Wells war of the world's ending (but hg wells novel being a sci fi with a science twist ending I tolerated that ending much better lol). And so like SO much literary analysis and themes exploration of dracula went Right over my head at the time. It wasn't until I watched Coppulas dracula with Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder that I got how critical Mina was, got some of the points I never picked up from the book, got how Helsing represents Victorian religion and expectations etc and dracula represents a difference to that and mina and Jon are certainly in the middle of that. And then it wasn't until the Japanese Dracula Musical that I really found hammered home how Much Minas pov and power in the story Affects the interpretation so greatly (and likewise Lucy's pov and power in given adaptations shapes those adaptations impressions). And so like? In retrospect now years later, i realize this novel may have been doing more than "shallow horror about obeying Victorian norms or ur evil stab stab like draculas body" that I assumed was all it was when I first read it lol.

I am very much interested in seeing more involved discussion on the things the book touches on ans delves into and what they might mean in the book and in context of its writing. And if anyone knows of any literary discussions/books that delved into it, I'd be very interested in reading them

[goatmilksoda]

I love you "free". I love you "communal". I love you "public". I love you "nonprofit". I love you "second-hand". I love you libraries. I love you student resources. I love you used textbooks. I love you classes that don't need a code. I love you piracy websites. I love you organizations. I love you friendly urban planning. I love you extended hours. I love you accessibility options.

[westywallowing]

my whole lower half of my body hurts so much :(( my legs are so achey and when I tried to make food for myself earlier I literally fainted this is scary

[ms-demeanor]

So You Need To Buy A Computer But You Don't Know What Specs Are Good These Days

Hi.

This is literally my job.

Lots of people are buying computers for school right now or are replacing computers as their five-year-old college laptop craps out so here's the standard specs you should be looking for in a (windows) computer purchase in August 2023.

PROCESSOR

Intel i5 (no older than 10th Gen)

Ryzen 7

You can get away with a Ryzen 5 but an intel i3 should be an absolute last resort. You want at least an intel i5 or a Ryzen 7 processor. The current generation of intel processors is 13, but anything 10 or newer is perfectly fine. DO NOT get a higher performance line with an older generation; a 13th gen i5 is better than an 8th gen i7. (Unfortunately I don't know enough about ryzens to tell you which generation is the earliest you should get, but staying within 3 generations is a good rule of thumb)

RAM

8GB absolute minimum

If you don't have at least 8GB RAM on a modern computer it's going to be very, very slow. Ideally you want a computer with at least 16GB, and it's a good idea to get a computer that will let you add or swap RAM down the line (nearly all desktops will let you do this, for laptops you need to check the specs for Memory and see how many slots there are and how many slots are available; laptops with soldered RAM cannot have the memory upgraded - this is common in very slim laptops)

STORAGE

256GB SSD

Computers mostly come with SSDs these days; SSDs are faster than HDDs but typically have lower storage for the same price. That being said: SSDs are coming down in price and if you're installing your own drive you can easily upgrade the size for a low cost. Unfortunately that doesn't do anything for you for the initial purchase.

A lot of cheaper laptops will have a 128GB SSD and, because a lot of stuff is stored in the cloud these days, that can be functional. I still recommend getting a bit more storage than that because it's nice if you can store your music and documents and photos on your device instead of on the cloud. You want to be able to access your files even if you don't have internet access.

But don't get a computer with a big HDD instead of getting a computer with a small SSD. The difference in speed is noticeable.

SCREEN (laptop specific)

Personally I find that touchscreens have a negative impact on battery life and are easier to fuck up than standard screens. They are also harder to replace if they get broken. I do not recommend getting a touch screen unless you absolutely have to.

A lot of college students especially tend to look for the biggest laptop screen possible; don't do that. It's a pain in the ass to carry a 17" laptop around campus and with the way that everything is so thin these days it's easier to damage a 17" screen than a 14" screen.

On the other end of that: laptops with 13" screens tend to be very slim devices that are glued shut and impossible to work on or upgrade.

Your best bet (for both functionality and price) is either a 14" or a 15.6" screen. If you absolutely positively need to have a 10-key keyboard on your laptop, get the 15.6". If you need something portable more than you need 10-key, get a 14"

FORM FACTOR (desktop specific)

If you purchase an all-in-one desktop computer I will begin manifesting in your house physically. All-in-ones take away every advantage desktops have in terms of upgradeability and maintenance; they are expensive and difficult to repair and usually not worth the cost of disassembling to upgrade.

There are about four standard sizes of desktop PC: All-in-One (the size of a monitor with no other footprint), Tower (Big! probably at least two feet long in two directions), Small Form Factor Tower (Very moderate - about the size of a large shoebox), and Mini/Micro/Tiny (Small! about the size of a small hardcover book).

