[Athen] [EXT]: Re: [EXT]: Re: Alt format process?

[Erik Ferguson]

Thanks for the reference link Wink! So many great resources on our site and
great people behind them, I love to see our info out there.

We are a varied and responsive group please feel free to contact us if
anyone wants to dig deeper.
access-tech-group at pcc.edu reaches our whole DS tech team.

Have a great day.

On Tue, Feb 18, 2020 at 3:45 PM Wink Harner <foreigntype at gmail.com> wrote:


> Of course! PCC does great work with the STEM accessibility training &

> support for faculty. All of the material is up for Creative Commons use.

>

> Wink

>

> On Tue, Feb 18, 2020 at 2:34 PM Russell Solowoniuk <solowoniukr at macewan.ca>

> wrote:

>

>> Thanks for this great resource Wink!

>>

>>

>>

>> Have a great day,

>>

>>

>>

>> Russell

>>

>>

>>

>> *From:* athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu> *On

>> Behalf Of *Wink Harner

>> *Sent:* Friday, February 14, 2020 5:33 PM

>> *To:* Access Technology Higher Education Network <

>> athen-list at u.washington.edu>

>> *Subject:* Re: [Athen] [EXT]: Re: [EXT]: Re: Alt format process?

>>

>>

>>

>> Hi Russel et al

>>

>>

>>

>> Even though the question wasn’t asked specifically in your original post,

>> I’m adding a resource to what could be made available for faculty support

>> and training in creating accessible STEM course material. Check out the

>> links at PORTLAND Community College’s faculty resource center for all their

>> resources:

>>

>> https://www.pcc.edu/instructional-support/accessibility/

>>

>>

>>

>> Wink Harner

>>

>>

>>

>> On Fri, Feb 14, 2020 at 4:17 PM Kluesner, Bryon <Bryon-Kluesner at utc.edu>

>> wrote:

>>

>> Hi Russell,

>>

>>

>>

>> I am unsure if our campus utilizes OER's. I do know that our faculty are

>> required, per directive from our Provost, to make their course material

>> accessible. Six or 7 years ago, I was involved in the formation of an

>> Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI) committee here at the University of

>> Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). We modeled our initiative after the

>> California State University system, who had been involved in an OCR review

>> regarding inaccessible materials. Our ATI policies/procedures was well

>> received by the University of Tennessee system, that it created a state

>> wide UT system initiative.

>>

>>

>>

>> Last semester, the ATI was renamed, since it was no longer an

>> "initiative" to the Accessible Information, Materials, and Technology

>> Program (AIMT). Here is a link to the program:

>>

>>

>>

>>

>> https://www.utc.edu/academic-affairs/accessible-information-materials-technology-program/

>>

>> UTC is also fortunate to have a Walker Center for Teaching and Learning

>> where faculty can get assistance with making course materials accessible.

>> Here is a link to their site:

>>

>>

>>

>> https://www.utc.edu/walker-center-teaching-learning/index.php

>>

>>

>>

>> Just wanted to follow up on some of UTC's progress to accessibility. Hope

>> this information is helpful.

>>

>>

>>

>> Bryon

>>

>>

>>

>> Bryon Kluesner, RhD

>>

>> Adaptive Technology Coordinator

>>

>> Disability Resource Center

>>

>> University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

>>

>> 103 Frist Hall

>>

>> Chattanooga, TN 37403

>>

>> 423-425-5251

>>

>>

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

>>

>> *From:* athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu> on

>> behalf of Russell Solowoniuk <solowoniukr at macewan.ca>

>> *Sent:* Friday, February 14, 2020 5:37 PM

>> *To:* Access Technology Higher Education Network <

>> athen-list at u.washington.edu>

>> *Subject:* [EXT]: Re: [Athen] [EXT]: Re: Alt format process?

>>

>>

>>

>> *External Email*

>>

>> Thanks Brian, and thanks too to Robert and Maria. I appreciate your

>> feedback. Do your institutions use any Open Educational Resources, (OER)?

>> If so, who is responsible for the accessibility of these resources, and who

>> bears the cost of making them accessible, if they are not accessible?

>>

>>

>>

>> Thanks, and have a great weekend,

>>

>>

>>

>> Russell

>>

>>

>>

>> *From:* athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu> *On

>> Behalf Of *Kluesner, Bryon

>> *Sent:* Friday, February 14, 2020 1:30 PM

>> *To:* Access Technology Higher Education Network <

>> athen-list at u.washington.edu>

>> *Subject:* Re: [Athen] [EXT]: Re: Alt format process?

>>

>>

>>

>> My approach is similar to Robert and Maria’s. Pearson is not going to

>> dictate to me the software my students will use. We are a Kurzweil campus.

