[VABS] Nova

Thu Jul 20 02:05:46 UTC 2017

Naim,

How you obtain textbooks partly depends on your prefered format and whether 
its available. As someone who desired human voices since for me the 
synthetic voice of jaws was hard to concentrate with, I tried hard to obtain 
my texts via learning ally, formly Recording for the blind.
You can download books and then you unzip them on your harddrive of your pc 
if you have the learning ally membership.

I typically purchased the print text although I often got used books as this 
was less expensive.
I suggest purchasing a hard copy of the books because you might need proof 
of purchase.

To obtain electronic accessible books from Nova, you would need to indicate 
accessible textbooks on your memo of accomodations which is now in the 
student disability database. They used to be supplied by your disability 
counselor.
Now your MOA is online and you have to print it yourself to give to every 
professor you have.

So, with textbook accomodations written down, you can request electronic 
textbooks from the disability office.
They just changed the policy. I believe there is a form you fill out for 
accessible texts. You fill it out and send the form to the campus wide 
alternate text and web accessibility coordinator, Tim Ferebee.

I'm not exactly sure how they deliver the accessible electronic text to you. 
When Tim came aboard, in the two semesters I worked with him, one semester 
had no textbook, we just had online readings and the other semester Tim 
could not obtain the textbook for me. The publisher never responded to him.
You might want to ask your disability counselor about this.
Nova should be able to provide electronic textbooks upon request and they 
obtain it from the publisher.
If Nova does not get it from the publisher, they should be able to scan it 
for you. You might need the receit to show proof of purchase before they put 
in the publisher request.
You can also just use the learning ally audio version if available and if 
you like the audio copy.
This requires no action from Nova.
I had the hard copy as a back up if I did not like sections of the audio 
book or if I needed a passage read to obtain the spellings of names or 
graphics described. I asked classmates to help or used a hired reader I 
found for this purpose.
Sometimes volunteer readers of learning ally books were not clear enough for 
me and this is when I used other human readers or even scanned it and read 
it with Openbook as a last resort.

As to some online license with your books, I do not think this is a full 
textbook online. I think what it is will be an online study guide or 
summary. At least that is what it was with my textbooks.

HTH,
Ashley

-----Original Message----- 
From: Naim Abu-ElHawa via VABS
Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 2017 6:05 PM
To: Virginia Association of Blind Students list
Cc: Naim Abu-ElHawa
Subject: Re: [VABS] Nova

Hello, All:

Good Day. I apologize if I am asking a very dumb question: however, how does 
one go about acquiring textbooks at NOVA As a blind individual??? The reason 
I ask is because I went to the bookstore yesterday and found out that with 
the majority of print textbooks purchased, one automatically gets access to 
a license to access the online version of that particular textbook. First of 
all: is that the most practical way for me to acquire my textbooks? Second 
question is: should I go ahead and purchase that bulky print textbook to 
acquire the license, or is there another method to go about doing so, 
(acquiring the digital license?)?

Again, sorry to bother you all with such a ridiculous question, I just 
really do not know. You know, the endeavors of a first year college student. 
Thank you all in advanced… Thanks…
Many Thanks And Much Respect.

Sincerely,

Naim Muawia Abu-El Hawa

Student: Northern Virginia Community College.
Member: Virginia Association of Blind Students.
Member: National Association of Blind Students.
Member: National Federation of the Blind.

Email Address: nmabuelhawa at gmail.com

Cell Phone Number: (202) 848-8932

"It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is 
the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow."
Robert H. Goddard

