September 1998

Dustin Back in College

by Dustin Gill
picklez@pop.erols.com
Dustin Gill is a 21 year old college student at Catonsville Community College, with courses in anthropology, psychology, and astronomy.

Well, it's getting to be that time of year again. Students are getting ready to go back to school or for some to start school for the first time. Every year it seems the summer break just flies by as if the days are getting shorter. It's a time of year that I often don't look forward too. Although, I must admit it's not bad now since I'm in college these days. I have decided to take one or two classes this fall at Cantonsville Community College. I thought I might take two classes this time for more of a challenge, but I've been advised against it. So, this time should be hopefully as successful as last fall when I took a course in Psychology 101. I will get there the same way in my modified van. It has a mechanical lift on the back that sometimes works properly. On the inside are wheelchair tie downs that attach to my wheelchair. It's not a bad van to ride in but I prefer mini-vans for the smooth ride. The other way I get to school and around the campus is in my motorized wheelchair which is controlled by sip and puff. I blow into a straw-like thing a various series of puff and sips to move it.

As for the lovely homework, reading, and projects that the teachers make you do, I got it covered.(mostly) I have a book holder that fits on the front of my wheelchair that can hold all those wonderful college text books. I can still drive around and read at least until it bores me to sleep. To do the projects or research I use my computer along with the Internet. As I said in my last article(I believe), I wrote about how I use the Jouse to operate my computer. It has two parts to it. The first is how I type great articles and things like that. I use Morse code to type words into tings such as word processors or some kinds of games. I'm working on getting voice recognition to work so that things get typed up faster. The other part of the Jouse lets me use it as a mouse.

I've been in school for many years. I've also been in a wheelchair almost the same amount of years. I've dealt with assistive technology from the beginning and still up to this very day. I have to rely on it to be there when I need it to be which is pretty much all the time. I don't know if I am going to graduate from this school or another school or even at all. It could be and probably will be at the rate I am going at, years from now. I can only hope that assistive technology gets even better in the future. I'm sure there are many things that can be improved or invented that would make life easier for people with disabilities. And that's all I have to say about that...well for now, that is...

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