[nabs-l] accomodations for english classes
Karl Martin Adam
kmaent1 at gmail.com
Tue Feb 3 05:19:48 UTC 2015
I get about half my texts from bookshare, and I use publisher
files for the rest. I do agree with you that they suck, but me
converting them isn't really any worse than the school doing it.
----- Original Message -----
From: Ashley Bramlett via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Mon, 2 Feb 2015 23:56:29 -0500
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] accomodations for english classes
Carl,
So, if you get electronic texts, which format do you have?
Perhaps you buy it yourself from course smart or something like
that.
Maybe I will have to use a website for conversion as you said.
Ashley
-----Original Message-----
From: Karl Martin Adam
Sent: Monday, February 02, 2015 9:31 PM
To: Ashley Bramlett ; National Association of Blind Students
mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] accomodations for english classes
You're right of course that they should convert the file for you,
but the thing is, even if they do, that won't solve your problem.
The OCR software Adobe or Kursweil or whatever uses to convert a
PDF to text has the same problems trying to figure out what
letters are in the picture (which is what a PDF is) as the OCR
jaws uses, so you'll have the same problems with words stuck
together or letters being incorrect even if they convert it for
you. Occasionally one OCR will be better than another for a
specific text, but there isn't really one that works particularly
well over all. The only way to get something that's nice and
polished is to have someone sit and proofread after converting,
which is extremely time consuming and tedious to do. Schools
should probably provide that as a service, but almost none of
them do unfortunately.
----- Original Message -----
From: Ashley Bramlett via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Mon, 2 Feb 2015 21:19:34 -0500
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] accomodations for english classes
Aleeha!
you get it.
The school, Nova, simply pushes me and others around.
They have the conversion software to honor my request to convert
the publisher file to a text format like RTF.
They simply will not do it on basis of security.
You are right they have to provide an accessible format. But who
determines what is accessible?
Who determines what is a suitable accomodation?
Well, they have one way, and I like another.
The lady coordinating alternate texts told me that it was pdf
files period; pdf files were readable with jaws, acording to her,
so there was no need to convert anyway.
I wrote back explaining that jaws cannot read many publisher pdf
files well; that words are often smashed together as it speaks.
Who is this woman to tell me that jaws reads all pdf files fine
when she does not use
jaws herself? Has she tested it yet to find out? No!
If the file fails to read, I?™ll call a meeting and show them.
Oh, yes, I tried Bard. They do not carry any norton anthologies.
I have learning ally, but as I said before, I need a text file; I
need to find quotes for journals. I need to have a file to follow
along in class like everyone else.
If I have to do an audio book, it will be. but it?™s a struggle.
I have to pause it to copy down quotes and its easy to miss
stuff. Also, I?™m finding I cannot spell names and places right
not seeing the text. if I had a text file, I could spell them
with jaws.
Anyway, thanks for your ideas. As I said, I will try the pdf file
once they give it to me and hook my notetaker to the pc to try to
read it with jaws and the braille display.
Ashley
From: Aleeha Dudley
Sent: Monday, February 02, 2015 7:46 PM
To: Karl Martin Adam ; National Association of Blind Students
mailing list
Cc: Ashley Bramlett
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] accomodations for english classes
Here?™s the thing. The college has to provide you with an
accessible version of the file that will work for you, as long as
doing so is not an undue burden on the university. There are
plenty of ways they could make this file useable for you.
Granted, some of the styles the author uses may not come out well
with JAWS, but have you tried BARD or Learning Ally? Sorry for
jumping in late on this thing and sorry if these things have been
asked before, but it annoys me to no end when universities and
colleges push students around and claim that something can?™t be
done when it could very easily.
Aleeha Dudley and Seeing Eye Dog Dallas
Vice President, Ohio Association of Guide Dog Users
Vice President, Ohio Association of Blind Students
Both proud divisions of the National Federation of the Blind of
Ohio
Email: blindcowgirl1993 at gmail.com
The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not
the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we
raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations
create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can
live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.
?œThe wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse?™s
ears.??- Arabian proverb
On Feb 2, 2015, at 6:17 PM, Karl Martin Adam via nabs-l
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
If you have a Braille display you can connect it to your
computer, and it should display anything your computer can read.
It doesn't have to be a BRF file. Similarly, you can connect
your notetaker to the computer and use it as a braille display or
read files on it directly. Many schools don't have conversion
software to make the PDF into something else, and anyway,
converting it won't make the words unsmoosh. If it's really a
big deal for you, try using robobraille or one of the other
conversion services out there.
----- Original Message -----
From: Ashley Bramlett via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Mon, 2 Feb 2015 17:41:12 -0500
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] accomodations for english classes
This is a copy for the list.
Hi Lucy and all,
thanks for the responses.
Unfortunately, I was informed that I will get a pdf file only.
I requested it from the school and am waiting. They denied my
request to
convert it to a text based format even though other colleges do
that.
This community college is just difficult, IMO. Its an elective
thankfully so
if I have to miss copying quotes because I cannot go find them,
its not such
a big deal.
Lucy,
I wish I could use my braille display, but I do not have a brf
file and
never will.
I checked bookshare.
They do not have this book.
The text is Norton Anthology of short fiction. The seventh
edition.
If you can assist me, I'll write off list.
Just let me know, and which email you want me to use.
Thanks.
Ashley
-----Original Message-----
From: Lucy Sirianni
Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2015 3:17 AM
To: Ashley Bramlett ; National Association of Blind Students
mailing list
Subject: re: [nabs-l] accomodations for english classes
Hi Ashley,
As a doctoral candidate in English and a college-level English
instructor, let me take a stab at answering just a few of your
questions.
First, I would encourage you to obtain the text in a format you
can access via Braille display. This will not only allow you
to
access them in class but will also make it much easier to
integrate quotes into your writing, as you can simply paste
them
into your analysis. Many of the Norton anthologies are
available
via Bookshare. If the one you're using isn't, feel free to
contact me directly, as I frequently teach from various Norton
anthologies and may be able to point you toward an accessible
version of the one assigned for your class.
Second, I would ask for both comments and handouts to be sent
to
you electronically. These are very reasonable accommodations
to
request and ones I routinely offer students with no
inconvenience
to myself. Assuming you do indeed have a note-taker, you
shouldn't need the handouts too far in advance of class, so the
professor shouldn't need to alter his or her schedule of lesson
planning substantially.
I haven't worked with Blackboard or with texts in audio format,
so I can't offer any input on your other questions, but please
don't hesitate to be in touch if I can help with anything else.
Enjoy the course!
Lucy
----- Original Message -----
From: Ashley Bramlett via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 23:24:54 -0500
Subject: [nabs-l] accomodations for english classes
Hi all,
I???taking a literature elective. A year or so back, I tried
taking one and wrote to you all about a professor not
interested
in accomodating me.
He showed videos of the literature he used and I would not be
able to access that outside class with a reader among other
issues.
Fortunately, my new professor for short story seems nice and
willing to help. No videos are used and his class is very
auditory with lots of discussion; sometimes in small groups and
sometimes as a whole class.
Here are my questions and concerns though.
Note that I have the book in audio form now, but am looking for
it in text form and may ask my dss office to get it from the
publisher. I generally have found publisher files unfriendly
though as its pdf. the words are often smashed together and
words are broken up with hyphens as jaws reads them
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