[Athen] Screen readers/other software

Christopher Kinney ckinney at gpc.edu
Tue Apr 8 06:36:59 PDT 2008


I totally agree. I dislike how Premier has been pushed as the end all be
all solution for post-secondary accessibility. The aggressive marketing
makes it's difficult to explain the pros and cons of other products when
the administrative powers that be are looking for the cheapest way out.
I think Premier is fine as solution for people who may not have the
means to purchase an expensive AT product. However, I don't think it's
the greatest solution in terms of ease of use, compatibility and support
in a large enterprise environment. It's always better to have a variety
of tools in your AT toolbox and not just one.

Christopher Kinney
Assistive Technology Coordinator
Center for Disability Services
Georgia Perimeter College
555 N. Indian Creek Drive
Clarkston GA 30021

TEL: 678-891-3385
FAX: 404-298-3830


________________________________

From: athen-bounces at athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces at athenpro.org] On
Behalf Of "Robert Beach" <rbeach at kckcc.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 9:05 AM
To: "Access Technologists in Higher Education Network"
<athen at athenpro.org>
Subject: Re: [Athen] Screen readers/other software



I should also add that I do demonstrate some of the Premier products for
my students and let them try them. I even provide them the links to the
demos on the web site if they want to download the product at home. I
also give them some flyers I have but encourage them to double check the
web site for the most current information.

For home use for someone who is on a budget, some of the tools may be
very sufficient.


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 at kckcc.edu


>>> "Robert Beach" < rbeach at kckcc.edu> 4/8/2008 7:57 AM >>>

Amen! I agree completely. Some of the Premier tools are fine, but many
of them lack what my students need. For example, Universal Reader is
fine is somebody only needs to read. However, most of my students need
more than just a reading tool. They like homophone checking, extra help
with spell checking, etc. Therefore, nearly all of my students choose
Read&Write over Universal Reader because it performs better. Yes, some
of the tools they like are in the Talking Word Processor. But again, my
students like to use exactly what the rest of the class is using when at
all possible. On this camplus, that means MS Word, not a special
program. R&W is non-intrusive, provides the tools they need, and is
fairly easy to learn and use, and works with everything they use such as
online classes, internet search, web mail, etc.

I really like the Text-To-Audio program for production purposes, but my
students don't use it themselves. I like the Ultimate Talking Dictionary
and some of my students use it in the background when using Word.
However, if they're using R&W, they don't need it since all the spelling
tools are there.

Again, some good products, and some that I personally don't think are
too great, but that's just my opinion. However, don't depend on their
line of products to be your only solution. They just don't cut it for a
school invironment.



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 at kckcc.edu


>>> "Marks, Jim" < marks at mso.umt.edu> 4/7/2008 5:17 PM >>>

Hi Carol,

Every time I say this, it seems to cause troubles. But, here goes
anyhow.

Premier is fine, but it will not replace better assistive technology.
In my opinion, Premier should serve as a supplement, never the only
option a campus uses to comply with civil rights laws. Premier does
some things well, but it does less than what more expensive assistive
technologies can do. Function has to be a primary concern, and colleges
should find the money it takes to provide the best access. I think of
Premier as a low-cost alternative in which one gets what one pays for.
I also think the Premier grant thing is a marketing scheme, not really a
grant.

People with disabilities should have the tools it takes to participate
fully in higher education. It's wrong to barter away equal access just
to save a buck. On the other hand, if the less costly alternative
works, then go for it. Some make the argument that many don't need all
the bells and whistles, and there is merit to that argument. Premier
will not work as well as the more expensive options, though, and making
sure our post-secondary programs are accessible is sort of the whole
point. We need tools that work well. Reliance on Premier alone just
won't do the trick.






Jim Marks
Director of Disability Services
University of Montana
jim.marks at umontana.edu
http://www.umt.edu/dss/




________________________________

From: athen-bounces at athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces at athenpro.org] On
Behalf Of Carol Raymundo
Sent: Wednesday, April 02, 2008 12:54 PM
To: athen at athenpro.org
Subject: [Athen] Screen readers/other software


I am wondering if anyone uses Premier Literacy software (formerly
Premier Assistive Technology).

Has anyone taken advantage of their grant program? If so, what do you
like and what don't you like about the program?



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