[nabs-l] adobe conversion unaccommodating professors

Sat Jan 12 19:43:57 UTC 2013

You can send the PDF as an email attachment to
convert at robobraille.org
and put "doc" in the subject line. You shoudl get an email back with
the document as a Word attachment. However I don't know if it works on
PDF's that have been locked or protected by the publisher.
Arielle

On 1/12/13, Ashley Bramlett <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
> Hi William!
> Thank you! Now I understand my problem.
> I was unable to convert the pdf file, not because I did something wrong, but
> because I have the free adobe program rather than the professional program.
>
> Yes, most dss offices have such a program I'm sure.
> However, mine is either  unaware of how to  do it or just refuses to convert
> files. I'm not sure which one; all I know is that when I requested another
> format, I was told no; that pdf was the only thing available.
>
> William, can you explain more? This is good to know for the future when I
> may have adobe professional at work.
>
> What file formats can adobe be saved as?
> Wiill it handle scanned images? How much does it cost? What does it do and
> what is accessible? I know adobe has a lot to do with formatting and layout
> which would not be accessible.
> Also, I assume adobe connect, the conferencing software, isn't accessible
> either.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Ashley
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: wmodnl wmodnl
> Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2013 9:16 AM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Cc: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] unaccommodating professors
>
> The only way to save a PDF as something else, is to use the professional or
> full addition of Adobe.  You can not do this with the traditional Adobe
> reader.   Make sure the computer has 9 or 10.  The link will read buy JFW
> as:
> Adobe complete, or Adobe professional 9.0, etc.  Most DS offices have the
> program and can make this conversion for you.  Hope this helps.
>
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Jan 12, 2013, at 1:21 AM, "Ashley Bramlett" <bookwormahb at earthlink.net>
> wrote:
>
>> well, I've tried that in other classes. I'm not dumb.
>> The computer either froze or the pdf would not allow me to save it as
>> text. I think the publisher protected it somehow so you cannot change it.
>>
>> Also, as I've said before, the disability office has not and never  will
>> give me a doc file.
>> Of course I asked for this. I wanted to put the doc file on a flash drive
>> to read on my braillenote  in class.
>> They always tell me the publisher only can send pdfs; they have not
>> invested the time to attempt to convert it themselves. Also, they could
>> fight with the publisher if they wanted to for a more accessible format
>> such as rtf or doc files.
>> But they don't.
>>
>> This community college does not go out of its way to help and accommodate
>> students.
>> I often work out issues myself with professors and order my own books. I
>> try and leave dss out of it. but when the professor wants you to take
>> another class and goes to your dss counselor without your  knowledge,
>> there is nothing you can do.
>> If he were going to work with me he would not have stepped behind me. The
>> only reason
>> I know he went to dss was since the dss counselor called me and stated she
>>
>> spoke to him and wanted to discuss with me.
>>
>> I don't know what so called accomodations she was going to discuss and I
>> never will know. We are not! discussing this bad situation. I should find
>> an instructor willing to work with me. I
>> have never found this counselor helpful and I'm not talking to her. I
>> think all she'll say is the challenges involved and when I ask for videos
>> to be described by the professor or someone, she'll say the college isn't
>> required to do it. I've asked for a braille test before, and she told me
>> they don't have to provide my prefered format; I had to take i t
>> auditorily.
>>
>> Given her relunctance to do much but the bare minimum of things, I think
>> discussing it is fruitless and I'll simply look for other options and
>> email her that.
>>
>> It’s a bad situation. Its shaken my trust somewhat. When you email
>> professors it should remain between you and them period.
>> I expect to keep conversations between us since  all other students have
>> this right.
>> No third party should be involved without your consent or knowledge. I am
>> tempted to place in subsequent corespondence when I inquire about classes,
>>
>> that this communication is confidential. Heck, if anyone does this again,
>> I will do that.
>>
>> Then, if they violate my right to privacy and confidentiality, I have
>> written proof of it.
>>
>> Anyway, I'll see what happens next week when I go to class.
>>
>> Ashley
>> -----Original Message----- From: Brandon Keith Biggs
>> Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2013 1:01 AM
>> To: Misty Dawn Bradley ; National Association of Blind Students mailing
>> list
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] unaccommodating professors
>>
>> Hello,
>> There is a pretty simple way of converting PDF to TXT:
>> when you open the PDF go to
>> "save as other"
>> hit text
>> Enter the name and location and there you go.
>> Also, ask the disability center for a .doc and they should be
>> accommodating,
>> I've never heard of one that wasn't for that.
>> There are a million other ways to get a PDF to TXT, but that is first.
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Brandon Keith Biggs
>> -----Original Message----- From: Misty Dawn Bradley
>> Sent: Friday, January 11, 2013 9:45 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] unaccommodating professors
>>
>> Hi,
>> If you are able to get the book from Learning Ally, the books are set up
>> to
>> where you can set them to go page by page, by chapter, by heading, or by
>> sentence, so this may help with at least finding the page number, and then
>> if you go by sentence or if there is a paragraph setting then you may be
>> able to find the paragraph easier.
>> Hth,
>> Misty
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ashley Bramlett"
>> <bookwormahb at earthlink.net>
>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2013 12:34 AM
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] unaccommodating professors
>>
>>
>>> Brandon,
>>> Yes professors are set inttheir ways. This is one of them. Students in
>>> that class have to for instance, see paragraph 2 on page 14.
>>> I usually use audio formats so cannot use text to search.
>>> I have tried to get the electronic copy, but as I said before, they give
>>> me pdfs which jaws has trouble reading.
>>> Even if jaws reads it, I don't have page numbers since the book is broken
>>>
>>> down by chapters or parts.
>>> Each part or chapter is a large file.
>>> So its impossible to look at a book as others do.
>>>
>>> I'm glad it worked for you, but I know with videos coupled with the
>>> reliance of books, it is a tough teaching style to follow.
>>>
>>> I just hate when professors are not willing to talk to you and go to the
>>> dss office.
>>>
>>> Ashley
>>>
>>> -----Original Message----- From: Brandon Keith Biggs
>>> Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2013 12:17 AM
>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] unaccommodating professors
>>>
>>> Hello,
>>> I had a superstar professor who did this. He was an older guy and he was
>>> very set in his ways. He had about 2000 students on his Corse load and he
>>> was also an international star. He said I would probably fail his class
>>> because he used lots of pictures and he wrote lots on the board. He also
>>> said that I would not benefit from the top notch pictures he both
>>> presented
>>> in front of the class and had in the textbook he wrote. He told my
>>> Disability counselor he was not sure how I would deal with the pop
>>> quizzes.
>>> On top of that, I was an honors student who had a steeper grading scale
>>> than
>>> the normal students.
>>> I told him not to worry, if he was willing to listen to me, we could work
>>> something out. I took the head of the Accessibility department to one of
>>> his
>>> office hours and we hammered him with every problem a week after class
>>> started and we gave solutions. We also presented alternatives for him to
>>> choose from. He then gave us his opinions and what he was willing to do.
>>> I talked to the professor every week and just made sure things were going
>>> well on his part. I ended up getting an easy A in that class and that was
>>> one of my favorite classes I have ever taken.
>>> May I ask why you can't read paragraphs other students are reading? I
>>> just
>>> do a search for words in my word document.
>>> Teacher tells us to look at page 45, paragraph 7 that starts "He looked
>>> to
>>> where her boots lay in the mud..."
>>> I search for that and it only takes a second to search through the whole
>>> book.
>>> Thanks,
>>> Brandon Keith Biggs
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
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