[Ohio-talk] Fw: College Textbook Affordability Acts

Thu Feb 19 17:51:55 UTC 2009

Hi Deborah,
Thanks for saying all that. You said it beter than I did.
I think I had one book in Braille in High School and none in college.
We as blind people need to be resourceful. 
Thanks again, Deborah,
Colleen Roth

----- Original Message -----
From: "Deborah Kendrick" <dkkendrick at earthlink.net>
To: "NFB OF Ohio Announcement and Discussion List" <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org>
Date: 2009/02/19 13:55:56
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:
> >ar How about using a -- gasp -- reader?
> >ar
> >ar Mike
> >ar
> >ar ----- Original Message ----- 
> >ar From: "Robert Spangler" <spangler.robert at gmail.com>
> >ar To: "NFB OF Ohio Announcement and Discussion List" <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org>
> >ar Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 9:05 PM
> >ar Subject: Re: [Ohio-talk] Fw: College Textbook Affordability Acts
> >ar
> >ar
> >ar Thanks.  Just thought I would let you know that I am struggling with
> >ar something very peculiar and I really want something done about this
> >ar either now or at least when I graduate to benefit those who take my
> >ar place.  I am currently in a Spanish class where I do not have the
> >ar textbook.  The publisher claims that they can only send it in Course
> >ar Smart format and we all know the problem with that!  They were able to
> >ar send the Spanish workbook to me in PDF FORMAT BUT NOT THE TEXTBOOK.  I
> >ar am hearing that they may be able to have it to me in two weeks?  I'm
> >ar hearing two things, my office of accessibility and I have been calling
> >ar these people over and over, I don't know who is wrong, who is and isn't
> >ar doing their work on the issue, etc.  All I know is I'm getting very
> >ar PO'ed because I could potentially score low in the class due to the lack
> >ar of a textbook.  This cannot be legal.  I have found no one to give me
> >ar helpful advice.  All that everyone has told me thus far is that any
> >ar legal action I take would be too steep of a clime and pretty much I get
> >ar the "just deal with it" tone.  OK, SO SHOULD I just sit back, guess all
> >ar the answers on the test and fail?  I don't think so.  I'm thinking more
> >ar on the lines of just sueing them.  This may be hard and costly but what
> >ar is my life without an education?  It's nothing.  I can get nowhere
> >ar without an education.  So if I have to fight for that right I don't feel
> >ar that I stand to lose anything.  Sorry if I'm ranting but this is just
> >ar getting ridiculous.
> >ar
> >ar Robby
> >ar
> >ar 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
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Confidentiality Notice
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> This e-mail may contain confidential information that may also be 
> >>> legally privileged and that is intended only for the use of the 
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> >>> authorized agent of the recipient, please be advised that any 
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> >>> Thank you!
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> _______________________________________________
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> >>> Ohio-talk at nfbnet.org
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> >>>
> >ar
> >
> > -- 
> > Robert Spangler
> > The University of Toledo
> > Student Senate - Recording Secretary
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> 
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