<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>Thank you so much for this comprehensive message. While technology has presented tremendous opportunities for our blind and visually impaired students, it has also presented many unintended challenges and roadblocks for those of us who serve them. I am grateful that, here in Louisiana, though the state is slated to become entirely computer-based with regard to end of course and other assessments, we have been assured that are blind kids will continue to receive hardcopy braille forms of those assessments. As you say, maps, graphics, mathematics, and other multiline assignments simply cannot be conveyed adequately using digital means. And, as you also wisely point out, even in instances when information can be conveyed digitally using refreshable braille, screen readers, and the like, our students simply, at least in many instances, have not been adequately trained, nor have their instructors.</div><div><br></div><div>These are murky waters indeed, but we have been compelled to navigate them and must do so with the knowledge that, for our kids to be competitive, we who serve them must remain current and alert to potential difficulties and challenges. Thank you, as always, Dr. V for keeping this issue in the forefront of our thinking.<br><br>Eric Guillory<br>PIBE Pres.<br><br>Sent from my iPhone</div><div><br>On Feb 21, 2013, at 1:00 AM, DrV <<a href="mailto:pumpkinracer@gmail.com">pumpkinracer@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div>
<p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">Hi All,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">This is a follow up to a prior post. I got a few
private responses. The best proposal was put forth by Sharon Maneki</span><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue"> who wrote: “</span><i><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">Here is a definition of
accessibility that we are trying to get the Maryland State Department of
Education to adopt. Much of this language comes from the Department
of Justice uses. I think it is a good definition. </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue"> </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">"Accessible" means fully and equally accessible to and
independently usable by blind individuals so that blind students and
professionals are able to acquire the same information, engage in the same
interactions, and enjoy the same services as sighted students and
professionals, with substantially equivalent ease of use.</span></i><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">The proposed definition is a good one & is
based on the precedent set by US Dept of Ed & US Dept of Justice
definitions, however I will be provocative & state that I don't feel it is
specific enough to address the needs of pre-K through 12 students.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">It needs to be acknowledged that different tools
(laptop, i-device, electronic braille notetaker) provide different levels of
accessibility to the same e-content. It is critically important to understand
that the same webpage that may technically be accessible to an experienced
blind adult, or a student in middle school or high school (who has been trained
in blind technologies) may very well not be independently accessible to a
student in the younger grades, for various reasons including:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">- the technologies may not yet have been
introduced,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">- or they may not yet have the required
proficiently,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">- or they may not have the needed software or
hardware to access required assignments both at school & at home.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">As I heard so many times in my pediatric training -
"Children are not just little adults". </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">Thus I think that the Educational Definition of
“Blind-Accessible” in Childhood should be more specific, for it includes the
following components:</span></b><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue"></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:#0028f9">1.<span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"> </span></span><b><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">Content needs to be designed and presented in a universally
accessible format</span></b><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue"> (ie: reading assignment,
presentation, video, graphic, i-textbook). For this to be a consistent reality,
districts need to assure that all teachers are not only aware of this legal
requirement, but must ensure they have the training and tools to create or
otherwise provide accessible content. Likewise, suppliers of textbooks to blind
students need to be held accountable for making sure that the materials they
provide are compliant with the described current accessibility requirements.
The same holds true for iBook publishers - rules and procedures should be set
in place to make sure that all i-textbooks are vetted to assure adherence to
access standards.</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:#0028f9">2.<span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'">
</span></span><b><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">Students need to have
full-time access (at school & at home) to the needed accessible “hardware”</span></b><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">. For a blind/VI child that includes: a laptop, an i-device, an
electronic braille notetaker, and/or an independent portable refreshable
braille keyboard.</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:#0028f9">3.<span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'">
</span></span><b><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">Students need to have
round-the-clock access to needed software.</span></b><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue"> For a blind
child that includes: screen-reading software, a braille translation program,
accessible apps, etc.</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:#0028f9">4.<span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'">
</span></span><b><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">Students need to receive
training that assures they acquire grade-appropriate proficiency in the skills
to use the various devices and programs</span></b><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue"> & how to
best integrate them to access and manipulate information and data. The new
reality is that this training needs to be initiated much earlier than has been
the historical norm, ideally starting in elementary school or sooner. Likewise,
the student’s VI service team needs to be up-to-date and proficient with the
tools and skills as well.</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left:.25in;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:#0028f9">5.<span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'"> </span></span><b><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">Accessible tactile back-up plans must be in place.</span></b><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue"> It is critical to assure that there is an identified effective
mechanism to assure that content that can’t be presented effectively in an
accessible digital format be presented in hard copy in real time (math, maps,
graphics). </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">Any other thoughts?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">Eric</span></p>
<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:48.0pt;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:windowtext"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Comic Sans MS">-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</font></p><div class="gmail_quote">On Sat, Jan 26, 2013 at 8:02 AM, DrV <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:pumpkinracer@gmail.com" target="_blank">pumpkinracer@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:blue;font-family:'Comic Sans MS'">Hi All,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">Education
is moving more & more into the digital realm.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">Students
of all ages are being asked or required to access teacher websites, web-based
calendars, and are being directed to watch on-line videos clips, download
assignments, upload assignments, or perhaps blog.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">Some
districts have adopted digital textbooks, other are seriously planning to do
so.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">Some
students are being expected to do on-line drills.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">An
increasing number of students are starting to be tested using on-line quizzes
& tests, including for math & foreign languages.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">Many
school districts are creating Technology Departments & Committees to
address & some are trying to standardize their districts digital education
needs & operation.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">A
student’s performance & grade is increasingly being assessed based on their
digital performance.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">There
are many tools young blind & low vision students can use to access what
they need.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">What
information is “visible” on a given website can vary depending on the tool used
to access it; the same website may look very different to a student using a
Braille Notaker vs iphone vs ipad vs laptop with JAWS vs a Mac laptop.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">This is
no longer an issue just for students at the upper grade levels, but also in the
early education years down to kindergarten & preschool.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">As
parents, vi professionals, & students interact with classroom teachers
& with school districts they need to figure out how accessible things are.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">This is
not an academic or philosophical question, but rather a very real issue.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">Given the
spectrum of tools & age groups pre-k through grad school, has anyone come across
an accepted working definition of what “accessible” now means?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">I look
forward to your thoughts, insights & discussion.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">Respectfully,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:blue">EricV</span></p>
</blockquote></div><br>
</div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div><span>_______________________________________________</span><br><span>Pibe-division mailing list</span><br><span><a href="mailto:Pibe-division@nfbnet.org">Pibe-division@nfbnet.org</a></span><br><span><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/pibe-division_nfbnet.org">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/pibe-division_nfbnet.org</a></span><br><span>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Pibe-division:</span><br><span><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/pibe-division_nfbnet.org/ericguillory%40aol.com">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/pibe-division_nfbnet.org/ericguillory%40aol.com</a></span></div></blockquote></body></html>