If you are concerned about space you are much better off getting a MicroPC and a bracket to put it on your monitor than you are getting an all-in-one. This will be about a million percent easier to work on than an all-in-one and this way if your monitor dies your computer is still functional.

Small form factor towers and towers are the easiest to work on and upgrade; if you need a burly graphics card you need to get a full size tower, but for everything else a small form factor tower will be fine. Most of our business sales are SFF towers and MicroPCs, the only time we get something larger is if we have to put a $700 graphics card in it. SFF towers will accept small graphics cards and can handle upgrades to the power supply; MicroPCs can only have the RAM and SSD upgraded and don't have room for any other components or their own internal power supply.

WARRANTY

Most desktops come with either a 1 or 3 year warranty; either of these is fine and if you want to upgrade a 1 year to a 3 year that is also fine. I've generally found that if something is going to do a warranty failure on desktop it's going to do it the first year, so you don't get a hell of a lot of added mileage out of an extended warranty but it doesn't hurt and sometimes pays off to do a 3-year.

Laptops are a different story. Laptops mostly come with a 1-year warranty and what I recommend everyone does for every laptop that will allow it is to upgrade that to the longest warranty you can get with added drop/damage protection. The most common question our customers have about laptops is if we can replace a screen and the answer is usually "yes, but it's going to be expensive." If you're purchasing a low-end laptop, the parts and labor for replacing a screen can easily cost more than half the price of a new laptop. HOWEVER, the way that most screens get broken is by getting dropped. So if you have a warranty with drop protection, you just send that sucker back to the factory and they fix it for you.

So, if it is at all possible, check if the manufacturer of a laptop you're looking at has a warranty option with drop protection. Then, within 30 days (though ideally on the first day you get it) of owning your laptop, go to the manufacturer site, register your serial number, and upgrade the warranty. If you can't afford a 3-year upgrade at once set a reminder for yourself to annually renew. But get that drop protection, especially if you are a college student or if you've got kids.

And never, ever put pens or pencils on your laptop keyboard. I've seen people ruin thousand dollar, brand-new laptops that they can't afford to fix because they closed the screen on a ten cent pencil. Keep liquids away from them too.

LIFESPAN

There's a reasonable chance that any computer you buy today will still be able to turn on and run a program or two in ten years. That does not mean that it is "functional."

At my office we estimate that the functional lifespan of desktops is 5-7 years and the functional lifespan of laptops is 3-5 years. Laptops get more wear and tear than desktops and desktops are easier to upgrade to keep them running. At 5 years for desktops and 3 years for laptops you should look at upgrading the RAM in the device and possibly consider replacing the SSD with a new (possibly larger) model, because SSDs and HDDs don't last forever.

COST

This means that you should think of your computers as an annual investment rather than as a one-time purchase. It is more worthwhile to pay $700 for a laptop that will work well for five years than it is to pay $300 for a laptop that will be outdated and slow in one year (which is what will happen if you get an 8th gen i3 with 8GB RAM). If you are going to get a $300 laptop try to get specs as close as possible to the minimums I've laid out here.

If you have to compromise on these specs, the one that is least fixable is the processor. If you get a laptop with an i3 processor you aren't going to be able to upgrade it even if you can add more RAM or a bigger SSD. If you have to get lower specs in order to afford the device put your money into the processor and make sure that the computer has available slots for upgrade and that neither the RAM nor the SSD is soldered to the motherboard. (one easy way to check this is to search "[computer model] RAM upgrade" on youtube and see if anyone has made a video showing what the inside of the laptop looks like and how much effort it takes to replace parts)

Computers are expensive right now. This is frustrating, because historically consumer computer prices have been on a downward trend but since 2020 that trend has been all over the place. Desktop computers are quite expensive at the moment (August 2023) and decent laptops are extremely variably priced.

If you are looking for a decent, upgradeable laptop that will last you a few years, here are a couple of options that you can purchase in August 2023 that have good prices for their specs:

14" Lenovo - $670 - 11th-gen i5, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD

15.6" HP - $540 - 11th-gen i5, 16GB RAM, and 256GB SSD

14" Dell - $710 - 12th-gen i5, 16GB RAM, and 256GB SSD

If you are looking for a decent, affordable desktop that will last you a few years, here are a couple of options that you can purchase in August 2023 that have good prices for their specs:

SFF HP - $620 - 10th-gen i5, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD

SFF Lenovo - $560 - Ryzen 7 5000 series, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD

Dell Tower - $800 - 10th-gen i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD

If I were going to buy any of these I'd probably get the HP laptop or the Dell Tower. The HP Laptop is actually a really good price for what it is.

Anyway happy computering.

