Blind College Senior Defies Expectation While Pursuing A Degree In Information Technology Services!

Published Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Austin Nix
Austin Nix

Imagine not being able to properly see the world around you. Now imagine yourself working in an industry that is primarily computer-based. Wouldn't you want to know how that works? Austin Nix, 22, is currently a senior in college, and he has been living this scenario since the beginning of his freshman year. Austin spent most of his life in Brandon, Mississippi, where He attended Mississippi School for the Blind from kindergarten until twelfth grade. For about half of that time, he knew he wanted to go to Mississippi State University and get a degree in Information Technology Services. The reasons for this degree choice were that his dad was an IT man himself, and he had had an interest in computers since a young age. The first few years were rather uneventful in regards to his instruction. He mostly dealt with accessible technology that he could use without needing extra assistance from people who could see. However, the last two years saw the use of more inaccessible technologies. Some of these were so unusable to him that he would have to ask instructors for alternative assignments. Nevertheless, he always kept a positive attitude, and never once did he think of giving up. His current semester has seen him do some interesting things. One of the classes he is enrolled in has him in an internship with the National Center for the Blind and Low Vision on the MSU campus. He helps review some of the content they have written for their upcoming app that will be used to help blind youth transition from childhood to adulthood. He also examines various websites for accessibility barriers. He has also done a project in another class where he discussed the evolution of Braille technology. Through this activity, several of his fellow students were able to learn a few things about Braille, including how to write various words in it. After four years, his undergraduate journey is coming to an end on May 5 of this year. He plans to become a teacher of the visually impaired with a focus in computer instruction. We cannot wait to hear what adventures he takes on next.