From ea at emptech.info Tue Aug 1 06:43:21 2006 From: ea at emptech.info (E.A. Draffan) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] Thunder free screen reader for personal home users. Message-ID: <001201c6b570$761d3cb0$0b01a8c0@laptop> Apologies for cross posting but I thought you may be interested in the launch of a new product here in the UK. Thunder is available from www.screenreader.net, It offers the possibility of a talking screen reader free for personal home use by blind people with a modest subscription charge licence to organisations, colleges, schools and universities etc. It is possible to upgrade to a professional version using RealSpeak voices. It is great on usability with no off screen model or video intercept if you are technically minded. The partners behind the project can be found at http://www.screenreader.net/index.php?section=Partners and 'screenreader.net' is a social firm, a not for profit Community Interest Company. Do pass on this news to those who may be interested. Best Wishes E.A. Mrs E.A. Draffan Assistive Technologist Mobile: 07976 289103 http://www.emptech.info/ -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.10.5/403 - Release Date: 28/07/2006 From djbrky at bu.edu Wed Aug 2 09:53:33 2006 From: djbrky at bu.edu (Berkowitz, Daniel J) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] FW: [Access Technologists Higher Education Network] Podcast of Note - "Fly With Me" Message-ID: ________________________________ From: D. Berkowitz [mailto:djbrky@bu.edu] Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2006 12:10 PM To: Berkowitz, Daniel J Subject: [Access Technologists Higher Education Network] Podcast of Note - "Fly With Me" Taking a brief break from the Mac testing to introduce a podcast I discovered recently - Fly With Me produced by 'JoePodcaster' - a guy who is a pilot for a major U.S. air carrier. Normally I would not post about a non-access tech related podcast on this blog, but episode eleven (11) caught my ear enough that I just had to share. Here is the link to the mp3 download . In episode eleven, Joe interviews a listener who has a bit of a technology/computer background with a dream of learning how to pilot a helicopter. What makes this relevant to ATHEN is that this gentleman is blind and during the interview they discuss the auditory and tactile side of aircraft controls . I recommend the entire podcast - all 14 episodes and then some. I especially enjoyed episodes 8 and 8.5 "When Things Go Wrong" and episode 12 wih the real life "Snake on a Plane". Listen and enjoy. -- Posted by D. Berkowitz to Access Technologists Higher Education Network at 8/02/2006 10:31:00 AM -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From WCOCCHI at cscc.edu Wed Aug 2 09:59:30 2006 From: WCOCCHI at cscc.edu (Wayne Cocchi) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] FW: [Access Technologists Higher Education Network] Podcastof Note - "Fly With Me" (I am sorry but I will be out of the office.) Message-ID: Hello and thank you for your e-mail. I am sorry I can not respond to you at this time. I will be out of the office Wednesday August 2nd from 11-4:30. If you wish to speak with someone you may call Darla Van Horn at 614-287-2570 (V/TTY) and you will be directed to the appropriate staff. Thank you and have a good day. >>> athen 08/02/06 12:53 >>> ________________________________ From: D. Berkowitz [mailto:djbrky@bu.edu] Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2006 12:10 PM To: Berkowitz, Daniel J Subject: [Access Technologists Higher Education Network] Podcast of Note - "Fly With Me" Taking a brief break from the Mac testing to introduce a podcast I discovered recently - Fly With Me produced by 'JoePodcaster' - a guy who is a pilot for a major U.S. air carrier. Normally I would not post about a non-access tech related podcast on this blog, but episode eleven (11) caught my ear enough that I just had to share. Here is the link to the mp3 download . In episode eleven, Joe interviews a listener who has a bit of a technology/computer background with a dream of learning how to pilot a helicopter. What makes this relevant to ATHEN is that this gentleman is blind and during the interview they discuss the auditory and tactile side of aircraft controls . I recommend the entire podcast - all 14 episodes and then some. I especially enjoyed episodes 8 and 8.5 "When Things Go Wrong" and episode 12 wih the real life "Snake on a Plane". Listen and enjoy. -- Posted by D. Berkowitz to Access Technologists Higher Education Network at 8/02/2006 10:31:00 AM From jbailey at uoregon.edu Thu Aug 3 14:42:58 2006 From: jbailey at uoregon.edu (James Bailey) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] Google tests web search for blind In-Reply-To: <001201c6b570$761d3cb0$0b01a8c0@laptop> References: <001201c6b570$761d3cb0$0b01a8c0@laptop> Message-ID: Interesting article at: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3739435a28,00.html Here's a teaser: "TV Raman, a research scientist at Mountain View, California-based Google, said his project sorts search results based on the simplicity of page layout, the quality of design and the organization and labeling of information on each page." James Bailey Adaptive Technology Access Adviser, University of Oregon 1299 University of Oregon Eugene, OR 97403-1299 Office: 541-346-1076 jbailey@darkwing.uoregon.edu From skeegan at htctu.net Thu Aug 3 17:28:05 2006 From: skeegan at htctu.net (sean keegan) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] Google tests web search for blind In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <00a601c6b75c$dd6a6710$62821299@htctrnpc5> I have seen the new google accessible search and have some mixed reactions about it. From the user's perspective, it is much easier to use with a screen-reader and can be "reflowed" reasonably well. TV Raman seems to be the one who really put some work behind this (he is the blind developer who created Emacspeak), so it is not surprising that it is designed for those using screen-readers. My concern about this, however, is how Web developers will interpret this new search function. There is a difference in search results between the accessible search and the regular google search - the accessible search relies on a different page ranking algorithm to identify Web sites that are "screen-reader friendly". There is a whole field of Web "professionals" dedicated to giving their company the highest ranking possible for the google search results. It would be unfortunate if we saw the reappearance of "text-only" sites in an attempt to get the ranking high on both the regular google search AND the accessible google search. It will be interesting to see how this plays out... Sean Keegan Web Accessibility Instructor High Tech Center Training Unit, California Community Colleges -----Original Message----- From: athen-bounces@athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces@athenpro.org] On Behalf Of James Bailey Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2006 2:43 PM To: Access Technologists in Higher Education Network Subject: [Athen] Google tests web search for blind Interesting article at: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3739435a28,00.html Here's a teaser: "TV Raman, a research scientist at Mountain View, California-based Google, said his project sorts search results based on the simplicity of page layout, the quality of design and the organization and labeling of information on each page." James Bailey Adaptive Technology Access Adviser, University of Oregon 1299 University of Oregon Eugene, OR 97403-1299 Office: 541-346-1076 jbailey@darkwing.uoregon.edu _______________________________________________ Athen mailing list Athen@athenpro.org http://athenpro.org/mailman/listinfo/athen_athenpro.org From kestrell at MIT.EDU Fri Aug 4 06:28:24 2006 From: kestrell at MIT.EDU (Kestrell) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] Google tests web search for blind References: <00a601c6b75c$dd6a6710$62821299@htctrnpc5> Message-ID: <00cf01c6b7cb$8c4c90f0$10fea8c0@Galatea> I agree with feeling that tools such as the accessible Google one present the unfortunate possibility of encouraging the scenario for a "separate but (not-quite) equal" approach to Web site. design. My best example at the moment is the Amazon accessible site, which doesn't seem to allow me to actually use any of the tools I always use, such as my wishlist. Kes ----- Original Message ----- From: sean keegan To: 'Access Technologists in Higher Education Network' Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2006 8:28 PM Subject: Re: [Athen] Google tests web search for blind I have seen the new google accessible search and have some mixed reactions about it. From the user's perspective, it is much easier to use with a screen-reader and can be "reflowed" reasonably well. TV Raman seems to be the one who really put some work behind this (he is the blind developer who created Emacspeak), so it is not surprising that it is designed for those using screen-readers. My concern about this, however, is how Web developers will interpret this new search function. There is a difference in search results between the accessible search and the regular google search - the accessible search relies on a different page ranking algorithm to identify Web sites that are "screen-reader friendly". There is a whole field of Web "professionals" dedicated to giving their company the highest ranking possible for the google search results. It would be unfortunate if we saw the reappearance of "text-only" sites in an attempt to get the ranking high on both the regular google search AND the accessible google search. It will be interesting to see how this plays out... Sean Keegan Web Accessibility Instructor High Tech Center Training Unit, California Community Colleges -----Original Message----- From: athen-bounces@athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces@athenpro.org] On Behalf Of James Bailey Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2006 2:43 PM To: Access Technologists in Higher Education Network Subject: [Athen] Google tests web search for blind Interesting article at: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3739435a28,00.html Here's a teaser: "TV Raman, a research scientist at Mountain View, California-based Google, said his project sorts search results based on the simplicity of page layout, the quality of design and the organization and labeling of information on each page." James Bailey Adaptive Technology Access Adviser, University of Oregon 1299 University of Oregon Eugene, OR 97403-1299 Office: 541-346-1076 jbailey@darkwing.uoregon.edu _______________________________________________ Athen mailing list Athen@athenpro.org http://athenpro.org/mailman/listinfo/athen_athenpro.org _______________________________________________ Athen mailing list Athen@athenpro.org http://athenpro.org/mailman/listinfo/athen_athenpro.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tft at u.washington.edu Fri Aug 4 07:14:24 2006 From: tft at u.washington.edu (Terry Thompson) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] Google tests web search for blind In-Reply-To: <00cf01c6b7cb$8c4c90f0$10fea8c0@Galatea> Message-ID: <200608041414.k74EEOlk016916@smtp.washington.edu> I don't think Google's Accessible Search rewards "text only" sites. It seems to look for good heading structure, alt text on images, HTML (as opposed to Flash), etc. and factors all this in when ranking which sites best meet the user's search needs. The idea is to provide search results that users can access. On the other hand, one blind colleague has said that relevance is of more interest to her than accessibility - she would rather struggle through a relatively inaccessible site if that's the site with the best information. This is a valid point, but she can always use the standard Google search - at least with the new Accessible search users have a choice. As an example of Google's Accessible Search, here's a repost of a test I did recently - sorry for the cross-post for those who may have seen this on another list... My seach was for "Monster House", since my kids have been wanting to see the movie. A standard Google search (NOT using Accessible Search) returns the following: 1. The official Monster House home page at sonypictures.com. The entire site was created in Flash, and is not at all accessible. 