>> I pushed back with Pearson so much I was asked to be in a pilot program

>> with Kurzweil and Pearson. I have to make a statement in the comments

>> section that the request is for a PDF title to be used in the Kurzweil

>> Pilot Program. Pearson then places the title in a Pearson Education folder

>> I created in the Kurzweil universal Library. I request PDF files and

>> extract into chapters to provide to students either on a USB flash drive or

>> I can send a link to their texts from my One Drive. I am currently working

>> with our Athletic department on using Snap and Read, our departments wrote

>> a grant and received funding to purchase the software - $5000 for a 5 year

>> license. It is very similar to Kurzweil, but each has it’s own unique

>> features.

>>

>>

>>

>> Some students do choose to purchase the online book for classes, so I

>> demonstrate how to save the text chapters in a format that can be used in

>> Kurzweil. We are a Canvas campus and Canvas has the capability for the

>> students to convert the professor readings into a PDF or MP3 file, which

>> many students find to be useful.

>>

>>

>>

>> If there is a delay attaining textbooks, I reach out to the students and

>> offer to cut and scan their textbooks into a PDF. In most cases, I can

>> rebind their books, if it doesn’t have the hard cover, and the bookstore

>> will take the books back as used – even rented textbooks. I have

>> occasionally purchased a book from the book store with the department

>> account, cut the spine and rebind. I then return the textbook to the book

>> store and they will refund the purchase price back to the department. I

>> typically only do this with trade paperback books (Penguin, etc.) because

>> they will not make PDF files available.

>>

>>

>>

>> I don’t prefer Bookshare, but if I do attain a book from Bookshare, I

>> remove all the disclaimer (usually 1-2 pages) , save the word document as a

>> PDF, which makes it easier to extract the chapters.

>>

>>

>>

>> Hope this helps some.

>>

>>

>>

>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/615+McCallie+Ave.,+Dept.+2953+%0D%0A+Chattanooga,+TN+37403?entry=gmail&source=g>

>>

>> Bryon

>>

>>

>>

>> Bryon Kluesner RhD, ATACP

>>

>> Adaptive Technology Coordinator

>>

>> Disability Resource Center

>>

>> University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

>>

>> 615 McCallie Ave., Dept. 2953

>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/615+McCallie+Ave.,+Dept.+2953+%0D%0A+%0D%0A+Chattanooga,+TN+37403?entry=gmail&source=g>

>>

>> Chattanooga, TN 37403

>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/615+McCallie+Ave.,+Dept.+2953+%0D%0A+%0D%0A+Chattanooga,+TN+37403?entry=gmail&source=g>

>>

>> 423-425-5251

>>

>>

>>

>> Member of Division of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs

>> <https://www.utc.edu/enrollment-management-student-affairs/>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>> *From:* athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu> *On

>> Behalf Of *Block, Maria

>> *Sent:* Friday, February 14, 2020 12:29 PM

>> *To:* Access Technology Higher Education Network <

>> athen-list at u.washington.edu>

>> *Subject:* [EXT]: Re: [Athen] Alt format process?

>>

>>

>>

>> *External Email*

>>

>> I do this as well and specify that the software the student uses is

>> Kurzweil and it is not compatible with Vital Source – that seems to help

>> because I have had them come back with Vital Source is accessible

>>

>>

>>

>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/300+Pompton+Road+%0D%0A+Wayne,+NJ+07470?entry=gmail&source=g>

>>

>> Maria Block

>>

>> Accessibility Specialist

>>

>> Accessibility Resource Center

>>

>> William Paterson University

>>

>> Speert Hall 134

>>

>> 300 Pompton Road

>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/300+Pompton+Road+%0D%0A+%0D%0A+Wayne,+NJ+07470?entry=gmail&source=g>

>>

>> Wayne, NJ 07470

>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/300+Pompton+Road+%0D%0A+%0D%0A+Wayne,+NJ+07470?entry=gmail&source=g>

>>

>> [image: cid:image004.png at 01D0737D.28122B50]

>>

>>

>>

>> *From:* athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman12.u.washington.edu> *On

>> Behalf Of *Robert Spangler

>> *Sent:* Friday, February 14, 2020 12:10 PM

>> *To:* Access Technology Higher Education Network <

>> athen-list at u.washington.edu>

>> *Subject:* Re: [Athen] Alt format process?

>>

>>

>>

>> When a publisher tells me that they only provide a book through something

>> like VitalSource (I think this is just Pearson?) I ask them for the PDF

>> anyway, as they will usually provide it.  This takes a while, however, so I

>> get in touch with the student in the meantime.  I let them know what the

>> issue is and offer them the option of using the VitalSource version or

>> waiting for the PDF.  I've had a couple students take the VitalSource

>> version, in which case I email the publisher with the student's receipt (to

>> prove that they already purchased the hardcopy) and the publisher sends me

>> a code.  I send the code to the student and invite them to come in if they

>> require any assistance using VitalSource.

