At present, approximately 20% of undergraduates have a disability, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. While notable headway has been made in recent years with regards to accessibility, many students living with physical and developmental disabilities are still finding it difficult to gain an inclusive college education. Educational institutions need to build more wheelchair ramps, widen more doorways and passages, and embrace assistive technologies more readily. These technologies can, after all, make a college education increasingly more accessible for students with disabilities. These devices and systems, of which the following are just a few examples, are all designed to increase, maintain, or improve the educational abilities of a college student with disabilities.

Sip-and-puff systems aid students with mobility concerns

Sip-and-puff systems are often used by college students living with limited mobility. These systems make use of assistive technologies to send various signals to a device by making use of air pressure on a straw via sipping (inhaling) and puffing (exhaling). Computers, mobile devices, and a range of other technological devices can all be controlled via n sip-and-puff system, giving a student with disabilities greater access to course material and study aids.

There are a number of sip-and-puff systems that can be utilized by college students. Origin Instruments have a range of product offerings available that allow users to control a keyboard, mouse, or joystick with ease by making use of head mounted or gooseneck interfaces. Sip-and-puff systems can even be used to gain control of a TV remote or to play video games with friends or family. These systems are, therefore, not only credited as being a useful educational and practical tool but a social one as well.

Applications make communication easier

Mobile device technology is making it increasingly easier for students with disabilities to communicate and learn. The majority of assistive apps are available for both Android and Apple devices with many being free of charge. There are, for instance, a range of communication apps for cerebral palsy users that make it significantly easier to communicate both with lecturers and peers. Text-to-speech (TTS) apps such as Speak It! and I Can Speak lend a voice to non-verbal and verbally challenged students, adding a great degree of normalcy to their everyday lives. The technology operates by scanning the typed words and then reading it back in a synthesized voice. Thanks to the constant technological advances being made, TTS applications are rendering a more realistic and accurate service than ever before.

Sound-field Systems boost assistive learning

Sound-field systems are a great asset to any college classroom. Not only do these systems benefit students with hearing loss, but also those living with various auditory and learning difficulties according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Problems such as articulation disorders, central auditory processing disorder, and language delays are not uncommon in college students and can thwart learning significantly.

Sound-field systems, which make use of a microphone and mounted speakers, make college education increasingly accessible by amplifying sound and eliminating distance-related disturbances between lecturer and listener. Apart from being used in the classroom, sound-field systems can also make conference centers and meeting rooms a lot more accessible to both students and educators with disabilities.

Getting a college education is without a doubt a great achievement – especially for an individual living with a disability. Thankfully, earning an educational qualification such as a college degree and even enjoying college life in the broader sense of the word has become significantly easier to achieve thanks to the constant development of assistive technologies.

It’s hard to write brilliantly without reading voraciously! To be a good academic writer and maintain writing skills, students need to accumulate tons of information and knowledge from reputable, authorized sources. And, given how unreliable the information from the web may be, the safest option to polish your writing is reading books by professional essay writers – from seasoned essayists, to young and talented writers from a popular essay writing service.

In this article, we’ll show you some of the best essay writing books available.

“A Professor’s Guide to Writing Essays: The No-Nonsense Plan for Better Writing” by Dr. Jacob Newman

Emphasizing the importance of a proper approach to the writing process as the key aspect of writing itself, the author contends that an essay’s success doesn’t lie in the plan or theme, but how you view the process of its development. Throughout the book, Newman teaches the reader how to find a professional approach to essay writing and stick to the right vector during the process.

“100 Ways to Improve Your Writing” by Gary Provost

This incredible handbook was written in 1985 but still hasn’t lost its impact and popularity with writers. In this helpful source, you’ll find all necessary tips and recommendations on academic writing, an insider’s facts and suggestions, and other useful tricks you can use in your writing. In addition, this book contains examples of noteworthy writing pieces. Despite being deemed slightly outdated and irrelevant, the book has proven to be a great help in learning how to craft an outstanding academic paper!

“College Essay Essentials” by Ethan Sawyer

Acclaimed writing mastermind Ethan Sawyer introduces the reader to the fundamentals of paper writing, providing vital knowledge for successfully developing college essays. In his book, Sawyer guides readers through every key stage of the writing process, from introduction to finale, teaching them how to arrange their thoughts and statements into an accurate and comprehensive piece of writing.

“Essay Becomes Easy” by the EssayShark team

Essay Becomes Easy is of the best handbooks to dissect academic writing to the bone! EssayShark, one of the leading writing services, offers you a hands-on guide on how to write like a pro and learn the intricacies of academic writing with the highest efficacy. With the professional insight from the experts of EssayShark, the process of writing gets easier!

In Conclusion

Expert handbooks on academic writing serve as useful tools for aspiring writers who are in dire need of guidance from acknowledged academics. With the ultimate list of essay writing books that we have covered in this article, you will sharpen your writing perception and obtain effective armor for crafting first-rate science papers.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has sent college students into a world of the unknown. As you were kicked out of your dorm room, you may have been wondering where you would land and how you would get there. Campuses were scrambling to close and all of the money you invested in tuition and fees was hanging in the balance. Now that the dust is settling, you may be wondering how you can recoup some of your costs. After all, you paid for an entire semester of on-campus living and learning.

Ask for a full refund

Begin by asking for a full refund. You may not be successful, but it’s not a bad starting place to make your case for reparations. Keep in mind that most college campuses took a financial hit during the pandemic. Facilities and payroll had to be maintained, and many institutions had to spend additional money to provide technical assistance for remote learning. At the same time, you paid for something you didn’t get, so asking for a refund is not out of line.

Negotiate a partial refund

Create a list of the additional expenses you incurred as a result of having to abandon your residential experience. Include travel expenses, new housing, food costs, technology needs, and anything else that would have been provided on campus. Write a letter to your campus and ask for a partial refund to cover the expenses you have incurred. Discuss the hardships you have experienced, as you have had to restart your life without the necessary resources.

Take collective action

If your campus isn’t responsive to your requests, use your voice and harness the power of student action with a formal request for a refund. Students across the country have created petitions and have even filed lawsuits demanding the return of unused activity fees and tuition. Colleges are dependent upon students returning in the fall, so leverage this to yield even a partial refund of your tuition and fees.

Seek credit for future classes

In addition to a refund of tuition and fees, consider asking for a scholarship or grant that can be used toward classes you’ll take in the fall. The federal government allocated $14 billion in aid for higher education. Some of this funding must be used for direct aid to students. If your college is reticent to offering you cash now, you may be able to negotiate a free or partially free semester of college tuition to be used in the future. Exercise all of your options as you look for a way to get something back for what you had to endure.