2. The Apple Trailers Monster House page - highly graphic, but all graphics have ALT tags. Links from this page lead to movie trailers. 3. The IMDB.com Monster House page, which uses frames, has poorly tagged graphics, and is very challenging for a screen reader user. 4. The rottentomatoes.com Monster House page, which is a very busy page with multiple layers of navigation, no valid HTML structure, and no means of skipping past the navigation to get to the main content of the page. Again, very difficult for a screen reader user to access. In contrast, when I do the same search using Google's Accessible Search, the Apple Trailers page is the only one of the original four that shows up in the first page of results. The Apple Trailers page doesn't move up to #1 though - it's #3, superceded by a couple of pages that are at least equally accessible yet seem to have more information. The accessible top 4 are: 1. A review at cinematical.com. There's a lot of crap at the top of the page, and the page uses iframes, but these shortcomings are offset by its use of valid HTML headings, so a screen reader user can with one keystroke jump directly to the main content, and everything is text from that point on. 2. Wikipedia's Monster House entry. Highly accessible, and highly informative (*too* informative for those who haven't seen the movie yet) 3. Apple Trailers, described above. 4. Monster House page at movietickets.com - This page has a valid HTML heading structure, and even has label tags on form fields. So, a screen reader user could get the scoop on Monster House much more quickly with Accessible Search than without, and could even order tickets. Terry Thompson DO-IT/AccessIT University of Washington tft@u.washington.edu ________________________________ From: athen-bounces@athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces@athenpro.org] On Behalf Of Kestrell Sent: Friday, August 04, 2006 6:28 AM To: Access Technologists in Higher Education Network Subject: Re: [Athen] Google tests web search for blind I agree with feeling that tools such as the accessible Google one present the unfortunate possibility of encouraging the scenario for a "separate but (not-quite) equal" approach to Web site. design. My best example at the moment is the Amazon accessible site, which doesn't seem to allow me to actually use any of the tools I always use, such as my wishlist. Kes ----- Original Message ----- From: sean keegan To: 'Access Technologists in Higher Education Network' Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2006 8:28 PM Subject: Re: [Athen] Google tests web search for blind I have seen the new google accessible search and have some mixed reactions about it. From the user's perspective, it is much easier to use with a screen-reader and can be "reflowed" reasonably well. TV Raman seems to be the one who really put some work behind this (he is the blind developer who created Emacspeak), so it is not surprising that it is designed for those using screen-readers. My concern about this, however, is how Web developers will interpret this new search function. There is a difference in search results between the accessible search and the regular google search - the accessible search relies on a different page ranking algorithm to identify Web sites that are "screen-reader friendly". There is a whole field of Web "professionals" dedicated to giving their company the highest ranking possible for the google search results. It would be unfortunate if we saw the reappearance of "text-only" sites in an attempt to get the ranking high on both the regular google search AND the accessible google search. It will be interesting to see how this plays out... Sean Keegan Web Accessibility Instructor High Tech Center Training Unit, California Community Colleges -----Original Message----- From: athen-bounces@athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces@athenpro.org] On Behalf Of James Bailey Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2006 2:43 PM To: Access Technologists in Higher Education Network Subject: [Athen] Google tests web search for blind Interesting article at: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3739435a28,00.html Here's a teaser: "TV Raman, a research scientist at Mountain View, California-based Google, said his project sorts search results based on the simplicity of page layout, the quality of design and the organization and labeling of information on each page." James Bailey Adaptive Technology Access Adviser, University of Oregon 1299 University of Oregon Eugene, OR 97403-1299 Office: 541-346-1076 jbailey@darkwing.uoregon.edu _______________________________________________ Athen mailing list Athen@athenpro.org http://athenpro.org/mailman/listinfo/athen_athenpro.org _______________________________________________ Athen mailing list Athen@athenpro.org http://athenpro.org/mailman/listinfo/athen_athenpro.org From terrih at asu.edu Fri Aug 4 07:35:13 2006 From: terrih at asu.edu (Terri Hedgpeth) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] Google tests web search for blind Message-ID: <6DC38348EDE07642B024AA3CA0AA1BDC02DD81F0@EX04.asurite.ad.asu.edu> I agree with Terry's message. Also, this is not a "website" in the same sense that Amazon and Safeway grocery. This is simply a tool that offers an alternative for finding the most accessible sites. Really, consider what screen-readers such as JAWS and Window Eyes do to the visual display with a video intercept. I now use both regular Google and the Accessible search Google. I wish there was an equivalent for Google Scholar. Terri Hedgpeth Academic Research Professional Cubic, iCare box 87-8309 Arizona State University Tempe, AZ 85287-8309 (480) 727-8133 (voice) (480) 965-2751 (fax) http://cubic.asu.edu The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible. ________________________________ From: athen-bounces@athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces@athenpro.org] On Behalf Of Kestrell Sent: Friday, August 04, 2006 6:28 AM To: Access Technologists in Higher Education Network Subject: Re: [Athen] Google tests web search for blind I agree with feeling that tools such as the accessible Google one present the unfortunate possibility of encouraging the scenario for a "separate but (not-quite) equal" approach to Web site. design. My best example at the moment is the Amazon accessible site, which doesn't seem to allow me to actually use any of the tools I always use, such as my wishlist. Kes ----- Original Message ----- From: sean keegan To: 'Access Technologists in Higher Education Network' Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2006 8:28 PM Subject: Re: [Athen] Google tests web search for blind I have seen the new google accessible search and have some mixed reactions about it. From the user's perspective, it is much easier to use with a screen-reader and can be "reflowed" reasonably well. TV Raman seems to be the one who really put some work behind this (he is the blind developer who created Emacspeak), so it is not surprising that it is designed for those using screen-readers. My concern about this, however, is how Web developers will interpret this new search function. There is a difference in search results between the accessible search and the regular google search - the accessible search relies on a different page ranking algorithm to identify Web sites that are "screen-reader friendly". There is a whole field of Web "professionals" dedicated to giving their company the highest ranking possible for the google search results. It would be unfortunate if we saw the reappearance of "text-only" sites in an attempt to get the ranking high on both the regular google search AND the accessible google search. It will be interesting to see how this plays out... Sean Keegan Web Accessibility Instructor High Tech Center Training Unit, California Community Colleges -----Original Message----- From: athen-bounces@athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces@athenpro.org] On Behalf Of James Bailey Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2006 2:43 PM To: Access Technologists in Higher Education Network Subject: [Athen] Google tests web search for blind Interesting article at: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3739435a28,00.html Here's a teaser: "TV Raman, a research scientist at Mountain View, California-based Google, said his project sorts search results based on the simplicity of page layout, the quality of design and the organization and labeling of information on each page." James Bailey Adaptive Technology Access Adviser, University of Oregon 1299 University of Oregon Eugene, OR 97403-1299 Office: 541-346-1076 jbailey@darkwing.uoregon.edu _______________________________________________ Athen mailing list Athen@athenpro.org http://athenpro.org/mailman/listinfo/athen_athenpro.org _______________________________________________ Athen mailing list Athen@athenpro.org http://athenpro.org/mailman/listinfo/athen_athenpro.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bergerei at gse.harvard.edu Fri Aug 4 07:48:52 2006 From: bergerei at gse.harvard.edu (eileen berger) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] FW: [Access Technologists Higher Education Network] Podcast of Note - "Fly With Me" In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dan, I really enjoyed listening to this! thank you Eileen --On Wednesday, August 02, 2006 12:53 PM -0400 "Berkowitz, Daniel J" wrote: > > > > > __________________________________________________ > > From: D. Berkowitz [mailto:djbrky@bu.edu] > Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2006 12:10 PM > To: Berkowitz, Daniel J > Subject: [Access Technologists Higher Education Network] Podcast of Note > - "Fly With Me" > > > > Taking a brief break from the Mac testing to introduce a podcast I > discovered recently - Fly With Me produced by 'JoePodcaster' - a guy who > is a pilot for a major U.S. air carrier. Normally I would not post about > a non-access tech related podcast on this blog, but episode eleven (11) > caught my ear enough that I just had to share. Here is the link to the > mp3 download. > > In episode eleven, Joe interviews a listener who has a bit of a > technology/computer background with a dream of learning how to pilot a > helicopter. What makes this relevant to ATHEN is that this gentleman is > blind and during the interview they discuss the auditory and tactile side > of aircraft controls. > > I recommend the entire podcast - all 14 episodes and then some. I > especially enjoyed episodes 8 and 8.5 "When Things Go Wrong" and episode > 12 wih the real life "Snake on a Plane". Listen and enjoy. > > -- > Posted by D. Berkowitz to Access Technologists Higher Education Network > at 8/02/2006 10:31:00 AM Eileen Connell Berger Assistant Director Office of Student Affairs, Access and Disability Services Administrator Harvard University Graduate School of Education Larsen Hall G05 14 Appian Way, Cambridge, Ma. 02138 phone: 617 495 5838 fax: 617 