>>

>>

>>

>> Ultimately, I want a PDF, but I can't expect students to wait the two

>> plus weeks it takes for the publisher to gather up the files and send them

>> to me, which is why I offer the other options.  Plus, our students will

>> deal with a range of file types throughout their lives anyway, so asking

>> them to use a different program or file type is not unreasonable.  The main

>> goal is to get the text to them, in a format that is accessible, in a

>> timely fashion.

>>

>>

>>

>> Thanks,

>>

>> Robert

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>> On Fri, Feb 14, 2020 at 11:27 AM Russell Solowoniuk <

>> solowoniukr at macewan.ca> wrote:

>>

>> Hi everyone,

>>

>>

>>

>> Hope the winter term is going well. Happy Friday and happy Valentine’s

>> Day!

>>

>> We would like to get some feedback from all of you regarding your

>> alternate format process.

>>

>> We are noticing that some of our students with disabilities are looking

>> at other options for their textbooks in alternate format, for example,

>> VitalSource or the PDF supplied with their textbook. Also, some publishers

>> are suggesting that certain textbooks we are requesting are available

>> through VitalSource. In addition, many publishers are working with

>> Bookshare to provide files, and will no longer provide PDFs.

>>

>> Our alternate format team consists of two people, me and a colleague.

>> Currently our process is to contact publishers to request a PDF of their

>> textbooks. Most of our students use Read and Write to read these PDF files.

>> For blind students we usually convert the PDF files to Word files and they

>> use a screen reader to read these files. If the publisher isn’t able to

>> provide us with PDFs, we will have the student bring in their hard copy of

>> the textbook. We will take the hard copy to Print Services to have the

>> binding cut off, and will then scan the book with our high-speed scanner.

>> We then take the book back to Print Services to have it coil bound.

>>

>> With the changing landscape of digital textbooks, we are examining our

>> process to determine if it’s still the ideal process or if it needs to

>> change. To that end, we would like to find out what process other

>> institutions are using.

>>

>> Do you contact publishers for PDFs? What technology do your students use

>> to read their textbooks? Read and Write, Kurzweil, VitalSource, or some

>> other reader? If other, could you elaborate on which reader and how well it

>> works? Is your process working well?

>>

>> Do faculty in your institutions use Open Educational Resources (OER)? If

>> so, do you work with faculty to help them choose accessible resources? If a

>> student comes to you with Open Educational Resources that are not

>> accessible, do you remediate them to make them accessible? If so, do you

>> bill this as a service?

>>

>>

>>

>> We would appreciate hearing what alt format processes others are using to

>> help guide us in modifying our own process.

>>

>>

>>

>> Thanks for any and all ideas.

>>

>>

>>

>> Best regards,

>>

>>

>>

>> Russell

>>

>>

>>

>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/10700-104+Ave.+%0D%0A+Edmonton,+AB+%0D%0A+%0D%0AT5J+4S2?entry=gmail&source=g>

>>

>> Russell Solowoniuk

>>

>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/10700-104+Ave.+%0D%0A+Edmonton,+AB+%0D%0A+%0D%0AT5J+4S2?entry=gmail&source=g>

>>

>> AT Educational Assistant, Services to Students with Disabilities

>>

>> MacEwan University

>>

>> 7-198 D4, 10700-104 Ave.

>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/10700-104+Ave.+%0D%0A+%0D%0AEdmonton,+AB+T5J+4S2?entry=gmail&source=g>

>>

>> Edmonton, AB

>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/10700-104+Ave.+%0D%0A+%0D%0AEdmonton,+AB+T5J+4S2?entry=gmail&source=g>

>> T5J 4S2

>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/10700-104+Ave.+%0D%0A+%0D%0AEdmonton,+AB+T5J+4S2?entry=gmail&source=g>

>>

>> E: solowoniukr at macewan.ca

>>

>> T:  780-497-5826

>>

>> F:  780-497-4018

>>

>> macewan.ca

>> <https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmacewan.ca%2F&data=01%7C01%7C%7Cd5d14e39d8fc4555a86908d7b1714442%7C74540637643546cc87a46d38efb78538%7C0&sdata=vm6wSONbv7W9KU6XoPs%2BWBt20Vb3wXa8hWKrPHC8V9c%3D&reserved=0>

>>

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>> --

>>

>> Robert Spangler

>> Disability Services Technical Support Specialist

>> rspangler1 at udayton.edu

>> Office of Learning Resources (OLR) - RL 023

>> Ryan C. Harris Learning & Teaching Center (LTC)

>> University of Dayton  | 300 College Park

>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/300+College+Park++%7C++Dayton,+Ohio+45469?entry=gmail&source=g>

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>>

>> Phone: 937-229-2066

>>

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>>

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>>

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-- 
Erik Ferguson
Alternative Media Technician
PCC Disability Services Assistive Technology Team
Contact us for questions and support at:
Phone: 971-722-TECH (971-722-8324)
access-tech-group at pcc.edu
*Please Note: I am not in office Tuesday or Thursday. For immediate
response please use the email and number listed in signature above.*
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