I was sicker than a dog, but I wasn’t about to let it stop me from taking the ACT [American College Testing exam],” said D. J. Bachman, a junior at the Kentucky School for the Blind (KSB) in Louisville. “I was determined that I was going to take it.” The school administered the exam on Nov. 9-10.
And, take it she did, in spite of being hounded with a miserable virus and running a temperature. “I just kept telling everyone that I felt fine.”
How did that affect her performance? Even though she was feeling mighty low physically, there was absolutely nothing wrong with her mental well being, as she pulled off a composite score of 31 and aced the reading portion with a perfect score of 36. Her composite score ranks in the 97%tile and the reading among the 99%tile nationwide.
Bachman said she was shocked when she received her scores. “I can’t believe it,” she told her grandmother as she opened the letter containing her test results. “I had no idea that I would do that well.”
From Lily in Laurel County, Bachman is in her third year at KSB. She visited KSB during the eighth grade and became a full time student her freshman year. “I love it here. The staff is very understanding of my visual needs. It was hard for my teachers in my home school to understand that I needed help because I don’t look like that I have a vision problem. I was getting help from a teacher of the visually impaired once a week, but it just wasn’t enough,” said Bachman.
As a student with visual impairments, Bachman relies on low vision devices to aid her with her assignments. She uses a special magnifier to help her read print material.
“When I read for long periods of time, my vision becomes very blurry and it may take me a little longer to complete my homework,” she added.
In addition to taking classes at KSB, she also takes math and history classes at Central High School in Jefferson County for part of the school day. She likes being in the larger classroom setting and the fact that her teachers at Central understand her vision needs. She also feels that this arrangement will help her adjust to college life. Next year, as a senior, she hopes to take some college level classes at Central.
Out of the classroom, she participates on KSB’s forensics team and works on the video yearbook. This year she is also cheerleading and is considering becoming a member of the swim team in the spring.
Upon graduation, Bachman plans to attend college. As her favorite subjects are math and history, she plans to pursue a degree in the math or law field. She made it clear that she wants to attend an out-of-state college. Prior to getting her ACT results, she was considering Duke or the University of North Carolina-Asheville. However, her high ACT scores have opened up a lot more opportunities for her.
Bachman has some educational advice for students. She says, “ Don’t give up. You can still do good, no matter what, as long as you put your mind to it.”