496 8024 bergerei@gse.harvard.edu ___________________________________________________________________ This message is intended for the designated recipient(s). It may contain confidential or proprietary information and may be subject to confidentiality protections. If you are not a designated recipient, you may not review copy or distribute this message. If you receive this in error, please notify the sender by reply e-mail and delete this message. Thank you. From jbailey at uoregon.edu Mon Aug 7 10:52:32 2006 From: jbailey at uoregon.edu (James Bailey) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] Blackboard Awarded Patent on e-Learning Technology In-Reply-To: References: <001201c6b570$761d3cb0$0b01a8c0@laptop> Message-ID: fyi http://www.blackboard.com/company/press/release.aspx?id=887622 James Bailey Adaptive Technology Access Adviser, University of Oregon 1299 University of Oregon Eugene, OR 97403-1299 Office: 541-346-1076 jbailey@darkwing.uoregon.edu From WCOCCHI at cscc.edu Mon Aug 7 10:57:27 2006 From: WCOCCHI at cscc.edu (Wayne Cocchi) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] Blackboard Awarded Patent on e-Learning Technology (I am sorry but I will be out of the office.) Message-ID: Hello and thank you for your e-mail. I am sorry I can not respond to you at this time. I will be out of the office Monday August 7th at an Ohio Legal Rights Commission meeting. If you wish to speak with someone you may call Darla Van Horn at 614-287-2570 (V/TTY) and you will be directed to the appropriate staff. Thank you and have a good day. >>> athen 08/07/06 13:52 >>> fyi http://www.blackboard.com/company/press/release.aspx?id=887622 James Bailey Adaptive Technology Access Adviser, University of Oregon 1299 University of Oregon Eugene, OR 97403-1299 Office: 541-346-1076 jbailey@darkwing.uoregon.edu _______________________________________________ Athen mailing list Athen@athenpro.org http://athenpro.org/mailman/listinfo/athen_athenpro.org From djbrky at bu.edu Fri Aug 18 05:15:31 2006 From: djbrky at bu.edu (Berkowitz, Daniel J) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] Boston Access Tech Job Message-ID: This job appears to be more than simply running a tech lab. Looks like there is a fair amount of opportunity to expand one's technology repertoire. The salary is pretty good for the Boston area and the campus is easily accessible from the Orange Line (T) so you can get rid of the car and live in one of the greatest college towns in the world! And for you movie aficionados - BHCC is the college that Robin William's character taught at in 'Good Will Hunting'. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Assistive Technology Educator (Disabilities Counselor)-Disabilities Support Services-GRANT-FUNDED Institution: Bunker Hill Community College Location: Boston, MA Category: Admin - Disability Services Admin - Other Administrative Positions Posted: 08/16/2006 Application Due: Open Until Filled Type: Full Time The Assistive Technology Educator (Disabilities Counselor) will expand the Assistive technology infrastructure to meet the increasingly diverse needs of students with disabilities. The Counselor will conduct research, consult with faculty and staff, and train and assist faculty, staff and students in the use of technology available to accommodate students with disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. SPECIFIC DUTIES: * Assist the Coordinator of the Office for Students with Disabilities, in assessing student needs, maintaining current technology, customizing utilization of existing equipment to meet the individual needs of students with disabilities; * Research and make recommendation regarding new assistive technology equipment and software that would be appropriate and most effective in meeting the needs of students with disabilities; * Develop a curriculum and training program, and conduct training for and collaborate with BHCC faculty and staff, on learning disabilities and accommodations/strategies for students; * Advise students with disabilities, and assist them in developing an individualized learning plan consistent with their needs, including the use of assistive technology; * Maintain a profile of each student according to office policy and procedure, and a system for monitoring student progress; * Conduct support groups for students with disabilities. * Develop informational materials for dissemination, regarding the software, hardware current technology techniques, and academic software tutorials. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: * Master's degree in Special Education, Educational Psychology, Counseling, Deaf Education, or closely related field; with three years experience in college-level learning disability services including the use of assistive technology or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience * Proven ability to work effectively with a diverse faculty, staff, and student population * Demonstrated effective oral and written communication skills and collaborative skills * Proficiency in administrative computer technology including student information systems, databases, and Microsoft office and excel (or equivalent software. THE POSITION WILL REMAIN OPEN UNTIL FILLED. TO ENSURE CONSIDERATION, APPLICATION MATERIALS MUST BE RECEIVED BY SEPTEMBER 1, 2006. SALARY RANGE: $46,476.00 $55,772.00 APPLICATION PROCEDURE: 1. Letter of interest and qualifications addressing the requirements of this position 2. Comprehensive and current curriculum vitae or resume 3. Copy of transcripts. (Unofficial is acceptable) SUBMIT APPLICATION TO: Bunker Hill Community College, Molly B. Ambrose, Director, Human Resources & Labor Relations, 250 New Rutherford Avenue Boston, MA 02129-2925. Email: BhccResumes@bhcc.mass.edu Fax: (617) 228-3328 Application Information Postal Address: Molly B. Ambrose, Director Human Resources Bunker Hill Community College 250 New Rutherford Avenue Boston, MA 02129 Phone: 617 228-2455 Fax: 617 228-3328 Online App. Form: http://bhcc.mass.edu Email Address: BHCCResumes@bhcc.mass.edu ========================= Daniel Berkowitz - Assistant Director Boston University Office of Disability Services 19 Deerfield Street, 2nd floor Boston, MA 02215 (617) 353-3658 (office) (617) 353-9646 (fax) djbrky@bu.edu (eMail) www.bu.edu/disability From WCOCCHI at cscc.edu Fri Aug 18 05:22:23 2006 From: WCOCCHI at cscc.edu (Wayne Cocchi) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] Boston Access Tech Job (I am sorry but I will be out of the office.) Message-ID: Hello and thank you for your e-mail. I am sorry I can not respond to you at this time. I will be out of the office Thursday August 17th at the Governor's Council annual meeting. If you wish to speak with someone you may call Darla Van Horn at 614-287-2570 (V/TTY) and you will be directed to the appropriate staff. Thank you and have a good day. >>> athen 08/18/06 08:15 >>> This job appears to be more than simply running a tech lab. Looks like there is a fair amount of opportunity to expand one's technology repertoire. The salary is pretty good for the Boston area and the campus is easily accessible from the Orange Line (T) so you can get rid of the car and live in one of the greatest college towns in the world! And for you movie aficionados - BHCC is the college that Robin William's character taught at in 'Good Will Hunting'. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Assistive Technology Educator (Disabilities Counselor)-Disabilities Support Services-GRANT-FUNDED Institution: Bunker Hill Community College Location: Boston, MA Category: Admin - Disability Services Admin - Other Administrative Positions Posted: 08/16/2006 Application Due: Open Until Filled Type: Full Time The Assistive Technology Educator (Disabilities Counselor) will expand the Assistive technology infrastructure to meet the increasingly diverse needs of students with disabilities. The Counselor will conduct research, consult with faculty and staff, and train and assist faculty, staff and students in the use of technology available to accommodate students with disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. SPECIFIC DUTIES: * Assist the Coordinator of the Office for Students with Disabilities, in assessing student needs, maintaining current technology, customizing utilization of existing equipment to meet the individual needs of students with disabilities; * Research and make recommendation regarding new assistive technology equipment and software that would be appropriate and most effective in meeting the needs of students with disabilities; * Develop a curriculum and training program, and conduct training for and collaborate with BHCC faculty and staff, on learning disabilities and accommodations/strategies for students; * Advise students with disabilities, and assist them in developing an individualized learning plan consistent with their needs, including the use of assistive technology; * Maintain a profile of each student according to office policy and procedure, and a system for monitoring student progress; * Conduct support groups for students with disabilities. * Develop informational materials for dissemination, regarding the software, hardware current technology techniques, and academic software tutorials. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: * Master's degree in Special Education, Educational Psychology, Counseling, Deaf Education, or closely related field; with three years experience in college-level learning disability services including the use of assistive technology or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience * Proven ability to work effectively with a diverse faculty, staff, and student population * Demonstrated effective oral and written communication skills and collaborative skills * Proficiency in administrative computer technology including student information systems, databases, and Microsoft office and excel (or equivalent software. THE POSITION WILL REMAIN OPEN UNTIL FILLED. TO ENSURE CONSIDERATION, APPLICATION MATERIALS MUST BE RECEIVED BY SEPTEMBER 1, 2006. SALARY RANGE: $46,476.00 $55,772.00 APPLICATION PROCEDURE: 1. Letter of interest and qualifications addressing the requirements of this position 2. Comprehensive and current curriculum vitae or resume 3. Copy of transcripts. (Unofficial is acceptable) SUBMIT APPLICATION TO: Bunker Hill Community College, Molly B. Ambrose, Director, Human Resources & Labor Relations, 250 New Rutherford Avenue Boston, MA 02129-2925. Email: BhccResumes@bhcc.mass.edu Fax: (617) 228-3328 Application Information Postal Address: Molly B. Ambrose, Director Human Resources Bunker Hill Community College 250 New Rutherford Avenue Boston, MA 02129 Phone: 617 228-2455 Fax: 617 228-3328 Online App. Form: http://bhcc.mass.edu Email Address: BHCCResumes@bhcc.mass.edu ========================= Daniel Berkowitz - Assistant Director Boston University Office of Disability Services 19 Deerfield Street, 2nd floor Boston, MA 02215 (617) 353-3658 (office) (617) 353-9646 (fax) djbrky@bu.edu (eMail) www.bu.edu/disability _______________________________________________ Athen mailing list Athen@athenpro.org http://athenpro.org/mailman/listinfo/athen_athenpro.org From tft at u.washington.edu Mon Aug 21 16:12:09 2006 From: tft at u.washington.edu (Terry Thompson) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] FW: IBM Accessibility ODF Coding Challenge 2006 Message-ID: <200608212312.k7LNCE2X025254@smtp.washington.edu> This seems like something we should spread the word about on our campuses... IBM Accessibility ODF Coding Challenge 2006 It's a contest for undergraduates, in which they learn about accessibility, then either: (a) develop extensible accessibility