[Athen] Pearson Not Providing PDFs

[Susan Kelmer]

What technology is your student using?  You need to see how VS works with that technology.  My students can make Kurzweil work with it, but they hate it.  They want to be able to pull in the PDF and use their highlighting tools the way they do with other PDFs they receive.  I don’t know what vitalsource offers fully, I just know my students dislike it.

Susan Kelmer
Alternate Format Production Program Manager
Disability Services
University of Colorado Boulder
303-735-4836



From: athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu> On Behalf Of Robert Spangler
Sent: Tuesday, September 17, 2019 9:12 AM
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network <athen-list at u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: [Athen] Pearson Not Providing PDFs

Does the Vitalsource reader provide its own TTS features?  Is it designed for universal access, or is it primarily designed for blind people in mind?  I've never used it before.  Is there a reason why I would scan their book, given the work involved in that process, rather than just providing them the info to access Vitalsource?  I certainly understand the argument against it - it's just more for our students to learn, but shouldn't I still offer the option?

Thanks for your insight,
Robert


On Tue, Sep 17, 2019 at 9:58 AM Susan Kelmer <Susan.Kelmer at colorado.edu<mailto:Susan.Kelmer at colorado.edu>> wrote:
They need to understand this is not about screen reader use.  I tell them “the student’s technology doesn’t work with Vital Shelf.”  They’ve never asked me the question you got, but I’m not surprised.  They do want to offer what people will use, in the end, so sometimes they are going to ask.

You can tell them anything you like.  I often say, “my student prefers Braille, and I need PDFs to convert to Word to make Braille.”  They aren’t ready to make Braille, and that will usually shut them up.

And yes, why the HECK are they making it so difficult?  Just keep pushing back on them, even if you decide to scan the student’s book in the end.

Susan Kelmer
Alternate Format Production Program Manager
Disability Services
University of Colorado Boulder
303-735-4836



From: athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu>> On Behalf Of Robert Spangler
Sent: Tuesday, September 17, 2019 7:45 AM
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network <athen-list at u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list at u.washington.edu>>
Subject: Re: [Athen] Pearson Not Providing PDFs

Susan, I have received a response from them simply asking what screen reader the student is using.  I responded and just repeated my desire for a PDF version.  Have you met this resistance before?  Do you ultimately offer to scan the book for the student, or do you just hold out for the PDF?  It is ridiculous that we have to go through these hoops to obtain something in a universal format such as PDF.

Robert


On Wed, Sep 11, 2019 at 12:02 PM Susan Kelmer <Susan.Kelmer at colorado.edu<mailto:Susan.Kelmer at colorado.edu>> wrote:
My apologies.  Disability.support at pearson.com<mailto:Disability.support at pearson.com>

Susan Kelmer
Alternate Format Production Program Manager
Disability Services
University of Colorado Boulder
303-735-4836



From: athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu>> On Behalf Of Robert Spangler
Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2019 9:49 AM
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network <athen-list at u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list at u.washington.edu>>
Subject: Re: [Athen] Pearson Not Providing PDFs

Hi Susan, thanks for your reply.  Are you sure that's the correct email?  When I wrote to them I got a mail delivery subsystem error.

Robert


On Wed, Sep 11, 2019 at 10:41 AM Susan Kelmer <Susan.Kelmer at colorado.edu<mailto:Susan.Kelmer at colorado.edu>> wrote:
Every time Pearson tells me I have to go to VitalSource, I send an email request for the PDF to disability.resources at pearson.com<mailto:disability.resources at pearson.com>.  It works, but takes a couple weeks.

I will not ever force a student over to VitalSource.

Susan Kelmer
Alternate Format Production Program Manager
Disability Services
University of Colorado Boulder
303-735-4836



From: athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu>> On Behalf Of Robert Spangler
Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2019 8:08 AM
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network <athen-list at u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list at u.washington.edu>>
Subject: [Athen] Pearson Not Providing PDFs

Hello, in the past I feel like I was able to get Pearson to provide me PDF files instead of going through VitalSource, but now they seem to be insisting on using VitalSource and not providing us PDF files.  Does anyone have a contact at Pearson from whom they get PDFs, or do we just need to suck it up and accept VitalSource as the solution?

Thanks,
Robert


--
Robert Spangler
Disability Services Technical Support Specialist
rspangler1 at udayton.edu<mailto:rspangler1 at udayton.edu>
Office of Learning Resources (OLR) - RL 023
Ryan C. Harris Learning & Teaching Center (LTC)
University of Dayton  | 300 College Park  |  Dayton, Ohio 45469-1302
Phone: 937-229-2066
Fax: 937-229-3270
Ohio Relay: 711 (available for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing)
Web Site: http://go.udayton.edu/learning
_______________________________________________
athen-list mailing list
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--
Robert Spangler
Disability Services Technical Support Specialist
rspangler1 at udayton.edu<mailto:rspangler1 at udayton.edu>
Office of Learning Resources (OLR) - RL 023
Ryan C. Harris Learning & Teaching Center (LTC)
University of Dayton  | 300 College Park  |  Dayton, Ohio 45469-1302
Phone: 937-229-2066
Fax: 937-229-3270
Ohio Relay: 711 (available for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing)
Web Site: http://go.udayton.edu/learning
_______________________________________________
athen-list mailing list
athen-list at mailman12.u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list at mailman12.u.washington.edu>
http://mailman12.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/athen-list


--
Robert Spangler
Disability Services Technical Support Specialist
rspangler1 at udayton.edu<mailto:rspangler1 at udayton.edu>
Office of Learning Resources (OLR) - RL 023
Ryan C. Harris Learning & Teaching Center (LTC)
University of Dayton  | 300 College Park  |  Dayton, Ohio 45469-1302
Phone: 937-229-2066
Fax: 937-229-3270
Ohio Relay: 711 (available for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing)
Web Site: http://go.udayton.edu/learning
_______________________________________________
athen-list mailing list
athen-list at mailman12.u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list at mailman12.u.washington.edu>
http://mailman12.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/athen-list


--
Robert Spangler
Disability Services Technical Support Specialist
rspangler1 at udayton.edu<mailto:rspangler1 at udayton.edu>
Office of Learning Resources (OLR) - RL 023
Ryan C. Harris Learning & Teaching Center (LTC)
University of Dayton  | 300 College Park  |  Dayton, Ohio 45469-1302
Phone: 937-229-2066
Fax: 937-229-3270
Ohio Relay: 711 (available for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing)
Web Site: http://go.udayton.edu/learning
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