[NABS-L] question about textbooks for college

Wed Jul 8 00:47:02 UTC 2020

For the most part, Vital Source is accessible; having said that, I'm currently having an issue where the ap is reading me titles of textbooks in foreign languages; Vital Source is currently working on the issue for me.

Sincerely,

Cory McMahon

-----Original Message-----
From: NABS-L <nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Ahbee Orton via NABS-L
Sent: Tuesday, July 7, 2020 5:03 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Ahbee Orton <ahbeeorton at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [NABS-L] question about textbooks for college

Hi All, 

I was informed by my academic aadvisor, who is also the main Disabilities services office staff member at my small college that all their books are coming from VitalSource now. I think this change was at least partly due to the pandemic. I know that VitalSource is supposed to be accessible, and I went to their table at the NFB national convention last year. Should I still try to figure out which books I'm needing or wait until closer to time? Thank you.  

Blessings, 
Ahbee   

Vice President, AABS
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV

> On Jul 7, 2020, at 4:35 PM, D'Agostino, Alfred via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 
> The strategy to obtain accessible course materials, including textbooks, in a timely manner is to be proactive – and start early. That is, check the catalog/ schedule (previous and current) for name of faculty that teach the specific section you are interested in and contact the faculty member for text title and advise of your needs (tactile representations). Check for a current/ past syllabus or refer to another section of the course. This should be done concurrently with e-mail/ personal (phone) contact with disability support services and the bookstore (they generally have a book database – there are some federal guidelines that require colleges/ universities to provide early adoptions). If there is a student group within your intended major, contact an upper-class person for info about the major/ texts. It is never too early to make requests for accessible items – oftentimes there is a long lead time for production. Do your own research regarding sources and report your finding (positive or negative) to those you are working with. Through possible networking, you/ service personnel may be able to locate the particular item you need (there may be a prevalent item. somewhere). Make your request through multiple sources (e.g. college/ specialty libraries).
> 
> 
> Alfred T. D'Agostino, Ph.D.
> Professor Emeritus of Chemistry
> Notre Dame of Maryland University
> ________________________________
> From: NABS-L <nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org> on behalf of Elizabeth Mohnke 
> via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 11:50 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list 
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Elizabeth Mohnke <lizmohnke at hotmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [NABS-L] question about textbooks for college
> 
> CAUTION: This email originated from outside NDMU. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
> 
> 
> Hello nesma,
> 
> Please forgive my misunderstanding. I do not have any experience contacting professors to receive a list of the textbooks they are going to use for the class. Instead, they are already entered into a textbook database that can be searched both on my college website as well as a local bookstore website.
> 
> Again, the earlier you contact the professor the better off you will be. You can always contact the professor explaining that you are simply seeking confirmation regarding the textbook list if you have some concerns about whether or not the textbook list will be entered into a database on time for you to receive your textbooks. Although sometimes it is easier to get in touch with someone from the department if the professor does not work over the summer.
> 
> I generally start contacting the professor the semester before a class begins if I am concerned about how accessible a class might be. This would include access to textbooks among other things. Sometimes it can take a while to receive a response. So I would say that it is never too early to contact a professor about an upcoming class.
> 
> I hope this helps you and provides you with more direction in your search for accessible textbooks for the upcoming semester.
> 
> Warm regards,
> Elizabeth
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NABS-L <nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of nesma aly via 
> NABS-L
> Sent: Monday, July 6, 2020 8:59 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list 
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: nesma aly <nesmaaly123 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [NABS-L] question about textbooks for college
> 
> I guess what I’m trying to ask, is how long before the beginning of the semester should I be emailing professors asking about books if they’re not up on the Bookstore website keeping in mind the fact that the assistive technology department is going to need two weeks to get books if they are not available elsewhere.
> 
>> On Mon, Jul 6, 2020 at 20:38 Keri Svendsen via NABS-L 
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> wrote:
>> 
>> You can also have your disability services  check out access text. I 
>> try to get my books a couple weeks ahead of time.
>> 
>> thank you,
>> 
>>> On 7/6/2020 8:09 PM, nesma aly via NABS-L wrote:
>>> Hi NABsters,
>>> I have a question. my assistive technology department at my college 
>>> says that if a book can't be found on things like bookshare and 
>>> learning
>> allli,
>>> that it will take up to two weeks to get it from the publisher. I am 
>>> wondering how long in advance of the start of the semester should I 
>>> be looking at the bookstore for books before I worry? I had a 
>>> incident the fall of 2019 where I didn't know any of my books untill 
>>> the first day
>> and
>>> was forced to give the department the rental receit. I would love to
>> avoid
>>> this from happening again.
>>> 
>>> thank you,
>>> 
>>> Nesma
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>> 
>> --
>> Keri Svendsen
>> 
>> 
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