validation tool for word processing documents created in Open Document Format (the emerging XML standard document format for saving and exchanging office documents); or (b) develop anything at all that addresses the theme of the competition ("practical applications that can seriously impact people's lives") There's more info here: http://www-306.ibm.com/able/contest/ Terry Thompson Technology Specialist, DO-IT University of Washington tft@u.washington.edu 206/221-4168 www.washington.edu/doit From ron.stewart at dolphinusa.com Wed Aug 23 05:40:55 2006 From: ron.stewart at dolphinusa.com (Ron Stewart) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] AAP Textbook Lookup Service Message-ID: <003801c6c6b1$629b6520$825ac180@RonsLaptop> This is one of the first outgrowths of the cooperative work of the AAP and the AHEAD E-Text Solutions Group. I would like to thank all of those who have been involved in this effort, and look forward as we continue to make progress in this area. Ron Stewart, Chair AHEAD E-Text Solutions Group FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ed McCoyd, 212-255-0200 ext. 264 Stacy Scarazzo, 202-220-4556 Publishers Launch Look-Up Service to Speed Delivery of Course Materials to Print-Disabled Students Online Database to Ease Task of Post-secondary Institutions' Disability Support Services Washington, D.C. (August 22, 2006) -- Higher education publisher members of the Association of American Publishers (AAP) today launched a beta version of a Publisher Look-Up Service. The online search tool, found at http://www.publisherlookup.org/, will enable Disabled Student Services (DSS) professionals who are seeking text materials in alternate formats for print-disabled students to more easily contact publishers. The Publisher Look-Up Service is a first step in AAP's Alternative Formats Solutions Initiative (AFSI), a national effort to identify ways to provide print-disabled post-secondary students with specially formatted course materials on a timely basis. AFSI research showed that publishers could make an immediate difference by launching the Publisher Look-Up Service, while still exploring longer-term solutions. "The Association of American Publishers heard repeatedly that DSS professionals can have a tough time figuring out whom to contact at a particular publishing house to request either an electronic format of a textbook or permission to scan that book in order to produce e-text. In response, AAP built the Publisher Look-Up Service, a Web site interface to help DSS professionals search for e-text and permissions contacts at college textbook publishing companies," said Ed McCoyd, AAP's director of digital policy. DSS offices at post-secondary institutions can search by textbook publisher or publisher imprint to access general information about the publishing company and appropriate contact information. Once provided with this information, DSS offices typically work with publishers to acquire an electronic version of a textbook to provide to print-disabled students. "We believe the Look-Up Service is a step in the right direction. Active participation by publishers and DSS professionals will make this beta launch a success, enabling us to enhance and improve the Look-Up Service with publisher-supplied data and user feedback. Our ultimate goal is to have completely accurate, up-to-date information on the site for the spring 2007 semester," McCoyd said. Publishers-AAP members and non-members-are encouraged to secure a login from AAP that enables them to directly upload, edit, and update company information on the site. To request a login, write highered@publishers.org. About AAP's Alternative Formats Solutions Initiative (AFSI) The Alternative Formats Solutions Initiative is a publisher-funded research project that involves colleges and universities, students, disabled students support services professionals, national and state disability advocacy groups, and technology providers in an effort to create a national framework of specific, practical solutions. The AAP-led program, which began in March 2006, is assessing problems faced by print-disabled students, including delays in getting their materials or the inability to receive the proper materials at all. AAP members were active participants in a federal solution for students in grades K-12, supporting the development and passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) of 2004. Building on that collaborative effort, the Association and its higher education publishers initiated their post-secondary efforts in April 2005 at a meeting of stakeholders in Washington, D.C. In December 2005, AAP hosted a meeting held by the Association on Higher Education And Disability (AHEAD) with publishers, college and university personnel, and other advocacy groups to gather input on how to move the process forward. At this meeting, AHEAD's E-text Solutions Group identified the Look-Up Service as a priority. About the Association of American Publishers The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry. AAP's more than 300 members include most of the major commercial book publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies. AAP members publish hardcover and paperback books in every field, educational materials for the elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and professional markets, scholarly journals, computer software, and electronic products and services. If you or someone you know cannot fully access the information on this page, please contact Ed McCoyd at emccoyd@publishers.org and request a version of this release be provided in a preferred alternate format. Every effort will be made to accommodate your preference. ### -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From WCOCCHI at cscc.edu Wed Aug 23 05:48:27 2006 From: WCOCCHI at cscc.edu (Wayne Cocchi) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] AAP Textbook Lookup Service (I am sorry but I will be out of the office.) Message-ID: Hello and thank you for your e-mail. I am sorry I can not respond to you at this time. I will be out of the office August 21-25. During my absence you may contact Nellie Nelson, Assistant Director, at 287-2571 or nnelson@cscc.edu, or Darla Van Horn, Offcie Assistant, at 614-287-2570 (V/TTY) and you will be directed to the appropriate staff. Thank you and have a good day. >>> athen 08/23/06 08:40 >>> This is one of the first outgrowths of the cooperative work of the AAP and the AHEAD E-Text Solutions Group. I would like to thank all of those who have been involved in this effort, and look forward as we continue to make progress in this area. Ron Stewart, Chair AHEAD E-Text Solutions Group FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ed McCoyd, 212-255-0200 ext. 264 Stacy Scarazzo, 202-220-4556 Publishers Launch Look-Up Service to Speed Delivery of Course Materials to Print-Disabled Students Online Database to Ease Task of Post-secondary Institutions' Disability Support Services Washington, D.C. (August 22, 2006) -- Higher education publisher members of the Association of American Publishers (AAP) today launched a beta version of a Publisher Look-Up Service. The online search tool, found at http://www.publisherlookup.org/, will enable Disabled Student Services (DSS) professionals who are seeking text materials in alternate formats for print-disabled students to more easily contact publishers. The Publisher Look-Up Service is a first step in AAP's Alternative Formats Solutions Initiative (AFSI), a national effort to identify ways to provide print-disabled post-secondary students with specially formatted course materials on a timely basis. AFSI research showed that publishers could make an immediate difference by launching the Publisher Look-Up Service, while still exploring longer-term solutions. "The Association of American Publishers heard repeatedly that DSS professionals can have a tough time figuring out whom to contact at a particular publishing house to request either an electronic format of a textbook or permission to scan that book in order to produce e-text. In response, AAP built the Publisher Look-Up Service, a Web site interface to help DSS professionals search for e-text and permissions contacts at college textbook publishing companies," said Ed McCoyd, AAP's director of digital policy. DSS offices at post-secondary institutions can search by textbook publisher or publisher imprint to access general information about the publishing company and appropriate contact information. Once provided with this information, DSS offices typically work with publishers to acquire an electronic version of a textbook to provide to print-disabled students. "We believe the Look-Up Service is a step in the right direction. Active participation by publishers and DSS professionals will make this beta launch a success, enabling us to enhance and improve the Look-Up Service with publisher-supplied data and user feedback. Our ultimate goal is to have completely accurate, up-to-date information on the site for the spring 2007 semester," McCoyd said. Publishers-AAP members and non-members-are encouraged to secure a login from AAP that enables them to directly upload, edit, and update company information on the site. To request a login, write highered@publishers.org. About AAP's Alternative Formats Solutions Initiative (AFSI) The Alternative Formats Solutions Initiative is a publisher-funded research project that involves colleges and universities, students, disabled students support services professionals, national and state disability advocacy groups, and technology providers in an effort to create a national framework of specific, practical solutions. The AAP-led program, which began in March 2006, is assessing problems faced by print-disabled students, including delays in getting their materials or the inability to receive the proper materials at all. AAP members were active participants in a federal solution for students in grades K-12, supporting the development and passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) of 2004. Building on that collaborative effort, the Association and its higher education publishers initiated their post-secondary efforts in April 2005 at a meeting of stakeholders in Washington, D.C. In December 2005, AAP hosted a meeting held by the Association on Higher Education And Disability (AHEAD) with publishers, college and university personnel, and other advocacy groups to gather input on how to move the process forward. At this meeting, AHEAD's E-text Solutions Group identified the Look-Up Service as a priority. About the Association of American Publishers The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry. AAP's more than 300 members include most of the major commercial book publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies. AAP members publish hardcover and paperback books in every field, educational materials for the elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and professional markets, scholarly journals, computer software, and electronic products and services. If you or someone you know cannot fully access the information on this page, please contact Ed McCoyd at emccoyd@publishers.org and request a version of this release be provided in a preferred alternate format. Every effort will be made to accommodate your preference. ### From skeegan at htctu.net Tue Aug 29 10:43:25 2006 From: skeegan at htctu.net (sean keegan) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] Web Accessibility Conference in Southern CA! Message-ID: <001a01c6cb92$a44002c0$62821299@htctrnpc5> For those of you in Southern California, you may want to forward this to your Web developers. Contact me if you have any