Journey to New Castle Govind July Diversity

DIVERSITY

The Journey to the University of Newcastle

Experienced Shared by T R Govind, Newcastle, Australia

Note from the editor: We still remember a 6^th standard Govind, who came to Thiruvananthapuram to attend the Eyes Free Science Camp from Aluva Blind School. His parents both of them medical doctors in the Government sector, took a rented house near Aluva Blind School to provide education to Govind and his twin brother Madav was studying in a CBSE school nearby the blind school.

Govind was one of the most curious student with above the age intelligent when we compare him with other students in the camp. Ms. Zainab, head of Bookshare and Chakshumathi Eyes Free Science Camps most loved mentor, always use to call Govind “Google” for his curiosity and sudden answers.

After the camp, the parents understood, blind schools are no more needed for a blind child, and he must study in a mainstream school to become a winner in life. Being affluent parents, the very year, they placed Govind and Madav to The White School International, Kozhikode in their hometown. In the International School, Govind shined in all areas and even he was a school prefect during 9^th Standard. He completed his Grade 12 with India’s top scorer position in Economics. Below he is writing from New Castle University on his international experience.

The Journey to the University of Newcastle

My journey to the University of Newcastle began the moment I received my offer letter. With a strong foundation in A-Level Economics and Business Management, I knew this institution offered an exceptional opportunity to advance my education. Although I had explored various global and local universities, conflicting application timelines ultimately simplified my choice. Securing the offer from Newcastle definitively cemented my decision to study in Australia.

The immediate next milestone was clearing a globally recognised English proficiency exam. Initially, mentors recommended the Pearson Test of English (PTE) as a more intuitive alternative to the rigorous IELTS. Given Pearson’s excellent accessibility provisions during my A-Levels—which allowed me to take exams independently using a screen reader—I trusted their ecosystem. However, I soon discovered that screen readers were not officially supported accommodations for the PTE. This forced a strategic pivot to IELTS, highlighting the value of established testing frameworks that actively facilitate participation across all components for visually challenged candidates. The switch proved highly successful; I surpassed official requirements by achieving a Band 8.5 in Speaking and a Band 8 in Listening, effectively clearing the first major hurdle of my admission.

Arrival and Academic Adjustment

With my visa and confirmation of enrolment secured, I relocated to Australia to begin my Bachelor of Commerce program. My initial lectures felt remarkably seamless, as much of the first-semester content overlapped familiarly with my A-Level syllabus. However, I quickly had to adapt to the Australian academic context, particularly the integration of Aboriginal community perspectives, which serve as a foundational, overarching theme across all core Commerce courses.

As the semester progressed and assignments rolled in, distinct academic hurdles emerged:

• Visual Data Interpretation: Many quizzes heavily relied on interpreting diagrams. The visual interfaces often clashed with my screen reader, presenting a significant concern given these assessments directly impacted my final GPA.
• New Learning Paradigms: The shift to online submissions brought stringent academic integrity checks, including advanced plagiarism software and AI-generation detection systems. I successfully aligned my practices with the university’s code of conduct, ensuring AI and supplementary tools were used strictly within permissible guidelines.
• Independent Study: Moving away from the highly guided, one-on-one structure of A-Levels, I had to master deadline management, extension requests, and self-driven study. While this transition initially caused stress and academic burnout, it ultimately taught me invaluable life skills in planning and proactive communication.

Building a Technological Toolkit

To overcome these barriers and maintain a positive academic track record, I curated a specific suite of accessible tools and strategies:

• Bookworm: I relied heavily on this free, open-source document reader. Its fast, highly accurate OCR and table-of-contents navigation were indispensable for parsing dense PDF lecture notes in subjects like Economics.
• Format Conversion: For presentation-heavy subjects like Management, I streamlined my reading by opening PPTX files in Microsoft PowerPoint and exporting them using the "Create Handouts in Microsoft Word" feature. This stripped away visual clutter and slide headings, enabling focused, continuous reading of nuanced concepts.
• Artificial Intelligence: In mathematically demanding courses like Accounting, I leveraged Large Language Models (LLMs). Their multimodal capabilities helped me clarify complex concepts, practice calculations, and reformat inaccessible tables into screen-reader-friendly layouts.
• Accessibility Services: I proactively engaged with the university's student services to establish reasonable adjustment plans. This included scheduling accessible exams and requesting screen-reader-compatible formula sheets.

Overcoming Social Barriers and Group Work

As a naturally reserved student, my instinct was to study independently and learn on my own terms. Consequently, socialising proved to be a persistent challenge during my first few weeks. However, I soon realised that collaborative group assignments were not just optional in-class exercises, but heavily weighted core assessments across multiple courses.

This reality hit hard during a critical Management course project worth 40% of my final grade—divided equally between a group presentation and an individual Q&A. Initially overwhelmed by the prospect of cross-cultural coordination as an international student, I recognised this as a crucial turning point for my academic journey. I initiated regular communication with my two native Australian group members to construct an engaging and well-written case-study presentation.

Logistical challenges inevitably arose when managing commitments across multiple subjects, but we established an effective workflow using a screen-reader-compatible Microsoft online shared document. By dividing sections based on authorship and relying on my peers' invaluable support for the visual representation aspects, we created a cohesive presentation. Their constructive feedback helped refine my contributions, and our open, respectful communication dissolved both logistical and mental barriers.

Final Triumphs

The culmination of this collaborative effort was a highly respectable High Distinction grade for our presentation. Furthermore, I earned a High Distinction in the individual Q&A component, which assessed my broad understanding of the entire project. This collaborative success dramatically boosted my confidence, proving that strategic planning, open-mindedness, and timely communication can overcome high-level academic obstacles.

I proudly concluded my first semester with outstanding overall results: Distinction grades in both Economics and Management, alongside a hard-earned Credit in Accounting. This Credit was a particularly satisfying achievement, given the extensive technological workarounds required to navigate the subject's arithmetic complexity.