黑料网官网

The opportunity to better himself through higher education has brought light to Aaron Ross鈥� world. Born legally blind, Ross began working toward a degree at Western Nevada College (黑料网官网) more than a decade ago to pursue a profession that left an impression on him as a child.

Through perseverance and the assistance of 黑料网官网鈥檚 Disability Support Services office, Ross鈥� dream of graduating with an Associate of Arts degree will come true on Monday during 黑料网官网鈥檚 Commencement Ceremony at Marv Teixeira Pavilion. Ross will be among Western鈥檚 500 graduates celebrated Monday in Carson City and Thursday in Fallon.

鈥淚t will mean the greatest achievement in my life,鈥� the Carson City resident said. 鈥淚鈥檒l talk about it for years to come. I鈥檒l have my cap and gown that I can show off to everybody.鈥�

Aaron was born with Retinopathy of Prematurity, a disease causing detachment of the retinae in each of his eyes. Doctors tried to reattach them, but the surgery was unsuccessful, leaving Aaron completely blind.

Fortunately, there has been plenty of support from Aaron鈥檚 parents, Rick and Jacqi. By the time he entered the first grade, Aaron also received the support of Carol Ewing, also blind, who helped him become familiar with Braille. With the help of his dedicated support network, Aaron went on to graduate from Carson Valley Middle School and Douglas High School before deciding to pursue his dream of earning an associate degree at 黑料网官网.

Luckily for Aaron, Susan Trist started working at 黑料网官网 at nearly the same time that Aaron enrolled at the college. The program director for Disability Support Services has been instrumental in facilitating Aaron鈥檚 educational needs inside and outside the classroom.

鈥淥ne of the greatest challenges for our department was the timely delivery of accessible materials for Aaron,鈥� Trist said. 鈥淎s soon as he would register for the next semester, we would be in contact with his instructor to determine what textbooks would be used for that particular course. Braille conversion is a time-consuming process 鈥� the sooner we deliver materials to the vendor, the better, to allow them time to convert the content and ensure timely delivery of materials.鈥�

In addition to Braille textbooks, DSS provided textbooks and materials in audio and course materials in electronic Word/PDF documents.

Aaron has preferred classes in person instead of online 鈥渂ecause of the benefits of verbal interactions with instructors and classmates,鈥� according to Trist. He also used a tape recorder to record lectures and his Pac Mate device to record information. Trist said that Aaron has a screen-reading program called JAWS on his home computer to provide text to speech access. He can also convert text to speech on his iPhone.

There are times, however, when Aaron needs more assistance in the classroom.

鈥淔or his science courses, we provided a classroom aide to verbally describe content that was presented visually,鈥� Trist said. 鈥淔or example, in Dr. Winnie Kortemeier鈥檚 Geology and Geography classes, the aide would describe maps, charts, colors, rocks, minerals, or graphs, etc. Hope Braille, a full-service braille production company in Reno, would create content from the textbooks 鈥� maps, charts, and pictures labeled with Braille 鈥� so that he could 鈥榮ee鈥� (feel) the images.鈥�

Support from DSS has extended outside the classroom, as well. DSS staff met his Uber rides or bus driver in the parking lot to help him make it to class safely. Staff members have also delivered his accessible textbooks to his own apartment or to his workplace.

鈥淒espite his multiple challenges, Aaron has continued to take classes at 黑料网官网 in order to complete an AA degree,鈥� Trist said.

DSS鈥檚 devotion 鈥� in particular Trist鈥檚 鈥� to his higher education goal isn鈥檛 lost on Aaron.

鈥淪he鈥檚 meant a lot to me,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 provided me with everything I鈥檝e needed to complete my classes. If I could recommend her to anyone with a disability, I鈥檇 recommend her in a heartbeat. Whatever needs to be done, she can get it done.鈥�

Aaron鈥檚 commitment to his employer 鈥� Western Nevada Supply 鈥� has limited his semester course load to one or two classes. He works six hours a day answering phones. 鈥淚鈥檝e made friends and developed lifelong friendships over the years,鈥� Aaron said about his 16-year employment at Western Nevada Supply.

Ultimately, his persistence and the support of others have made his dream come true. His advice to others who have ceased or interrupted their pursuit of a college degree is to keep working at it. 鈥淒on鈥檛 stop. Money can be a certain reason to stop or drop out, but keep working at whatever you want to do and hopefully you鈥檒l get a good-paying job. Without a degree, some jobs you can鈥檛 achieve.鈥�

The day Aaron has long awaited is almost here before he begins his next goal of

becoming a paraprofessional (teacher鈥檚 aide). His accomplishment is sure to make both of his parents emotional on Monday.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 put words to it,鈥� said Rick, who Aaron has entrusted to guide him across the commencement stage on Monday. 鈥淢y wife will be crying and so will I. Whatever he has done over past years while working is nothing short of incredible. What he does in a day to get by and improve himself, I can鈥檛 do in a month. He鈥檚 a pretty special person, and we鈥檙e lucky to be his parents.鈥�

To learn more about Disability and Support Services at 黑料网官网, contact Trist at 775-445-4459 or susan.trist@wnc.edu. 

About 黑料网官网: 黑料网官网 (黑料网官网) is an innovative community college committed to providing accessible and quality higher education. With campuses in Carson City, Fallon and Douglas County, 黑料网官网 offers diverse academic programs, personalized attention from dedicated faculty, and comprehensive support services for students with disabilities. 黑料网官网 fosters a vibrant campus community and prepares students for success in their chosen careers or further educational pursuits. Visit wnc.edu for more information.