questions. Take care, Sean ***** The California Web Accessibility Conference (CalWAC) is coming to CSU, Long Beach September 28-29, 2006. Interested in hands-on trainings focusing on Web accessibility issues and listening to knowledgeable speakers? Then the CalWAC conference is your place. If you have a Web team that you think would benefit from this opportunity, please forward them the information. Sessions will focus on Web accessibility with javascript, creating accessible Flash content, and developing PDF documents. The uses (and abuses) of Web page design as well as creating accessible dynamic menus, CSS, Web-based forms and other Web developement techniques will be examined at this event. The California Web Accessibility Conference provides two days of hands-on sessions with the tips and techniques important for improving Web page accessibility for all users. For more information about the conference, visit: http://www.knowbility.org/calwac There is a conference fee of $225, which includes lunch both days. A list of the different courses that will be available to attendees is at: http://www.knowbility.org/calwac/?content=courses Online registration is now open for the conference. This is a great opportunity to learn the techniques for making Web page content accessible AND usable for all your users! From Michael.Goldhammer at mhcc.edu Wed Aug 30 10:18:34 2006 From: Michael.Goldhammer at mhcc.edu (Michael Goldhammer) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] Jenzabar Portal Accessibility? Message-ID: Colleagues - Haven't posted in a while, been trying to drain swamps and you know what happens then! I'm trying to ascertain functionality and accessibility of Jenzabar Academic Portal for use by students with disabilities. Any comments on portals in general and Ideas as to how I can determine access for blind users would be appreciated. Here is a list of questions that I'm working on: 1. JAWS and Jenzabar keyboard shortcuts? 2 . Do I use web page verifiers to check for 508 standards for password protected portals? 3. What kind of training materials need to be in place to be effective for individuals with disabilities to use portals and specifically Jenzabar? Feedback is appreciated! Michael Goldhammer Assistive Technology Computer Specialist Mt Hood Community College 26000 S.E. Stark Street Gresham, Oregon 97030 503.491-7593 E-mail: Michael.Goldhammer@mhcc.edu Web Site: http://www.mhcc.edu/dso NOTICE: This e-mail (including attachments) is covered by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C._2510-2521, is confidential and may be privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please be aware that any retention, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication is prohibited. Please reply to the sender that you have received this message in error, then delete it. Thank you for helping to maintain privacy. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tumans at cahs.colostate.edu Wed Aug 30 13:53:21 2006 From: tumans at cahs.colostate.edu (Tuman,Sara) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] Dragon NS and Math/Engineering In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Hello, I am currently working with a student at Colorado State University who experienced a spinal cord injury and is now at an incomplete C5-C6 level. He is using Dragon right now for all his computing needs, although he can successfully manipulate a trackball mouse which helps. His main issue is that he is an engineering student and is looking for a program that interfaces well with Dragon but will allow him to dictate math and engineering lingo he needs. I am not too familiar with the engineering aspect so wanted to query all of you to see if anyone has experienced a similar situation and has any advice as to math or engineering programs that would interface well with Dragon. I've looked up and have demo Cds of mathtalk by metroplex but the student did not feel it would meet his needs for engineering entirely. Any suggestions? Thanks! sara Sara Tuman, MS, OTR Assistive Technology Resource Center (ATRC) Department of Occupational Therapy Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO 80523-1573 (970) 491-0625 F: (970) 491-6290 tumans@cahs.colostate.edu www.colostate.edu/Depts/ATRC Hours: T/W/F 9am-5pm ________________________________ From: athen-bounces@athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces@athenpro.org] On Behalf Of Michael Goldhammer Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 11:19 AM To: Athen@athenpro.org Subject: [Athen] Jenzabar Portal Accessibility? Colleagues - Haven't posted in a while, been trying to drain swamps and you know what happens then! I'm trying to ascertain functionality and accessibility of Jenzabar Academic Portal for use by students with disabilities. Any comments on portals in general and Ideas as to how I can determine access for blind users would be appreciated. Here is a list of questions that I'm working on: 1. JAWS and Jenzabar keyboard shortcuts? 2 . Do I use web page verifiers to check for 508 standards for password protected portals? 3. What kind of training materials need to be in place to be effective for individuals with disabilities to use portals and specifically Jenzabar? Feedback is appreciated! Michael Goldhammer Assistive Technology Computer Specialist Mt Hood Community College 26000 S.E. Stark Street Gresham, Oregon 97030 503.491-7593 E-mail: Michael.Goldhammer@mhcc.edu Web Site: http://www.mhcc.edu/dso NOTICE: This e-mail (including attachments) is covered by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C._2510-2521, is confidential and may be privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please be aware that any retention, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication is prohibited. Please reply to the sender that you have received this message in error, then delete it. Thank you for helping to maintain privacy. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Michael.Nusen at ppcc.edu Wed Aug 30 14:48:05 2006 From: Michael.Nusen at ppcc.edu (Nusen, Michael) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] Dragon NS and Math/Engineering Message-ID: <0B6DCE7FD0CAC8499F3F32584186A32504C37C67@ppcca1.ppcc.ccofc.edu> I just found out about a 30-day trial of Math Composer at http://www.mathcomposer.com/ but I don't know if it's compatible with Dragon. Thanks, Michael ________________________________ From: athen-bounces@athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces@athenpro.org] On Behalf Of Tuman,Sara Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 2:53 PM To: Access Technologists in Higher Education Network Subject: [Athen] Dragon NS and Math/Engineering Hello, I am currently working with a student at Colorado State University who experienced a spinal cord injury and is now at an incomplete C5-C6 level. He is using Dragon right now for all his computing needs, although he can successfully manipulate a trackball mouse which helps. His main issue is that he is an engineering student and is looking for a program that interfaces well with Dragon but will allow him to dictate math and engineering lingo he needs. I am not too familiar with the engineering aspect so wanted to query all of you to see if anyone has experienced a similar situation and has any advice as to math or engineering programs that would interface well with Dragon. I've looked up and have demo Cds of mathtalk by metroplex but the student did not feel it would meet his needs for engineering entirely. Any suggestions? Thanks! sara Sara Tuman, MS, OTR Assistive Technology Resource Center (ATRC) Department of Occupational Therapy Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO 80523-1573 (970) 491-0625 F: (970) 491-6290 tumans@cahs.colostate.edu www.colostate.edu/Depts/ATRC Hours: T/W/F 9am-5pm ________________________________ From: athen-bounces@athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces@athenpro.org] On Behalf Of Michael Goldhammer Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 11:19 AM To: Athen@athenpro.org Subject: [Athen] Jenzabar Portal Accessibility? Colleagues - Haven't posted in a while, been trying to drain swamps and you know what happens then! I'm trying to ascertain functionality and accessibility of Jenzabar Academic Portal for use by students with disabilities. Any comments on portals in general and Ideas as to how I can determine access for blind users would be appreciated. Here is a list of questions that I'm working on: 1. JAWS and Jenzabar keyboard shortcuts? 2 . Do I use web page verifiers to check for 508 standards for password protected portals? 3. What kind of training materials need to be in place to be effective for individuals with disabilities to use portals and specifically Jenzabar? Feedback is appreciated! Michael Goldhammer Assistive Technology Computer Specialist Mt Hood Community College 26000 S.E. Stark Street Gresham, Oregon 97030 503.491-7593 E-mail: Michael.Goldhammer@mhcc.edu Web Site: http://www.mhcc.edu/dso NOTICE: This e-mail (including attachments) is covered by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C._2510-2521, is confidential and may be privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please be aware that any retention, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication is prohibited. Please reply to the sender that you have received this message in error, then delete it. Thank you for helping to maintain privacy. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From wink.harner at mcmail.maricopa.edu Wed Aug 30 15:14:53 2006 From: wink.harner at mcmail.maricopa.edu (Wink Harner) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] Dragon NS and Math/Engineering In-Reply-To: <0B6DCE7FD0CAC8499F3F32584186A32504C37C67@ppcca1.ppcc.ccofc.edu> Message-ID: <44D64C7400003960@email3.dist.maricopa.edu> Hi Everyone, There is a great combo program called Math Talk with Scientific Notebook which will do a dandy job (easy to learn/train) which works with Dragon. Goes all the way from simple math through physics. If you need more info, please contact me. Blessings, Ms. Wink Harner Manager Disability Resources & Services Mesa Community College Mesa AZ >-- Original Message -- >Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2006 15:48:05 -0600 >From: "Nusen, Michael" >To: "Access Technologists in Higher Education Network" >Subject: Re: [Athen] Dragon NS and Math/Engineering >Reply-To: Access Technologists in Higher Education Network > > >I just found out about a 30-day trial of Math Composer at >http://www.mathcomposer.com/ but I don't know if it's compatible with >Dragon. >Thanks, >Michael >________________________________ > >From: athen-bounces@athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces@athenpro.org] On >Behalf Of Tuman,Sara >Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 2:53 PM >To: Access Technologists in Higher Education Network >Subject: [Athen] Dragon NS and Math/Engineering > > >Hello, I am currently working with a student at Colorado State >University who experienced a spinal cord injury and is now at an >incomplete C5-C6 level. He is using Dragon right now for all his >computing needs, although he can successfully manipulate a trackball >mouse which helps. His main issue is that he is an engineering student >and is looking for a program that interfaces well with Dragon but will >allow him to dictate math and engineering lingo he needs. I am not too >familiar with the engineering aspect so wanted to query all of you to >see if anyone has experienced a similar situation and has any advice as >to math or engineering programs that would interface well with Dragon. > >I've looked up and have demo Cds of