[Ohio-talk] Fw: College Textbook Affordability Acts

Thu Feb 19 14:30:24 UTC 2009

I wonder if I could jump in on this discussion a bit. I have two degrees and
am working on a third. I, too, get frustrated when materials I depend on are
not available in formats I prefer to work with. I continue to hope and pray
for the day when publishers will recognize the benefit to making materials
available in accessible formats for the entire population rather than the
majority.

However, for all people frustrations exist at times when materials do not
arrive on time, when wrong materials are substituted, etc. This is where
common ground exists with instructors. 

Robby, may I suggest you engage conversation with your instructor about you
situation. Can the materials be scanned and transcribed into Braille using
Open Book by the University Disability Services Office? I agree with you
that use of a reader is less than ideal for learning a foreign language, but
I did have to go that route in my undergraduate program. I passed.  

-----Original Message-----
From: ohio-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:ohio-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Deborah Kendrick
Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2009 8:57 AM
To: NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List
Subject: Re: [Ohio-talk] Fw: College Textbook Affordability Acts

Robby,
While it is refreshing to see your spirit of independence and claim on 
equality in this matter, I feel the need to bring another, more immediate 
perspective to your problem.
At the risk of sounding like the cliched oldster who "walked ten miles in 
two feet of snow" to get to school, in contrast with today's bundled kids 
getting door to door bus service, I want to tell you something of my own 
college education.
I had ONE (yes, that is the number 1) textbook ever in high school annd, 
ironically, exactly ONE braille textbook ever in college as well.  In high 
school, it was my junior year American literature book (i still remember the

thrill of reading the part of Emily in Our Town when we studied the play), 
and in college it was a collection of French short stories.  Now, other 
books certainly existed in braille in those days, but I did not have the 
benefit of an ODS office or, more importantly, of the NFB to teach me about 
resources and/or even rights.
My point is this:  Despite having no books in braille, I -- and countless 
other blind people -- did get my education, and have enjoyed a subsequently 
successful professional life.
In other words, keep fighting the good fight, but don't lose sight of the 
fact that you can indeed learn spanish or any other subject without getting 
that accessible textbook.  You can use readers.  You can use scanners and 
OCR software.  You can use Spanish texts from Web Braille or Bookshare in 
order to see the words in Braille.  If you fail the course or get a low 
grade, it won't make your case any stronger and the publishers of the text 
won't care.  Again, I admire your spirit and am completely behind you in 
fighting this to make the publisher do the right thing.  But I am also 
encouraging you to remember meanwhile that your success does not depend on 
an electronic version of the book.  We, as blind people, are among the most 
resourceful people in the world.  Use us and your own innovative creativity 
to solve the problem while still pushing and waiting for the less creative 
publishers to get on the same page with us.

Deborah
, -- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Spangler" <spangler.robert at gmail.com>
To: "NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List" <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2009 12:01 AM
Subject: Re: [Ohio-talk] Fw: College Textbook Affordability Acts

> Or, how about doing what needs to be done and pushing for fair, equal 
> accessibility for textbooks?  Perhaps I will have to use a reader as a 
> last resort but we shouldn't have to do that.  I'm sorry that there are 
> those of you who want to stop at that choice but I'm not.  I will fight 
> for this till the end.
>
>
> Mike Freeman wrote:
>> How about using a -- gasp -- reader?
>>
>> Mike
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Robert Spangler" <spangler.robert at gmail.com>
>> To: "NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List" <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 9:05 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Ohio-talk] Fw: College Textbook Affordability Acts
>>
>>
>> Thanks.  Just thought I would let you know that I am struggling with
>> something very peculiar and I really want something done about this
>> either now or at least when I graduate to benefit those who take my
>> place.  I am currently in a Spanish class where I do not have the
>> textbook.  The publisher claims that they can only send it in Course
>> Smart format and we all know the problem with that!  They were able to
>> send the Spanish workbook to me in PDF format but not the textbook.  I
>> am hearing that they may be able to have it to me in two weeks?  I'm
>> hearing two things, my office of accessibility and I have been calling
>> these people over and over, I don't know who is wrong, who is and isn't
>> doing their work on the issue, etc.  All I know is I'm getting very
>> PO'ed because I could potentially score low in the class due to the lack
>> of a textbook.  This cannot be legal.  I have found no one to give me
>> helpful advice.  All that everyone has told me thus far is that any
>> legal action I take would be too steep of a clime and pretty much I get
>> the "just deal with it" tone.  OK, so should I just sit back, guess all
>> the answers on the test and fail?  I don't think so.  I'm thinking more
>> on the lines of just sueing them.  This may be hard and costly but what
>> is my life without an education?  It's nothing.  I can get nowhere
>> without an education.  So if I have to fight for that right I don't feel
>> that I stand to lose anything.  Sorry if I'm ranting but this is just
>> getting ridiculous.
>>
>> Robby
>>
>> Dr. Smith wrote:
>>> Check it out.
>>>
>>> JW
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>> From: Wilson, Joanne
>>> Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 8:19 AM
>>> Subject: FW: College Textbook Affordability Acts
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
>>>
>>> Dear State Presidents:
>>>
>>> Currently, there is a push within the higher education community to 
>>> lessen the cost of textbooks by making these publications available to 
>>> students electronically. Affordable textbooks would be great for 
>>> everyone, but we want to make sure that the blind are not forgotten in 
>>> this endeavor, and that the electronic versions of these texts are 
>>> accessible. We are working on gathering information about this 
>>> initiative, and we need your help with the following:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> 1. Please find out if any affordable textbook legislation is pending in 
>>> your state. The name of the bills will vary-Maryland's is called the 
>>> College Textbook Competition and Affordability Act of 2009. Minnesota's 
>>> bill is named the College Textbook Affordability Act.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> 2. Email Mehgan Sidhu from Brown, Goldstein & Levy at ms at browngold.com 
>>> to let her know what you find out. Please also copy me on the message. 
>>> My email is jwilson at nfb.org.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Thanks for your help with this very important project!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Joanne
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
>>>
>>> From: Wilson, Joanne
>>> Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 1:12 PM
>>> To: Carranza, Rosy
>>> Subject: FW: College Textbook Affordability Acts
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
>>>
>>> From: Mehgan Sidhu [mailto:ms at browngold.com]
>>> Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 12:18 PM
>>> To: Wilson, Joanne
>>> Subject: College Textbook Affordability Acts
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Joanne,
>>>
>>> Below are the titles of the Maryland and Minnesota Acts, and link to the

>>> Maryland bill. Please let me know if you need more information. Thanks! 
>>> Mehgan
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Maryland: College Textbook Competition and Affordability Act of 2009
>>>
>>> Minnesota: College Textbook Affordability Act
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Link to Maryland Bill:
>>>
>>> http://mlis.state.md.us/2009rs/bills/hb/hb0085f.pdf
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Mehgan Sidhu
>>>
>>> Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP
>>>
>>> 120 East Baltimore Street, Suite 1700
>>>
>>> Baltimore, Maryland 21202
>>>
>>> 410-962-1030 x1324
>>>
>>> 410-385-0869 (fax)
>>>
>>> ms at browngold.com
>>>
>>> www.browngold.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
>
> -- 
> Robert Spangler
> The University of Toledo
> Student Senate - Recording Secretary
>
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