[nabs-l] Obtaining electronic text

Kirt Manwaring kirt.crazydude at gmail.com
Tue Feb 8 21:09:24 UTC 2011


Fair enough.  HOnestly, I don't know what I'd do without my campus
disability center.  They scan my textbooks and give them to me as
text/rtf/kurzweil files, whatever format I want...then I can read them
however I like and, by and large, they are readable.
  All the best,
Kirt

On 2/8/11, Joshua Lester <jlester8462 at students.pccua.edu> wrote:
> I don't have a notetaker, so I use the audiobooks. I don't have any
> classes where the graphics are a problem. I'd like to have the
> Bookshare files for my Geography textbook, Business communications
> textbook, and my Sociology textbook. Even in books like Sociology,
> these readers from RFBD, stutter, and mumble. There was a young lady
> reading my Freshman English 1 book. She was one of many narrators on
> that recording. She was the best one of all of them. Too bad they
> don't give their volunteer readers credit. They should give the names
> of those narrators. The ones that do a great job should be rewarded!
> They need to pick individuals that can project well, and can enunciate
> their words. I've had enough of the mumbo-jumbo that passes for
> audiobooks. That's just my two cents worth. Blessings, Joshua
>
> On 2/8/11, Kirt Manwaring <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Joshua,
>>   Respectfully, from my experience audio textbooks have been a good
>> deal more consistent than bookshare textbooks.  Especially ones with
>> lots of graphics/captions that aren't really necessary for the text,
>> but get in the way like crazuy when they get scanned in to bookshare
>> files.  One of my textbooks is from bookshare, and, thankfully, this
>> one hasn't had that problem.
>>   All the best,
>> Kirt
>>
>> On 2/7/11, Joshua Lester <jlester8462 at students.pccua.edu> wrote:
>>> I mentioned Bookshare in my last post. I wouldn't mind the Jaws
>>> reading my textbooks, I just want consistancy, something the
>>> audiobooks don't provide. Blessings, Joshua
>>>
>>> On 2/7/11, Kirt Manwaring <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Joshua,
>>>>   I agree that braill is the foundation and cornerstone for literacy
>>>> among blind people...and, sadly, braille needs are not being met in
>>>> our schools in a lot of places.  Braille is great, it's escential
>>>> even...but "braille or nothing at all" seems a bit much to me.
>>>> Consider a couple things:
>>>> 1.  Paper braille is cumbersome, roomy, and inconvenient.  Especially
>>>> for large books.
>>>> 2.  Refreshable braille is great, but it doesn't solve everything.
>>>> For one, it's expensive.  Also, from my experience, computer
>>>> translated braille does not handle things like math or graphics very
>>>> well at all.
>>>> 3.  It's really nice and convenient to have jaws speed read through
>>>> large books.  At least for me, reading documents with jaws is faster
>>>> than reading them in braille.  I'm a slow braille reader...I sit
>>>> somewhere around 120-130 words a minute, and jaws can read things to
>>>> me at a consistently faster pace.
>>>>   That's not to say I don't use braille.  One of my textbooks, a logic
>>>> book with all sorts of graphics and symbols, is in paper braille.  I
>>>> still do some of my reading in braille because it's real reading, not
>>>> just listening.  And braille taught me how to be a better speller.  I
>>>> use braille some now but, perhaps more importantly, it gave me a huge
>>>> boost in my education.  So I say braille is necessary, it absolutely
>>>> should be taught...but it's not always the most efficient or practical
>>>> way to do what needs to be done.  Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't.
>>>>  But I'm sure glad I learned it, and I hope to improve my braille
>>>> skills still.
>>>>   All the best,
>>>> Kirt
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 2/7/11, Joshua Lester <jlester8462 at students.pccua.edu> wrote:
>>>>> I know the RFBND readers are volunteers. I appreciate all that they
>>>>> do, but the last 5 or 6 recordings of textbooks haven't been their
>>>>> best. They used to be better. The best book they recorded was my
>>>>> Freshman English 1 book. I still believe that Braille is the answer.
>>>>> I'm probably the only conservative NFB member on this list. I joined
>>>>> the NFB last year, but I'm old school when it comes to Braille, and I
>>>>> always will be. It's Braille or nothing at all! It bothers me that
>>>>> most blind people that have just lost their sight in the past 8 to 15
>>>>> years don't know Braille. That's in Arkansas. They won't take classes
>>>>> at the Arkansas School for the Blind, or Lions World Services for the
>>>>> Blind, they'd rather have computers read everything to them. I like
>>>>> Jaws, and all of these computer programs, but Braille literacy should
>>>>> come first. Maybe, I should join NAPUB, as well. Blessings, Joshua
>>>>>
>>>>> On 2/7/11, David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com> wrote:
>>>>>> Joshua, when you compare RFB&D and NLS readers you are comparing
>>>>>> apples and oranges.  NLS readers, almost exclusively are paid
>>>>>> professionals, actors, radio and TV people, etc.  RFB&D readers are
>>>>>> volunteers, who by and large don't do badly.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Dave
>>>>>>
>>>>>> At 02:26 PM 2/6/2011, you wrote:
>>>>>>>I don't know who posted about the RFBD books. I found it funny that
>>>>>>>the narrators keep tripping up on words. Even in my history and
>>>>>>>Geography books, they have so many "ums," and "urs," that it's
>>>>>>>laughable. They need better readers. The Library of Congress narrators
>>>>>>>weren't that bad. Blessings, Joshua
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
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