mathtalk by metroplex but the >student did not feel it would meet his needs for engineering entirely. > >Any suggestions? > >Thanks! > >sara > > >Sara Tuman, MS, OTR >Assistive Technology Resource Center (ATRC) >Department of Occupational Therapy >Colorado State University >Fort Collins, CO 80523-1573 >(970) 491-0625 >F: (970) 491-6290 >tumans@cahs.colostate.edu >www.colostate.edu/Depts/ATRC >Hours: T/W/F 9am-5pm > > >________________________________ > >From: athen-bounces@athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces@athenpro.org] On >Behalf Of Michael Goldhammer >Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 11:19 AM >To: Athen@athenpro.org >Subject: [Athen] Jenzabar Portal Accessibility? > > >Colleagues - Haven't posted in a while, been trying to drain swamps and >you know what happens then! I'm trying to ascertain functionality and >accessibility of Jenzabar Academic Portal for use by students with >disabilities. Any comments on portals in general and Ideas as to how I >can determine access for blind users would be appreciated. > >Here is a list of questions that I'm working on: > >1. JAWS and Jenzabar keyboard shortcuts? > >2 . Do I use web page verifiers to check for 508 standards for password >protected portals? > >3. What kind of training materials need to be in place to be effective >for individuals with disabilities to use portals and specifically >Jenzabar? > >Feedback is appreciated! > >Michael Goldhammer >Assistive Technology Computer Specialist >Mt Hood Community College >26000 S.E. Stark Street >Gresham, Oregon 97030 >503.491-7593 >E-mail: Michael.Goldhammer@mhcc.edu > Web Site: >http://www.mhcc.edu/dso > >NOTICE: This e-mail (including attachments) is covered by the Electronic >Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C._2510-2521, is confidential and may >be privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please be aware >that any retention, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this >communication is prohibited. Please reply to the sender that you have >received this message in error, then delete it. Thank you for helping to >maintain privacy. > > >_______________________________________________ >Athen mailing list >Athen@athenpro.org >http://athenpro.org/mailman/listinfo/athen_athenpro.org Ms. Wink Harner Manager Disability Resources & Services Mesa Community College Mesa AZ 480-461-7447 From john.gardner at orst.edu Wed Aug 30 15:45:03 2006 From: john.gardner at orst.edu (John Gardner) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] Dragon NS and Math/Engineering In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20060830153841.0232ed60@orst.edu> Sarah, MathTalk was (I believe) intended primarily for people who are blind and cannot, for whatever reason, use a keyboard. If your student is not blind and can use a trackball, then he should be able to use an on-screen keyboard and to compose math with more or less any conventional math authoring application. Try Word with the MathType equation editor. Writing math will be tedious, but frankly I doubt that anything that composes math with speech is likely to be fast either. Am I missing something? John At 01:53 PM 8/30/2006, you wrote: >Hello, I am currently working with a student at Colorado State >University who experienced a spinal cord injury and is now at an >incomplete C5-C6 level. He is using Dragon right now for all his >computing needs, although he can successfully manipulate a trackball >mouse which helps. His main issue is that he is an engineering >student and is looking for a program that interfaces well with >Dragon but will allow him to dictate math and engineering lingo he >needs. I am not too familiar with the engineering aspect so wanted >to query all of you to see if anyone has experienced a similar >situation and has any advice as to math or engineering programs that >would interface well with Dragon. > >I've looked up and have demo Cds of mathtalk by metroplex but the >student did not feel it would meet his needs for engineering entirely. > >Any suggestions? > >Thanks! > >sara > >Sara Tuman, MS, OTR >Assistive Technology Resource Center (ATRC) >Department of Occupational Therapy >Colorado State University >Fort Collins, CO 80523-1573 >(970) 491-0625 >F: (970) 491-6290 >tumans@cahs.colostate.edu >www.colostate.edu/Depts/ATRC >Hours: T/W/F 9am-5pm > > > >---------- >From: athen-bounces@athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces@athenpro.org] >On Behalf Of Michael Goldhammer >Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 11:19 AM >To: Athen@athenpro.org >Subject: [Athen] Jenzabar Portal Accessibility? > >Colleagues - Haven't posted in a while, been trying to drain swamps >and you know what happens then! I'm trying to ascertain >functionality and accessibility of Jenzabar Academic Portal for use >by students with disabilities. Any comments on portals in general >and Ideas as to how I can determine access for blind users would be >appreciated. > >Here is a list of questions that I'm working on: > >1. JAWS and Jenzabar keyboard shortcuts? > >2 . Do I use web page verifiers to check for 508 standards for >password protected portals? > >3. What kind of training materials need to be in place to be >effective for individuals with disabilities to use portals and >specifically Jenzabar? > >Feedback is appreciated! > > >Michael Goldhammer >Assistive Technology Computer Specialist >Mt Hood Community College >26000 S.E. Stark Street >Gresham, Oregon 97030 >503.491-7593 >E-mail: >Michael.Goldhammer@mhcc.edu >Web Site: http://www.mhcc.edu/dso > >NOTICE: This e-mail (including attachments) is covered by the >Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C._2510-2521, is >confidential and may be privileged. If you are not the intended >recipient, please be aware that any retention, dissemination, >distribution, or copying of this communication is prohibited. Please >reply to the sender that you have received this message in error, >then delete it. Thank you for helping to maintain privacy. > >_______________________________________________ >Athen mailing list >Athen@athenpro.org >http://athenpro.org/mailman/listinfo/athen_athenpro.org John A. Gardner Professor and Director, Science Access Project Department of Physics Oregon State University Corvallis, OR 97331 tel: (541) 737 3278 FAX: (541) 737 1683 SAP URL: http://dots.physics.orst.edu/ From wink.harner at mcmail.maricopa.edu Wed Aug 30 16:02:52 2006 From: wink.harner at mcmail.maricopa.edu (Wink Harner) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] Dragon NS and Math/Engineering In-Reply-To: <6.2.5.6.2.20060830153841.0232ed60@orst.edu> Message-ID: <44D64C7400003987@email3.dist.maricopa.edu> Hu John, Math Talk is for anyone with a math disability, orthopedic impairment or who is visually impaired/blind. It is easy to use & train...really easy! If you toggle between Dragon Professional (after training the engineering vocabulary which can, by the way, be scanned with OCR, copied from another file into the student's computer or manually entered--Dragon will 'mine' the vocabulary from the hard drive and make it easy to train) and MATH TALK, the student can dictate the math problems, copy to MSW & dictate words with Dragon. It may be a bit awkward at first but with the alt + tab key it's very simple to toggle between programs/screens. Blessings! Wink >-- Original Message -- >Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2006 15:45:03 -0700 >To: Access Technologists in Higher Education Network >From: John Gardner >Subject: Re: [Athen] Dragon NS and Math/Engineering >Reply-To: Access Technologists in Higher Education Network > > >Sarah, MathTalk was (I believe) intended primarily for people who are >blind and cannot, for whatever reason, use a keyboard. If your >student is not blind and can use a trackball, then he should be able >to use an on-screen keyboard and to compose math with more or less >any conventional math authoring application. Try Word with the >MathType equation editor. Writing math will be tedious, but frankly >I doubt that anything that composes math with speech is likely to be >fast either. > >Am I missing something? > >John > > > > >At 01:53 PM 8/30/2006, you wrote: > >>Hello, I am currently working with a student at Colorado State >>University who experienced a spinal cord injury and is now at an >>incomplete C5-C6 level. He is using Dragon right now for all his >>computing needs, although he can successfully manipulate a trackball >>mouse which helps. His main issue is that he is an engineering >>student and is looking for a program that interfaces well with >>Dragon but will allow him to dictate math and engineering lingo he >>needs. I am not too familiar with the engineering aspect so wanted >>to query all of you to see if anyone has experienced a similar >>situation and has any advice as to math or engineering programs that >>would interface well with Dragon. >> >>I've looked up and have demo Cds of mathtalk by metroplex but the >>student did not feel it would meet his needs for engineering entirely. >> >>Any suggestions? >> >>Thanks! >> >>sara >> >>Sara Tuman, MS, OTR >>Assistive Technology Resource Center (ATRC) >>Department of Occupational Therapy >>Colorado State University >>Fort Collins, CO 80523-1573 >>(970) 491-0625 >>F: (970) 491-6290 >>tumans@cahs.colostate.edu >>www.colostate.edu/Depts/ATRC >>Hours: T/W/F 9am-5pm >> >> >> >>---------- >>From: athen-bounces@athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces@athenpro.org] >>On Behalf Of Michael Goldhammer >>Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 11:19 AM >>To: Athen@athenpro.org >>Subject: [Athen] Jenzabar Portal Accessibility? >> >>Colleagues - Haven't posted in a while, been trying to drain swamps >>and you know what happens then! I'm trying to ascertain >>functionality and accessibility of Jenzabar Academic Portal for use >>by students with disabilities. Any comments on portals in general >>and Ideas as to how I can determine access for blind users would be >>appreciated. >> >>Here is a list of questions that I'm working on: >> >>1. JAWS and Jenzabar keyboard shortcuts? >> >>2 . Do I use web page verifiers to check for 508 standards for >>password protected portals? >> >>3. What kind of training materials need to be in place to be >>effective for individuals with disabilities to use portals and >>specifically Jenzabar? >> >>Feedback is appreciated! >> >> >>Michael Goldhammer >>Assistive Technology Computer Specialist >>Mt Hood Community College >>26000 S.E. Stark Street >>Gresham, Oregon 97030 >>503.491-7593 >>E-mail: >>Michael.Goldhammer@mhcc.edu >>Web Site: http://www.mhcc.edu/dso >> >>NOTICE: This e-mail (including attachments) is covered by the >>Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C._2510-2521, is >>confidential and may be privileged. If you are not the intended >>recipient, please be aware that any retention, dissemination, >>distribution, or copying of this communication is prohibited. Please >>reply to the sender that you have received this message in error, >>then delete it. Thank you for helping to maintain privacy. >> >>_______________________________________________ >>Athen mailing list >>Athen@athenpro.org >>http://athenpro.org/mailman/listinfo/athen_athenpro.org > >John A. Gardner >Professor and Director, Science Access Project >Department of Physics >Oregon State University >Corvallis, OR 97331 >tel: (541) 737 3278 >FAX: (541) 737 1683 > SAP URL: http://dots.physics.orst.edu/ > > >_______________________________________________ >Athen mailing list >Athen@athenpro.org >http://athenpro.org/mailman/listinfo/athen_athenpro.org Ms. Wink Harner Manager Disability Resources & Services Mesa Community