[nabs-l] College Course Material: Accessible eTextBooks, Braille, and Tactile Graphics

[Kevin Chao]

Online is most accessible and actively developed

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 1, 2011, at 7:55 PM, "Greg Wocher" <gwblindman1 at gwblindman.org> wrote:

> Hello Kevin,
> I have been looking at course smart for a little bit now.  Do you use their online books or do you use their downloadable reader?
> Thanks,
> Greg W.
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kevin Chao" <kevinchao89 at gmail.com>
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, April 01, 2011 2:36 PM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] College Course Material: Accessible eTextBooks, Braille, and Tactile Graphics
> 
> 
>> Yes, I've used CourseSmart and AMAC and find them to be absolutely
>> invaluable resources.
>> 
>> The various aspects that I really enjoy about CourseSmart and AMAC
>> will be detailed below.
>> 
>> CourseSmart
>> * Mainstream access to eTextBooks
>> * Affordable, timely, and true access
>> * in-book, chapter, or section searches.
>> *Very effectively and easily  navigate table of contents (chapters,
>> sections, etc)
>> * Jump to specific page
>> * Highly tagged/marked-up: headings 1-5 for structured navigation,
>> alttext for description of graphics, table for formatted
>> representation of data, and lists for nicely formatted bullet points.
>> * Accessibility at CourseSmart.com is extremely committed, fast, and
>> great about resolving  everything.
>> * Works with Windows (NVDA and JAWS); Mac OS X and iOS (VoiceOver);
>> Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari.
>> 
>> 
>> Alternative Media Access Center (AMAC)
>> * DSS, institutions, organizations, and companies have no excuse to
>> provide braille, tactile graphics, or other alternative media.
>> * Affordable, timely, and extremely high-quality
>> * Fantastic and wonderful support
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Kevin
>> 
>> On 4/1/11, Arielle Silverman <nabs.president at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Has anyone used either of these two products discussed below?
>>> If so, did you find them accessible and easy to use?
>>> Arielle
>>> 
>>> On 4/1/11, Kevin Chao <kevinchao89 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> I would like to share two fantastic resources for any college student
>>>> or instructor, which I think should be advocated for, encouraged, and
>>>> utilized by all.
>>>> 
>>>> Like most, I've used human readers, scanned books, used RFB&D, and
>>>> worked with disabled students services to get eTextBooks from
>>>> publisher. All these things served their purposes and time, and it's
>>>> time to move on.
>>>> 
>>>> In fall of 2010, I broke away from the status quo, which includes: not
>>>> using RFB&D, not scanning textbooks,  and not having to be so reliant
>>>> on disabled student services. Two companies have made this possible:
>>>> CourseSmart and AMAC.  This has allowed equal access, independence,
>>>> and a true forward studying experience.  It's never been possible for
>>>> us as blind students, instructors, or even providers to use an
>>>> innovative eTextBook service.
>>>> 
>>>> * CourseSmart for mainstream, accessible, and highly marked-up 60% off
>>>> eTextBooks
>>>> * Alternative Media Access Center (AMAC) for affordable, high-quality,
>>>> and efficient braille and tactile graphics for textbooks, exams,
>>>> handouts, assignments, etc
>>>> 
>>>> http://www.CourseSmart.com is a mainstream accessible eTextBook rental
>>>> service, which all students can take advantage of. This includes
>>>> students with or without print-related disabilities (blind, low
>>>> vision, learning disabled).
>>>> 
>>>> http://www.amac.uga.edu Alternative Media Access Center (AMAC) will
>>>> work with institutions to provide braille, tactile graphics, and
>>>> remediated eText. AMAC has very high-quality and standards and will lift
>>>> stress off DSS, allowing DSS to focus on providing service, not
>>>> content.
>>>> 
>>>> This is the now and future of how students, instructors, and all in
>>>> post-secondary education will obtain, work with, and enjoy accessible
>>>> course material.
>>>> 
>>>> Thanks,
>>>> 
>>>> Kevin
>>>> 
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>> 
>>> 
>>> --
>>> Arielle Silverman
>>> President, National Association of Blind Students
>>> Phone:  602-502-2255
>>> Email:
>>> nabs.president at gmail.com
>>> Website:
>>> www.nabslink.org
>>> 
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>> 
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> 
> 
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