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VIDBE-Q Volume 62 Issue 3
successful in these areas. For example, completing assignments may take longer, particularly
if a reader cancels an appointment. Locating files on a computer can be a major undertaking
without a straightforward and logical folder structure. The author suggests specific methods
for labeling digital, print, and braille files. A later chapter is devoted to the importance of
developing fluent computer skills, including learning keyboard shortcuts, which will greatly
improve efficiency. We are also provided with details to consider when selecting a laptop. Of
these chapters, perhaps the most valuable information comes in the chapter on research skills.
We learn of resources available at the library, including what services librarians can provide.
We are also provided with practical tips on how to read and select articles for a research paper
and narrow the focus of a research topic.
Although this book provides students with comprehensive lists of skills, tasks,
considerations, and equipment options, the book stops short of connecting these resources
and characteristics to authentic cases of students employing alternative methods to succeed in
their classes. The stories of Nicole, and later of Michael and Carla, are conveyed as
impersonal lists of attributes, needs, and actions. There are neither firsthand accounts nor
direct quotes from students who have successfully prepared for and navigated college. One
particular place such stories and quotes would be most useful is in Chapter 2, when the author
declares that students must advocate for themselves by being assertive but not aggressive.
This is sound advice that falls flat without examples of what this looks like in real life.
The author did construct cases as a means to illustrate certain processes. For
example, Nicole meets her professor for the first time and clearly articulates all of her needs for
the class. In response, the professor promptly replies with all of the accommodations he could
provide to assist her. It is wonderful if meetings can go that well, but many students are less
certain of or less able to articulate their own needs. Moreover, not all professors are as quick
to identify potential solutions. Some professors are simply unwilling to adapt their own
