[Athen] EASI Webinar: The Future of E--books Is Here!

[Heidi Scher]

My apologies to all!  I previously posted this last week, but with the wrong
subject line, so thought I'd try again.

Norm, this sounds like a very interesting workshop!  Thanks for providing
it.

I do have one concern which is that there is no representation from two key
players - postsecondary education dss and APA (American Publishers
Association) - in this workshop. Since NIMAS is the standard for K-12 and
not postsecondary ed, was anyone from the AHEAD eText inititive involved or
invited?  It would just seem appropriate to have someone who represents
postsecondary ed involved in this along with the individuals who are
scheduled.

Soapbox for any who wish to lend an ear:  It seems that we have several
different groups working on this issue, but the groups are not communicating
with one another!  Ex: Group 1 - we have the AHEAD eText Initiative which
has the main players at the table talking, Group 2 - this EASI workshop
group, Group 3 - a group of individuals who are blind who recently went to
Washington to talk directly with senators and representatives about needing
legislation mandating that publishers provide eText in a specific standard
(I think they too had jumped on the NIMAS bandwagon).  I'm sure there are
other groups out there.  Rather than having umpteen smaller groups picking
away at the problem, it would seem more feasible for us to band together.
More power in numbers!

OK – I'm stepping off my soap box and getting back to proctoring finals.
Thanks all!

Heidi Scher, M.S., CRC
Counselor/Coordinator of Disability Services
Arkansas State University - Beebe



Message: 7

> Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2007 09:08:52 -0700

> From: Prof Norm Coombs <norm.coombs at GMAIL.COM> (by way of Prof Norm

>         Coombs  < norm.coombs at gmail.com>)

> Subject: [Athen] EASI Webinar: The Future of E--books Is Here!

> To: athen at athenpro.org

> Message-ID: < 6.0.3.0.2.20070426090743.022b50f0 at pop.gmail.com>

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>

> EASI Webinar: The Future of E--books Is Here!

>

> Accessible E-textbooks for Students: May 1 2 PM Eastern

> Presenters:

> Nicole Gaines, NIMAC Manager, American Printinghouse for the Blind

> Julia Myers, Director, Resource Services and NIMAC, American Printing

> House

> for the Blind,

> Skip Stahl, Project Director, NIMAS Development Center, Center for Applied

> Special Technology

>

> President Bush signed the Individuals with Disabilities Education

> Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) on December 3, 2004 which, among other

> things, mandated

> the provision of textbooks and instructional materials in accessible

> formats for students who are blind or print disabled. While the

> legislation

> relates to K-12 students, we believe that the more that publishers are

> creating accessible e-textbooks for K-12 that they will inevitably expand

> to a broader audience. If not, there will be an outcry from K-12 students

> as they transition into higher education wanting the same quality of

> support for their studies. This will be like dropping a pebble into the

> water. The wave will expand to include higher ed and the general

> public.  Learning about this dramatic e-book revolution is important for

> all of us.

>

> This presentation will focus on NIMAS, (National Instructional Materials

> Accessibility Standard), the role of APH, (American Printinghouse for the

> Dlind)

> and the role of CAST, (Center for Applied Special Technology).

>

> The National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC) is a file

> repository for core print textbooks and related instructional materials

> required for

> use by blind or other persons with print disabilities in elementary and

> secondary schools in the U.S. and its territories. These National

> Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) source file sets

> can

> be used to create specialized formats, such as braille, large print,

> audio,

> or digital text. The NIMAC opened in December 2006.

>

> CAST is the home of the NIMAS Development Center and the NIMAS Technical

> Assistance Center, Cooperative agreements with the Office of Special

> Education Programs, United States Department of Education.

>

> While this Webinar is free, you need to register in advance to guarantee a

> seat in the room. (Those who register, whether or not they attend, will

> afterwards

> receive a link to the recording.  When you connect over the Internet to

> the

> Webinar room, you can listen to the presenters and watch as supporting Web

> pages are pushed to reinforce the presentation.  The audience can also

> make

> comments or ask questions either by using a mic to talk or by writing into

>

> the room's text window.

>

>

> To read more and register to reserve a seat and to get login information

> for this free event, go to:

> http://easi.cc/clinic.htm

>

>

> Look for other future Webinars on that page.  We have several being

> finalized and they should be on that page very soon.

> The EASI month-long, online courses on accessible Information Technology

> for May are:

> Barrier-free Information Technology (4-week online course starting May 7)

> http//easi.cc/workshop.htm

> Creating and Repurposing More Accessible Content (4-week online course

> starting May 7)

> http//easi.cc/workshop.htm

>

>

> Norman Coombs

> CEO EASI

>

> -----------------------

> Check out EASI's New Synchronous Clinics:

> http://easi.cc/clinic.htm

>

> EASI Home Page http://www.rit.edu/~easi <http://www.rit.edu/%7Eeasi>

> Online Courses and Clinics http://easi.cc/workshop.htm

> To sign off this list

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>

>

>

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