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jul 6, 2017, at 10:33 AM, Michael Munn via VABS <vabs at nfbnet.org> 
> wrote:
>
> Thank you that's good to know. I appreciate
> By the way, Don't forgot we have a conference call at  7:00 Pm tonight.
> Warmly  Michael Munn
>
>
> On Thu, Jul 6, 2017 at 2:20 AM, Naim Abu-ElHawa via VABS <vabs at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
>
>> Okay, I do not know what happened/what went glitchy with that last
>> message, just to reiterate why we must keep up-to-date with technology.
>> Anyway, you guys get the point of the end of that message, just a
>> disclaimer and I am not trying to put anything in life in a negative
>> light.  The statements in the previous message were just observations, of
>> course. Also, I thank you all for listening/reading......
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Naim Muawia Abu-El Hawa
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>> On Jul 4, 2017, at 11:39 AM, Ashley Bramlett via VABS <vabs at nfbnet.org>
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Mark,
>>>
>>> Happy 4th of july to you too!
>>> I'm planning to go to the fireworks later.
>>>
>>> Nova does not spend much money on accomodations, true.
>>> However, if you went there a few years back, much has changed.
>>> Jaws was updated at annandale and I heard other campuses too.
>>> I personally think Nova needs an OCR program for students to use such as
>> Openbook.
>>> They have a new accessibility coordinator who is much more responsive
>> about converting inaccessible pdfs into accessible ones.
>>>
>>> You can also take exams on the pc and write your answers on a word file
>> if you want to.
>>> Jaws should be in all testing centers. It needs to be so blind students
>> can use the pcs.
>>> At annandale, jaws always worked for me at the testing center.
>>> Nova policy does not allow you to bring your own
>>> equipment into the testing centers. You have to use their pcs.
>>>
>>> I totally agree with you that pcs with assistive technology should not
>> be separate!
>>> You should not be an outcast!
>>> However that is the case at a large university nearby.
>>> To anyone needing jaws at GMU, I warn of this.
>>> GMU has a separate assistive technology lab in the libraries on the main
>> campus. I cannot speak to other campuses. On the fairfax campus wich is 
>> the
>> main one, the labs are separate.
>>> So, you have to be segregated from everyone else.
>>> I hang around GMU sometimes to see friends or go to their library since
>> I can get into music databases Nova does not have. I've looked up some
>> things for my own knowledge and for my volunteer projects on GMU's
>> computers.
>>> As a public school, the public can come in to the library. Nova students
>> can also check out a limited number of GMU books. So, Niam, if you have a
>> reader and are working on a paper, you can check out GMU books with your
>> Nova ID card. Then read them with someone in a study room.
>>> To access GMU computers, anyone else from the public can get on any
>> public computer; no questions asked; no requests needed.
>>> But for me, I have to be asked and escorted to the assistive tech lab
>> where sometimes jaws is a demo version. Sometimes IT did not install it
>> right so mix ups happen.
>>> I wish I could get on the regular university computers to do research
>> like anyone else. But at least I do get some access as a guest to the
>> library, albeit a separate place.
>>> For GMU students, they can get into the lab via a code they are given.
>> But it is still a separate locked place and a  segregated place.
>>>
>>> GMU is george mason university in case anyone did not know.
>>>
>>> Thanks for the info on the surface pro. I'll look at one sometime.
>>> Very helpful to know it runs like a laptop.
>>>
>>> Ashley
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message----- From: Marc Canamaso
>>> Sent: Tuesday, July 04, 2017 8:40 AM
>>> To: Virginia Association of Blind Students list
>>> Cc: Marc Canamaso ; Ashley Bramlett
>>> Subject: Re: [VABS] Nova
>>>
>>> Morning Ya’ll!!
>>>
>>> Happy 4th to all VABS members. I hope that you all enjoy every second of
>> it.
>>>
>>> Ashley,
>>>
>>> To answer your question about JAWS at the Manassas campus I will say the
>> most difficult part is finding a justification in updating the software 
>> to
>> a more up to date version. From my expense NOVA fails to do any form of
>> accommodating if there isn’t a huge pay off on their part. Please note,
>> this is just my experience. NOVA is a wonderful school and highly 
>> encourage
>> those to attend if they wish save money and unsure of their career goals.
>> Also, another alarming fact that I have come across when visiting the
>> campus library was that the only JAWS computer they had at the time was
>> held in a small room cut off from the rest of the other computers. It was
>> indeed a disappointment and shock to see that a student who needs JAWS 
>> has
>> to be treated as an outcast or singled out. Again, this was about 2 years
>> ago from the last time I was at NOVA. I will check again this coming Fall
>> when I start classes.
>>>
>>> Also, just as Naim had said before the Surface Pro can and will allow
>> full access to Microsoft applications for all computer needs. Although it
>> is a tablet, when it is in Laptop mode the Surface can compete as a high
>> functioning computer. Before you buy the Surface Pro please know the
>> operating system may be Windows 10. This is important because the latest
>> version of JAWS does not work so smoothly. I believe my surface pro is
>> running JAWS 16 or 17 which works much easier with some minor complaints.
>> If ya’ll haven’t figured things out yet  I’m kinda of a nerd when it 
>> comes
>> to computers. Computers and people are my hobbies.
>>>
>>> Thanks again,
>>> Marc A. Canamaso =
>>>
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>>
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