[nabs-l] A National Standard Re: Obtaining electronic text

Sun Feb 6 06:21:30 UTC 2011

Are you going to college in your home state? Does your home state have a 
department of services for the blind?

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <bookwormahb at earthlink.net>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, February 05, 2011 8:36 PM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] A National Standard Re: Obtaining electronic text

> Joshua,
> You can obtain braille books through web braille sponsored by NLS and read 
> that way if you have a braille display on a notetaker or you can get 
> braille books from your NLS regional library.
> I'd encourage you to read and keep up your braille skills; no braile since 
> convention is a long time!
> I also agree that braille texts in college would be wonderful especially 
> for english classes where you need to read more carefully for analysis and 
> getting quotes.
> But braille is seldom available but some universities will give you 
> braille for math and science if you really push for it.
>
> Nicole, I also agree we need a national standard as to what DRCs are 
> supposed to provide.
> Again, I believe most universities/colleges do scan books or obtain books 
> from publishers; its just that nova doesn't because they have not bought 
> those resources.  Heck they do not even have an updated jaws.  Its 
> rediculous services are lacking.
> I'm using readers since I can't get books in accessible format.
>
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: Joshua Lester
> Sent: Saturday, February 05, 2011 10:33 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] A National Standard Re: Obtaining electronic text
>
> You are all talking about scanning books. I wish we could go back to
> Braille. The sad thing is, that I haven't read any Braille since the
> NFB convention. They don't offer college textbooks in Braille in
> Arkansas. This drives me mad! If our textbooks were available on
> Bookshare, I'd get them. Blessings, Joshua
>
> On 2/5/11, Nicole B. Torcolini at Home <ntorcolini at wavecable.com> wrote:
>> And it is things like this that are the reason that I think that there
>> should be some kind of national standard or at least guidelines as to 
>> what
>> DRC's should provide.
>>
>> Nicole
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: <bookwormahb at earthlink.net>
>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Saturday, February 05, 2011 6:45 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Obtaining electronic text
>>
>>
>>> Brigitte,
>>> That is great the DSO helps you and scans chapters as needed. That is 
>>> what
>>>
>>> upsets me too. The largest community college in VA does not have the
>>> ability to scan books; or that's what I'm told!  They say that they 
>>> don't
>>> have the software such as Abby fine reader or Omni pro, I think that's 
>>> the
>>>
>>> name, to scan books for students!
>>> Its so rediculous.  Oh they also do not belong to a database that allows
>>> universities/colleges to share scanned books!
>>> I think its called Access text. George Mason university, the nearest 
>>> four
>>> year college, belongs and does what your school does, scans books for
>>> students as long as they purchased a book.
>>> Of  course I use RFB and like you prefer the
>>> live voice too over speech.  I also have used NLS and BARd on rare
>>> ocassions because they have novels, not textbooks; but sometimes for
>>> english or history classes that require readings like that NLS has come 
>>> in
>>>
>>> handy.
>>> For instance I read the Prince, The Cruicible, and part of Death of a
>>> salesman that way.
>>>
>>> Glad to know about your college; sounds like its standard practice for
>>> DSOs to scan books and either put them on CD or send them to the student
>>> via email.
>>> That is how it was at Marymount.  They scanned by the chapter.  Not so 
>>> at
>>> Nova though.
>>>
>>> Ashley
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Bridgit Pollpeter
>>> Sent: Saturday, February 05, 2011 6:23 PM
>>> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>> Subject: [nabs-l] Obtaining electronic text
>>>
>>> I know each Disability Office is different, but I try to involve myself
>>> as much as possible in the process.  With PDF documents that are long, I
>>> request they be broken up by chapter, or at least in smaller sections.
>>> I have said I prefer Word documents, and they do what they can, but of
>>> course I can not get everything in Word.
>>>
>>> We also look for text available in all formats like RFBD, Book Share and
>>> we contact the publishers directly sometimes.  A lot of times, I
>>> purchase books and the DSO scans them.  Usually they send them by the
>>> chapter.  I either receive emails with attachments for material, or they
>>> use a feature on Blackboard called the X drive where I can download the
>>> material.
>>>
>>> I do use NLS and BARD at times, but usually in conjunction with
>>> electronic copies since page numbers are not listed for NLS books.  It
>>> is nice to have a live voice narrating over an electronic one, though I
>>> have grown use to JAWS's drone!
>>>
>>> Book Share was an adjustment for me because I use the text files on my
>>> Victor Stream because I have a nerve condition and Braille is not always
>>> the most efficient method.  The text files sound funny at times, but now
>>> that I am use to it, it is actually nice because, like other electronic
>>> versions, I can read line by line, para by para, spell words and other
>>> features similar to how we use computers.  I download Book Share files
>>> on my own at home.  Funny story though.  My DSO thought Book Share was a
>>> software you downloaded, they didn't realize, one, you needed a
>>> membership, and two, it required a device like a Victor and/or Braille
>>> display.  In fact, they thought the software was the Victor Stream.  I
>>> had to explain this to them.
>>>
>>> Again, each DSO has their format for gathering and distributing
>>> material, but be aware of how other institutions do things so you can
>>> make suggestions, and do not hesitate to make request; the worse they
>>> can do is say no.  Also, try to be knowledgeable of different options so
>>> you can be helpful with methods that may be unfamiliar to your DSO, or
>>> at least know someone who can provide this information.
>>>
>>> Bridgit
>>>
>>> Message: 9
>>> Date: Fri, 4 Feb 2011 15:06:08 -0500
>>> From: "Marsha Drenth" <marsha.drenth at gmail.com>
>>> To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] obtaining electronic texts
>>> Message-ID: <AE27D4778D98498EAD071EAC711B091B at Cptr233>
>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>>>
>>> Wow that seems very complicated. My college has me sign a form, they
>>> request the book, and then it comes from the publisher on a CD as a PDF
>>> file. Last semester that was not sucha good thing, as the PDF was huge
>>> and very hard to handle. I converted it to a Text file and then it was
>>> all good. I got another book this way again this semester. Haven't had
>>> to do much with it so I don't know what it is like.
>>>
>>> Sorry your college way is so complicated.
>>>
>>> Marsha
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
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