College Mesa AZ 480-461-7447 From rbeach at kckcc.edu Thu Aug 31 08:46:44 2006 From: rbeach at kckcc.edu (Robert Beach) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] Angel online courseware Message-ID: Hi all, I found out, in a non-related meeting, that our institution is moving from WebCT to Angel for online courses. Since I know eventually the issue of accessibility will come up (and should have come up long before the decision was made), I was wondering if anybody has experience with the program. Any tips, tricks, hints, etc. will be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Robert Lee Beach Assistive Technology Specialist Kansas City Kansas Community College 7250 State Avenue Kansas City, KS 66112 Phone: (913) 288-7671 Fax: (913) 288-7678 E-mail: rbeach@kckcc.edu From kevin.sesock at okstate.edu Thu Aug 31 09:09:45 2006 From: kevin.sesock at okstate.edu (Sesock, Kevin A) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] Lecture Recording/Note-Taking Software Message-ID: <987761BC3F676843B8EAB3E0BEA07C8F8DF968@EXE2.ad.okstate.edu> All: We're trying to find a good OneNote alternative, or at least an alternative for two of the features in OneNote that seem pretty vital to many students. What we're looking for is note-taking synchronized with audio (video support a plus, but not required), but the best I can find is GoBinder or EverNote, which don't seem to do recordings. Open-Source would also be a plus, due to the fact that much of this software is expensive, and college students stereotypically aren't the wealthiest demographic. Thanks for the help. Kevin A. Sesock, A+, NET+, CNA, MCSA Assistive Technology Specialist Student Disability Services Division of Student Affairs Oklahoma State University http://access.it.okstate.edu "Hail to the speaker, hail to the knower; joy to he who has understood, delight to they who have listened." --Odin -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From djbrky at bu.edu Thu Aug 31 10:38:13 2006 From: djbrky at bu.edu (Berkowitz, Daniel J) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:04 2018 Subject: [Athen] Google makes thousands of classics available for downloading - The Boston Globe Message-ID: http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2006/08/31/joyce_dickens_g oogle____classics_are_there_to_download/ >From the Business Section of the Boston Globe - Just in time for the start of a new school year, the popular Google search service is making available thousands of classic books free. For now, the Google Book Search service offers full downloads only of "public domain" books, whose copyrights have expired. These include many of the most famous titles of all time, such as the writings of Dickens, Shakespeare, and Dante. It's the latest milestone in Google's campaign to do for books what it has done for websites. "Our goal is to create a comprehensive, full-text index of all the world's books," said Google Book Search group business product manager Adam Smith. Discussion about the Google Book Search project has taken place [on and off] on various listservs and at professional get togethers and till now the general consensus has been "well ... that's nice - but it doesn't do much for us." Because, you see, the Google project creates digital books that are in accessible for our needs. They are locked-formated and cannot be run through OCR or read by a Text-to-Speech program. The on-line library being created by Google was akin to the "look inside" samples one finds on the Amazon.com catalog. You could see more then just a few pages, but they were only available on-line with no downloading or other hanky-panky allowed. many were missing key passages and pages in order to comply with "fair use" doctrine that doesn't actually say how much of a given work is 'fair' to 'use' but merely stipulates that as long is it ain't the whole kit-n-kaboodle you can get away with it. But now it appears that Google has found it's booksharing backbone -- sorta. They have decided to offer downloadable PDF versions of out-of-copyright public domain (orphan?) works. Interesting, but nothing earth shattering to folks who have come to rely for years upon good ol' Gutenbgrg.net for the occasional title. Andthe best part - Gutenberg is years ahead of Google in having available clean versions that do need to be futzed with in order to prep them for further processing. Anyway - getting back to the texts available as complete PDF's, I semi-randomly chose "Flatland " from the 'download the classics ' post at the GoogleBlog . Downloaded it and ran it through Abby FineReader (v.8). The output is just as good as any other PDF we have run through OCR. Google has stamped each page with "Scanned by Google" which we would likely keep on the pages and convert to page number tags in the DAISY production process. Just when I was weighing the odds of the liklihood we would need to actually access any of the books Google has available, one of my student staff walked into the alt-media lab, saw what I was doing and said, "Yuck! I had to read that book for a math class and hated it!". This, of course, led to a discussion of what it was about, which led to a discussion of mid-19th cen. literature, which led to a discussion of the less well known works of Rousseau and from there onto the novel-before-movie version of The Princess Bride . But around here -- pretty much every discussion leads to TPB ... huuuum ... funny that. Well --- it looks like the Google Book Search and ones we can download for free is going to become part of my usual search for materials ritual . -- Posted by D. Berkowitz to Access Technologists Higher Education Network at 8/31/2006 12:14:00 PM -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Tim.Sears at mcckc.edu Thu Aug 31 12:04:30 2006 From: Tim.Sears at mcckc.edu (Tim Sears) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:05 2018 Subject: [Athen] Athen Digest, Vol 7, Issue 12 Message-ID: <44F6EC6E0200006700005630@MAIL.MCCKC.EDU> I have a question. Does anyone else have a problem with camera arms and zooming them in on the white boards. I have several complaints from students regarding the glare that the lights cause. Has anyone found a good workaround or recommendation. Tim Sears Adaptive Technology Specialist 3200 Broadway Blvd. Kansas City MO 64111 email: tim.sears@mcckc.edu telephone: 816-759-1092 "Encourage the Discouraged" >>> 08/31/06 2:00 PM >>> Send Athen mailing list submissions to athen@athenpro.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://athenpro.org/mailman/listinfo/athen_athenpro.org or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to athen-request@athenpro.org You can reach the person managing the list at athen-owner@athenpro.org When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Athen digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Re: Dragon NS and Math/Engineering (Wink Harner) 2. Angel online courseware (Robert Beach) 3. Lecture Recording/Note-Taking Software (Sesock, Kevin A) 4. Google makes thousands of classics available for downloading - The Boston Globe (Berkowitz, Daniel J) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2006 16:02:52 -0700 From: "Wink Harner" Subject: Re: [Athen] Dragon NS and Math/Engineering To: "Access Technologists in Higher Education Network" Message-ID: <44D64C7400003987@email3.dist.maricopa.edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Hu John, Math Talk is for anyone with a math disability, orthopedic impairment or who is visually impaired/blind. It is easy to use & train...really easy! If you toggle between Dragon Professional (after training the engineering vocabulary which can, by the way, be scanned with OCR, copied from another file into the student's computer or manually entered--Dragon will 'mine' the vocabulary from the hard drive and make it easy to train) and MATH TALK, the student can dictate the math problems, copy to MSW & dictate words with Dragon. It may be a bit awkward at first but with the alt + tab key it's very simple to toggle between programs/screens. Blessings! Wink >-- Original Message -- >Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2006 15:45:03 -0700 >To: Access Technologists in Higher Education Network >From: John Gardner >Subject: Re: [Athen] Dragon NS and Math/Engineering >Reply-To: Access Technologists in Higher Education Network > > >Sarah, MathTalk was (I believe) intended primarily for people who are >blind and cannot, for whatever reason, use a keyboard. If your >student is not blind and can use a trackball, then he should be able >to use an on-screen keyboard and to compose math with more or less >any conventional math authoring application. Try Word with the >MathType equation editor. Writing math will be tedious, but frankly >I doubt that anything that composes math with speech is likely to be >fast either. > >Am I missing something? > >John > > > > >At 01:53 PM 8/30/2006, you wrote: > >>Hello, I am currently working with a student at Colorado State >>University who experienced a spinal cord injury and is now at an >>incomplete C5-C6 level. He is using Dragon right now for all his >>computing needs, although he can successfully manipulate a trackball >>mouse which helps. His main issue is that he is an engineering >>student and is looking for a program that interfaces well with >>Dragon but will allow him to dictate math and engineering lingo he >>needs. I am not too familiar with the engineering aspect so wanted >>to query all of you to see if anyone has experienced a similar >>situation and has any advice as to math or engineering programs that >>would interface well with Dragon. >> >>I've looked up and have demo Cds of mathtalk by metroplex but the >>student did not feel it would meet his needs for engineering entirely. >> >>Any suggestions? >> >>Thanks! >> >>sara >> >>Sara Tuman, MS, OTR >>Assistive Technology Resource Center (ATRC) >>Department of Occupational Therapy >>Colorado State University >>Fort Collins, CO 80523-1573 >>(970) 491-0625 >>F: (970) 491-6290 >>tumans@cahs.colostate.edu >>www.colostate.edu/Depts/ATRC >>Hours: T/W/F 9am-5pm >> >> >> >>---------- >>From: athen-bounces@athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces@athenpro.org] >>On Behalf Of Michael Goldhammer >>Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 11:19 AM >>To: Athen@athenpro.org >>Subject: [Athen] Jenzabar Portal Accessibility? >> >>Colleagues - Haven't posted in a while, been trying to drain swamps >>and you know what happens then! I'm trying to ascertain >>functionality and accessibility of Jenzabar Academic Portal for use >>by students with disabilities. Any comments on portals in general >>and Ideas as to how I can determine access for blind users would be >>appreciated. >> >>Here is a list of questions that I'm working on: >> >>1. JAWS and Jenzabar keyboard shortcuts? >> >>2 . Do I use web page verifiers to check for 508 standards for >>password protected portals? >> >>3. What kind of training materials need to be in place to be >>effective for individuals with disabilities to use portals and >>specifically Jenzabar? >> >>Feedback is appreciated! >> >> >>Michael Goldhammer >>Assistive Technology Computer Specialist >>Mt Hood Community College >>26000 S.E. Stark Street >>Gresham, Oregon 97030 >>503.491-7593 >>E-mail: >>Michael.Goldhammer@mhcc.edu >>Web Site: http://www.mhcc.edu/dso >> >>NOTICE: This e-mail (including attachments) is covered by the >>Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C._2510-2521, is >>confidential and may be privileged. If you are not the intended >>recipient, please be aware that any retention, dissemination, >>distribution, or copying of this communication is prohibited. Please >>reply to the sender