[blindkid] Bookshare - NIMAC News - a concern

Thu Jan 29 18:47:45 UTC 2009

Hello Sandy and list:

     There is an on-going project known as Braille-In-DAISY that intends to 
create software that will do a better job of processing DAISY or NIMAC 
files. The NIMAC standard was copied from the DAISY standard. The people 
working on this project are all volunteers and are from a variety of 
countries. There has been lots of discussion in the group and a lot of head 
scratching. Some of us were very surprised at how complex textbooks have 
become with words in color, multiple fonts, sidebars, boxes etc. The bottom 
line is that the process of marking up a book is far more complex than 
anyone thought.

Regards,

Robert

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dr. S. Merchant" <smerchant at vetmed.lsu.edu>
To: "'NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)'" 
<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2009 12:17 PM
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Bookshare - NIMAC News - a concern

>I need to jump in and please correct me if I am wrong, but these files
> ESPECIALLY for math and science with their tables and other symbols are 
> NOT
> stored in a format that is going to be directly downloadable and user
> friendly.  I know for certain that even with my 10th grader's English
> book(not math or science) that the direct download straight to a Braille
> embosser was less than acceptable.
>
> Would be interested in opinions of others, but when these files were first
> discussed, this was one of the big warnings about this system.  Files 
> would
> be given by publishing companies such that it would be quicker to get the
> file to a transcriptionist but NOT in a form that would be good to 
> directly
> download.  Has this changed?  Is Bookshare going to alter the file so that
> it will be directly downloadable and user friendly?
>
> Sandy taboada
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Robert Jaquiss
> Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2009 10:59 AM
> To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)
> Subject: Re: [blindkid] Bookshare - NIMAC News!
>
> Hello Eric and list:
>
>     I believe you are correct. The braille files could be read on a
> BrailleNote or other device, or used to emboss a braille copy. It will be
> interesting to see how well this actually works.
>
> Regards,
>
> Robert
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "DrV" <icdx at earthlink.net>
> To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)"
> <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 9:21 PM
> Subject: Re: [blindkid] Bookshare - NIMAC News!
>
>
> Does this mean that Middle & High School textbooks will be available for
> downloading to a braille noting device?
> Eric
> (PS: Sorry, about the misfired messages.)
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Bookshare.org (by way of David Andrews<dandrews at visi.com>)"
> <Bookshare.org at mail.vresp.com>
> To: <david.andrews at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 16:36
> Subject: [blindkid] Bookshare - NIMAC News!
>
>
> <http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5d787704f2/0ae99e823c/f8a1a1dc74>
> Bookshare: Books Without Barriers
>
>
> Bookshare and NIMAC Announcement
>
> NIMAC books:
>
> To find NIMAC books, go to:
> <http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5d787704f2/0ae99e823c/8cec87bc2a>http://ni
> mac.us
>
>
> <mailto:nimacrequest at bookshare.org>Then email us
> to request the book be added to Bookshare
>
> Dear David Andrews:
>
> Have you heard the good news? There is a simple
> new NIMAC process that will enable Bookshare to
> provide NIMAC books to your students in a week or
> less at no cost, thanks to funding from the U.S.
> Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs.
>
> You can now name Bookshare as one of your
> Authorized Users (AU) at the NIMAC. You need to
> sign an updated NIMAC coordination agreement,
> which the NIMAC recently sent directly to all
> NIMAC state coordinators, and then appoint
> Bookshare as an AU. The new coordination
> agreement is available online at the NIMAC's
> website at:
> <http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5d787704f2/0ae99e823c/07a24a3dec>http://ww
> w.nimac.us/2009_NIMAC_COORD.DOC.
>
>
> Then, when one of your students needs a book:
>    * Any public school staff person (including
> classroom teachers, special educators and
> librarians) can send an email to
> <mailto:nimacrequest at bookshare.org>nimacrequest at bookshare.org
> requesting the book after confirming that it's in
> the NIMAC at:
> <http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5d787704f2/0ae99e823c/64f515c348>http://ni
> mac.us.
> We just need to know the title, author, publisher and/or ISBN number.
>    * We'll download the book, convert it into
> accessible digital text formats (DAISY and BRF)
> within a week and let the requestor know the book is in Bookshare.
>    * The requestor logs into their Bookshare
> account and downloads the book for a qualified
> student with an IEP. Two different accessible
> software packages that read the books are also
> available free for download, as well as high quality synthetic speech.
>
> After you send the AU request to the NIMAC, we
> will inform those educators in your jurisdiction
> who are Bookshare Members about the process and
> we'll include the information in communications
> to appropriate personnel in all districts, regardless of Bookshare
> membership.
>
> Together, let's get accessible textbooks flowing
> smoothly from the NIMAC to students in a timely manner!
>
>
>
> Best regards,
>
> The Bookshare Team
> <http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5d787704f2/0ae99e823c/1303295a4d>
> Ideas That Work
>
>
> C Copyright 2008, Beneficent Technology, Inc. (The Benetech Initiative)
> <http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Benetech/5d787704f2/0ae99e823c/b2c9e7bf48>Benetech
> is a California nonprofit organization.
>
> Your responses will be kept strictly confidential
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> problems, please email us at
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> 1-800-833-2753.
>
>
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