[ncfcatalyst]

Events Sponsored by the ALC

Located in Hamilton Classroom 5 (HCL5), the Accessible Learning Center (ALC) works closely with students living with disabilities, helping them to fully experience an education at New College. To kick off Module II and finish the school year strong, the ALC put on three events during the week of March 25-29. Open to all, these events in celebration of Disability Awareness Week provided students a…

[discodeerdiary]

Back when I used to walk around my college in a corduroy blazer and slacks I didn't call it "dark academia" I called it "professor drag" and the purpose was to smoothly walk into parts of campus I wasn't supposed to access

[mortalityplays]

something my mum always taught us was to look for the resources we're entitled to, and use them. public land? know your access rights and responsibilities, go there and exercise them. libraries? go there and talk to librarians and read community notice boards, find out what other people are doing around you, ask questions, use the printers. public records offices? go in there, learn what they hold and what you can access, look at old maps, get your full birth certificate copied, check out the census from your neighbourhood a hundred years ago. are you entitled to social support? find out, take it, use it. does the local art college have facilities open to the public? go in, look around, check out their exhibit on ancient looms or whatever, shop in their campus art supply store. it applies online too, there is so much shit in the world that belongs to the public commons that you can access and use if you just take a minute to wonder what might exist!!!

[mx-menace]

10 days until graduation 😳

[nope-body]

.

[dykesynthezoid]

Today I finished an application for a position as an office assistant at my school’s office for disability services and god. The unholy irony of it being the least accessible application process I’ve encountered in my current run of job hunting.

And it’s not even just bc I applied with the school! I’ve applied for jobs with other departments at the same school before and it was a way easier process. It’s like they literally designed this specific one to be extra difficult, which makes me very wary about who’s running that office and also discourages me from ever trying to get help from them as a student

[phantom-of-the-memes]

Since I’ve been making posts about American/ British entitlement towards Ireland, I thought I’d talk about this video here.

I am a student at this college. It’s a big tourist attraction for many reasons, but the main one being that the book of Kells is kept here. I am also from Kells itself, but Dublin having the book and not Kells is a whole other issue.

So this protest that’s been happening over the the past few weeks is in response to the college once again raising rents for student accommodation to astronomical rates. That being when rent in Dublin (and Ireland as a whole) is already unliveable. You’d find cheaper rent off student accommodation, but it’s hardly easy to find places like this. As well as this, the majority of the student accommodation isn’t even on campus to begin with. Most are about a 45 minute luas journey away. So what the fuck are you paying for?

This protest is necessary. It’s been a long time coming. Time and time again they prioritise tourists over us. Buildings are old and falling apart, equipment isn’t functional, accessibility is god awful. I know this because I am disabled and use a rollator, but I can’t even use it on campus most days because there’s simply no ramps/ elevators in some buildings.

In one of my lectures last week we were in one of the old buildings. We had a lot of content to cover, but of course the projector wasn’t working. The professor spent fourty minutes trying to get the computer/ projector to work, but to no avail. So we have a whole lecture to catch up on! All of this while I was looking out the window at this atrocity:

A new building for tourists! Yay!

They’ve been building new school buildings for years, but of course instead of finishing them, they’ll spend their time and money on the tourists. I’m not even having an exam in one of my modules because they told the professor that there simply isn’t enough room to host our class for the exam. And it would be “too expensive” to book a venue… it’s only a class of about thirty. He had written a whole exam and we were under the impression we’d have one, but now it’s just continuous assessment I guess!

So you have to understand why we’re not exactly jumping for joy for the tourists. There are hundreds on campus everyday, just generally being annoying and entitled. And yes DISCLAIMER; not all tourists, not all Americans/ British people, blah, blah. But from my experience, you do encounter some obnoxious people everyday.

So that’s why they blocked entrance to the book of Kells. That’s why it’s disgusting for the tourists to be arguing with them and demanding entrance. For once we just want our college to prioritise us! So yeah we will revoke your entitlement, because we are the ones who study here, we are the ones who have to LIVE here.

[random-shit-writing]

my college gives every student a college email for important shit, and i didn’t even get my email until recently (i should have had it earlier bc i need to find out how to schedule classes and learn important shit), and it had a pre-made password, which i was required to change to my own. so i did. and then i tried to add the email account to my email app and. it. WONT. LET. ME

ive probably changed my password ten different times, but it keeps telling me the password is “incorrect.” no, bitch, it’s not. i wrote it down. i copy and pasted it. i reset the password. i tried waiting a week to sign in, thinking maybe my repeated tries locked me out. i tried unlocking the account from the college’s website, and it told me i could “sign in without the password” BUT I CANT. IT’S NOT WORKING. IM LITERALLY GOING TO SCREAM AND CRY