Copperas Cove woman earns two degrees after blindness, college support

Kelly Deeds of Copperas Cove turned a long break from college into two Central Texas College degrees after becoming completely blind, a path shaped as much by campus support as by her own persistence. She earned an Associate of Arts degree in May 2012 and later completed an Interdisciplinary Studies degree in Arts and Sciences with honors four years after that.

Her return to school began with one conversation about what was still possible. After settling in Copperas Cove, Deeds worked part-time as a note-taker for other students through CTC’s Disability Support Services, and that job showed her she was closer to finishing a degree than she realized. The role also sharpened practical skills that mattered once she returned as a student: typing, spelling, memorization and communication.

Deeds relied on an array of tools to keep moving forward. Her coursework included screen-reading software, voice-activated technology, a Braille note-taker and recorded lectures. She also used tutoring through CTC’s Academic Studio, along with help from classmates, professors, family and disability services staff. Science labs and other hands-on classes were difficult, and the work demanded constant adaptation, but Deeds kept pushing through moments of doubt.

Her story also shows what Central Texas College says it built for students like her. The public, open-admission community college was founded in 1965 and began serving students in 1967. Its central campus offers more than 40 associate degrees and certificates of completion, and the school says it helps students move on to four-year institutions through articulation agreements nationwide. CTC’s Disability Support Services says it provides reasonable accommodations under the ADA and Section 504, including testing support, classroom adjustments and note-taking services, while the Academic Studio offers tutoring, resource referrals and study-skills workshops.

For students in Coryell County considering college after a disability, Deeds’s experience is a local example of how those services can change the outcome. CTC’s long history of flexible access, from broadcast telecourses in 1970 to videoconference classes in 1994 and its first online course in 1998, fits the same pattern: remove barriers, and more students can finish. Deeds’s degrees were proof that the right supports can turn a delayed goal into a completed one.