[blindkid] Bookshare - NIMAC News - a concern

David Andrews dandrews at visi.com
Sat Jan 31 05:23:28 UTC 2009


You are correct.  NIMAS files were never intended to go to the end 
user.  Bookshare is taking them and generating DAISY books, but 
haven't seen an example yet, so don't know how good a job they are 
doing.  There track record in this area isn't great though -- that is 
in producing well formatted, standards-compliant materials.

Dave

At 12:17 PM 1/29/2009, you wrote:
>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
>according to Bookshare.org's privacy policy. This
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>provider. Bookshare.org does not keep a copy of
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>events such as webinars, please email us at
><mailto:events at bookshare.org>events at bookshare.org.
>If you have further questions or encounter any
>problems, please email us at
><mailto:info at bookshare.org>info at bookshare.org or call us at
>1-800-833-2753.
>
>
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