[Athen] Advice for colleague in Ireland

[Enda P Guinan]

Thanks Daniel,

I might not have expressed myself clearly enough, I think.

We have an established AT service so we're OK on the software etc 
needed, but we need to make a case for institution-wide changes in 
the way our service is delivered. UCD is one of the largest colleges 
in Ireland (30,000 students), so would not be suitable as a comparison.

I'm looking for advice from a small institute (fewer than 10,000 
students), probably in the US or UK, who may already have the kinds 
of facilities I described in the first email, namely,

a) AT software installed centrally rather than locally.
b) AT software installation and maintenance mainstreamed as part of 
Computer Services rather than by the Disability Service and
c) An alt format system in place perhaps in conjunction with the library.

Thanks

Enda

12:44 24/05/2007, you wrote:

>Content-type: multipart/alternative;

>  boundary="Boundary_(ID_id5DPiL3P0LDTW/YMRb7pg)"

>Content-class: urn:content-classes:message

>

>Good Morning Enda,

>

>One of your best resources in the UK is fellow ATHEN member E.A 

>Draffan (who will also be the keynote speaker at AHG this year).

>

>In Ireland proper I recommend contact Ted Harvey at UC-Dublin: 

><http://www.ucd.ie/disability/services_atc.html>http://www.ucd.ie/disability/services_atc.html

>Ted is well versed in many areas of AT and runs a proper lab that 

>may fulfill your demonstration needs.

>

>Cheers --- Dann

>=========================

>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)

><mailto:djbrky at bu.edu>djbrky at bu.edu (eMail)

><http://www.bu.edu/disability>www.bu.edu/disability

>

>

>----------

>From: athen-bounces at athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces at athenpro.org] 

>On Behalf Of Enda P Guinan

>Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2007 6:08 AM

>To: Access Technologists in Higher Education Network

>Subject: [Athen] Advice for colleague in Ireland

>

>Hello ATHENians,

>

>Some of you may be in a position to help me with some hard evidence!

>

>I'm the Assistive Technology Advisor in National University of 

>Ireland, Maynooth (I met some of you at the conference in Boulder, 

>CO last year). I and my colleagues in the Disability Office have 

>been invited to meet our college president and computer services to 

>discuss our needs.

>

>Naturally I have a nice long list of things to discuss (better 

>integration of alt format production with the library, computer 

>services to accept a greater role in the provision of assistive 

>technology on campus, documented policy on the college production of 

>digital documents etc etc).

>

>However, Computer Services have told me that they are happy to 

>listen to my big dreams, but unless I can demonstrate that other 

>"similar sized institutions" have these in place, it won't be easy 

>to make these things realities.

>

>A little about us; NUI Maynooth has 6,000 full time students and 

>maybe 2,000 part time students. It has three faculties: Arts, Social 

>Sciences and Science and Engineering. We have an Assistive 

>Technology Centre with 15 networked PCs open 9-6 Mon-Fri, fill-time 

>AT advisor (me) and some part time student trainers. We have two PCs 

>in an Assistive Technology Room in the library. Supports for 

>students with disabilities comes largely from funding from the 

>European Union rather than the university's core budget. All 

>software on campus is installed locally. There is goodwill towards 

>our work, but anything to do with disability is (wrongly) seen as 

>solely our responsibility. Our equivalent to 508 is not yet robust 

>enough to use as leverage.

>

>So, any similar-sized institutions out there willing to give me 

>advice on the following?:

>1. Are there similar colleges with site licences for Kurzweil, 

>Inspiration, Dragon etc installed on a central server?

>2. Do Computer services in such colleges take a more active role in 

>the installation and troubleshooting on such packages?

>3. Do such colleges have an alt format production system that is not 

>solely the responsibility of disability services?

>

>

>Sorry if this is a tad longwinded, but I hope someone out there can help!

>

>Thanks in advance,

>

>Enda

>

>

>

>Enda P Guinan

>Assistive Technology Advisor

>Access Office

>NUI Maynooth

>

>P: +353 1 708 4654

>F: +353 1 708 3838

>E: enda.guinan at nuim.ie

>W: http://access.nuim.ie

>_______________________________________________

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>Athen at athenpro.org

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