[BlindMath] Getting a Text Book

Sat Mar 11 18:21:36 UTC 2017

Hi there,
I'm sorry if this is coming too late, but here's what I've used successfully when writing to textbook authors. This is a last resort for me but I think you're at the stage where it is your last resort as well. Often the ultimate request will have to come between the publisher and the school (they don't like to release this type of thing to anyone), but I've found the author's usually the most direct person to start with. CC any relevant people, as indicated in my template, just to maintain transparency and let all the right people know who can help later in the process.

" Dear [textbook author],
My name is [name], and I am a current [school name] economics student. I also happen to  be blind. This term I am studying [subject area] and we have been assigned your text [Name of Text]. I have purchased a hard copy of the text, but am in search of an electronic copy I can read. Any available electronic copy is in pdf format, which is not accessible to either Braille output or text-to-speech technology. Do you have a source version in either LaTeX or Microsoft Word (using Equation Editor or Math Type) that you Would be willing to send to me?

For your reference, I have copied my course instructor on this email, as well as the office tasked with providing students with alternate formats at the [university name].

Thank you very much for any assistance you can provide.

Sincerely,
[name]

-----Original Message-----
From: BlindMath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Zach via BlindMath
Sent: March 10, 2017 3:31 PM
To: 'Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics'
Cc: Zach
Subject: Re: [BlindMath] Getting a Text Book

Thanks Lukasz, 

I'm using your template to make a letter my prof only has to sign and send. 

Thanks,

Zac

Zachary Mason
M.S. Student
Animal and Dairy Sciences
Mississippi State University

-----Original Message-----
From: BlindMath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Lukasz Grabowski via BlindMath
Sent: Friday, March 10, 2017 10:44 AM
To: blindmath at nfbnet.org
Cc: Łukasz Grabowski <graboluk at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [BlindMath] Getting a Text Book

Hi Zach, so what's the textbook?

I think you have a much better chance if you contact the authors - it would be hard for me even to image an author of a maths book which would refuse giving you the sources for your pirvate use. I used something like this.

Dear ...,

I am a mathematics lecturer at the Lancaster University, and I currently prepare teaching materials for a visually impaired student.
It would be of enormous help if I could get access to the TeX files (or other source files) of your book ... .
Do you think you could provide me with such TeX files or source files?

I would use the source files exclusively for providing versions of the book, which is the main reference for some of our courses, to our visually impaired students.

With best wishes,
...

Best,
Łukasz

On Fri, 10 Mar 2017 09:01:14 -0600
Zach via BlindMath <blindmath at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> Hello all,
> 
>  
> 
> I wrote before about this course, but wanted to ask about peoples'
> experiences requesting accessible versions of text books from 
> publishers and authors. As Dr. Godfrey pointed out, my text book is 
> over ten years old, but my prof fervently believes this is the end-all 
> text for applied linear regression. Unfortunately I've found my 
> learning style depends on reading a text book more than listening to 
> lectures, and my prof assigns almost all homework's as problems from 
> the book-not the hard part, I just get people to read them to me, but 
> understanding the material when you've fallen way behind and have a 
> thousand commitments is. So after that rant. could someone share with 
> me a sample letter they may have sent to an author and/or publisher 
> that elicited a positive response, that is to say the 
> author(s)/publisher sent them an accessible and/or workable format of 
> the text? My disabilities office contacted the publisher at the 
> beginning of the semester to which the response was "We don't have an 
> electronic copy of this book." Is that possible considering the book 
> was published in 2004? My DSS then shredded my hard copy and made a 
> readable PDF, but as we all know math doesn't translate, which is kind 
> of important in regression.
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you Dr. Godfrey again for the tutorial resources. I'm getting to 
> them ASAP. If I'm ever in NZ or you in US perhaps we should try 
> meeting up.
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks all,
> 
>  
> 
> Zac
> 
>  
> 
> Zachary Mason
> 
> M.S. Student
> 
> Animal and Dairy Sciences
> 
> Mississippi State University
> 
>  
> 
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