that you have received this message in error, >>then delete it. Thank you for helping to maintain privacy. >> >>_______________________________________________ >>Athen mailing list >>Athen@athenpro.org >>http://athenpro.org/mailman/listinfo/athen_athenpro.org > >John A. Gardner >Professor and Director, Science Access Project >Department of Physics >Oregon State University >Corvallis, OR 97331 >tel: (541) 737 3278 >FAX: (541) 737 1683 > SAP URL: http://dots.physics.orst.edu/ > > >_______________________________________________ >Athen mailing list >Athen@athenpro.org >http://athenpro.org/mailman/listinfo/athen_athenpro.org Ms. Wink Harner Manager Disability Resources & Services Mesa Community College Mesa AZ 480-461-7447 ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 10:46:44 -0500 From: "Robert Beach" Subject: [Athen] Angel online courseware To: Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Hi all, I found out, in a non-related meeting, that our institution is moving from WebCT to Angel for online courses. Since I know eventually the issue of accessibility will come up (and should have come up long before the decision was made), I was wondering if anybody has experience with the program. Any tips, tricks, hints, etc. will be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Robert Lee Beach Assistive Technology Specialist Kansas City Kansas Community College 7250 State Avenue Kansas City, KS 66112 Phone: (913) 288-7671 Fax: (913) 288-7678 E-mail: rbeach@kckcc.edu ------------------------------ Message: 3 Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 11:09:45 -0500 From: "Sesock, Kevin A" Subject: [Athen] Lecture Recording/Note-Taking Software To: "Access Technologists in Higher Education Network" Message-ID: <987761BC3F676843B8EAB3E0BEA07C8F8DF968@EXE2.ad.okstate.edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" All: We're trying to find a good OneNote alternative, or at least an alternative for two of the features in OneNote that seem pretty vital to many students. What we're looking for is note-taking synchronized with audio (video support a plus, but not required), but the best I can find is GoBinder or EverNote, which don't seem to do recordings. Open-Source would also be a plus, due to the fact that much of this software is expensive, and college students stereotypically aren't the wealthiest demographic. Thanks for the help. Kevin A. Sesock, A+, NET+, CNA, MCSA Assistive Technology Specialist Student Disability Services Division of Student Affairs Oklahoma State University http://access.it.okstate.edu "Hail to the speaker, hail to the knower; joy to he who has understood, delight to they who have listened." --Odin -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/athen_athenpro.org/attachments/20060831/f3a70ff0/attachment-0001.htm ------------------------------ Message: 4 Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 13:38:13 -0400 From: "Berkowitz, Daniel J" Subject: [Athen] Google makes thousands of classics available for downloading - The Boston Globe To: "Alternate Media" , "Access Technologists in Higher Education Network" Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2006/08/31/joyce_dickens_g oogle____classics_are_there_to_download/ >From the Business Section of the Boston Globe - Just in time for the start of a new school year, the popular Google search service is making available thousands of classic books free. For now, the Google Book Search service offers full downloads only of "public domain" books, whose copyrights have expired. These include many of the most famous titles of all time, such as the writings of Dickens, Shakespeare, and Dante. It's the latest milestone in Google's campaign to do for books what it has done for websites. "Our goal is to create a comprehensive, full-text index of all the world's books," said Google Book Search group business product manager Adam Smith. Discussion about the Google Book Search project has taken place [on and off] on various listservs and at professional get togethers and till now the general consensus has been "well ... that's nice - but it doesn't do much for us." Because, you see, the Google project creates digital books that are in accessible for our needs. They are locked-formated and cannot be run through OCR or read by a Text-to-Speech program. The on-line library being created by Google was akin to the "look inside" samples one finds on the Amazon.com catalog. You could see more then just a few pages, but they were only available on-line with no downloading or other hanky-panky allowed. many were missing key passages and pages in order to comply with "fair use" doctrine that doesn't actually say how much of a given work is 'fair' to 'use' but merely stipulates that as long is it ain't the whole kit-n-kaboodle you can get away with it. But now it appears that Google has found it's booksharing backbone -- sorta. They have decided to offer downloadable PDF versions of out-of-copyright public domain (orphan?) works. Interesting, but nothing earth shattering to folks who have come to rely for years upon good ol' Gutenbgrg.net for the occasional title. Andthe best part - Gutenberg is years ahead of Google in having available clean versions that do need to be futzed with in order to prep them for further processing. Anyway - getting back to the texts available as complete PDF's, I semi-randomly chose "Flatland " from the 'download the classics ' post at the GoogleBlog . Downloaded it and ran it through Abby FineReader (v.8). The output is just as good as any other PDF we have run through OCR. Google has stamped each page with "Scanned by Google" which we would likely keep on the pages and convert to page number tags in the DAISY production process. Just when I was weighing the odds of the liklihood we would need to actually access any of the books Google has available, one of my student staff walked into the alt-media lab, saw what I was doing and said, "Yuck! I had to read that book for a math class and hated it!". This, of course, led to a discussion of what it was about, which led to a discussion of mid-19th cen. literature, which led to a discussion of the less well known works of Rousseau and from there onto the novel-before-movie version of The Princess Bride . But around here -- pretty much every discussion leads to TPB ... huuuum ... funny that. Well --- it looks like the Google Book Search and ones we can download for free is going to become part of my usual search for materials ritual . -- Posted by D. Berkowitz to Access Technologists Higher Education Network at 8/31/2006 12:14:00 PM -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/athen_athenpro.org/attachments/20060831/9c4bdca4/attachment-0001.htm ------------------------------ _______________________________________________ Athen mailing list Athen@athenpro.org http://athenpro.org/mailman/listinfo/athen_athenpro.org End of Athen Digest, Vol 7, Issue 12 ************************************ From skeegan at htctu.net Thu Aug 31 12:21:08 2006 From: skeegan at htctu.net (sean keegan) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:05 2018 Subject: [Athen] Angel online courseware In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <001f01c6cd32$9fc31920$62821299@htctrnpc5> Hi Robert, Here is the URL for the accessibility site for Angel: http://www.angellearning.com/accessibility/ There is an "Angel Accessibility Overview" (warning - PDF) that is available from this site as well as additional information about the status of Angel's accessibility level. I did take a look at Angel about 4 months ago and it had some interesting features. They had a "508" button (or something similar) in the main screen that removed many of the frames and cleaned up the interface - I actually preferred the "cleaned-up" version. I do remember having a bit of an issue with the synchronous chat environment in that is seemed to be using some type of Flash-based interface that did not always work with a screen-reader well. Overall, though, Angel did not seem to present any major barriers to accessing content and moving about the interface with a variety of assistive computer technologies. Angel did release an update during the testing period and I was not able to go back and recheck everything again. However, it did not appear that anything in the system got worse so I suppose that is good! Hope this helps, Sean Sean Keegan Web Accessibility Instructor High Tech Center Training Unit, California Community Colleges -----Original Message----- From: athen-bounces@athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces@athenpro.org] On Behalf Of Robert Beach Sent: Thursday, August 31, 2006 8:47 AM To: athen@athenpro.org Subject: [Athen] Angel online courseware Hi all, I found out, in a non-related meeting, that our institution is moving from WebCT to Angel for online courses. Since I know eventually the issue of accessibility will come up (and should have come up long before the decision was made), I was wondering if anybody has experience with the program. Any tips, tricks, hints, etc. will be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Robert Lee Beach Assistive Technology Specialist Kansas City Kansas Community College 7250 State Avenue Kansas City, KS 66112 Phone: (913) 288-7671 Fax: (913) 288-7678 E-mail: rbeach@kckcc.edu _______________________________________________ Athen mailing list Athen@athenpro.org http://athenpro.org/mailman/listinfo/athen_athenpro.org From jongund at uiuc.edu Thu Aug 31 13:11:20 2006 From: jongund at uiuc.edu (Jon Gunderson) Date: Sat Jun 9 18:28:05 2018 Subject: [Athen] On-line course on Designing Universally Accessible Web Resources Message-ID: <20060831151120.ABE33960@expms1.cites.uiuc.edu> REHAB711: Designing Universally Accessible Web Resources Start Date: September 21st, 2006 Time: 3:30-4:30 CST (Chicago Local Time) Location: On-line using Eluminate collaboration software Registration Fee: $399 Cours and registration information at: http://www.cita.uiuc.edu/courses/2006-09-rehab711/ Course Overview Universal design focuses on making web resources compatible with the widest range of web browsing technologies. Resources can easily adapt to the needs and capabilities of users through the use of web standards. Web standards are all about the concept of ?interoperability?, the ability of people to access and exchange information on a wide range of computing technologies and operating systems. The use of universal design principles makes web resources more accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. All users have more choices and control over how they view and use web resources. Users with visual impairments can easily increase font size using the text scaling features of browsers. People who want to view two different web pages side by side can change the widow width of their browser and content re-flows to fit the size of the window. A PDA user can apply a user style sheet to view only the headings of a web page to get an overview of the topics, without having to do endless scrolling through text on a small screen. More accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities! Please consider taking this course and sharing this announcement with your collegues. Please contact me if you have any questions. Jon Jon Gunderson, Ph.D. Director of IT Accessibility Services Campus Information Technologies and Educational Services (CITES) and Coordinator of Assistive Communication and Information Technology Disability Resources and Education Services (DRES) Voice: (217) 244-5870 Fax: (217) 333-0248 Cell: (217) 714-6313 E-mail: jongund@uiuc.edu WWW: http://cita.rehab.uiuc.edu/ WWW: https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/jongund/www/