I would prefer to focus on what I've learned while attempting an education thus far in 2014 rather than my health issues. I take a positive approach to the disabilities i have as you all know. so here goes.
Going to or back to school at any age offers it set of challenges. even more so when one has a disability . Not to mention everything is new. New facility to navigate, new services and programs to figure out. Just figuring out the lay of the land and how one must do things can be challenging. Patience and asking for help really helps.
One of the biggest challenges with going to school for me was how do i read the textbooks? i cannot read them as i used to and many books are not available straight away in digital format. I was lucky enough to obtain some books in digital format. however a few of them and i wont bash any publishing houses here, have online sites where you go to read the book, which are not assessable. FYI Zoom-text is a wonderful product but offered me no assistance here as its more of a magnification software with some reading capablitities. i suggest Jaws or Openbook, more info below.
So i went to the Adaptive Services office at Florida Gulf Coast University where i go to school and they have a form you can fill out. They in turn contact the publisher and ask for the book in an alternative format. This sounds like an answer to the problem. However i was weeks into my semester before i received some of my books. one book i didn't get until half way through my semester. so if you are print disabled for whatever reason and you plan on going to school. i suggest you register as early as you can. get the book info and start working on alternative forms asap. there are some very helpful services out there for us.
i joined this one and have downloaded 2 of my textbooks. this service is not free. however if you are a division of blind services client, they will pay for it if you ask nicely.
Learning Ally
http://www.learningally.org
Bookshare
https://www.bookshare.org/
an app i use in conjunction with Bookshare is Read 2 Go
Read 2 go.
http://read2go.org/
Read2Go is the most accessible e-book reader app for readers with print disabilities. Directly from within the Read2Go app, Bookshare members can find, download, and read books all on a single Apple device. No need to download books to computers, transfer files, or decompress files! Just download and READ!
although one drawback is a computer generated voice that takes some time to get used to.
Options for recreational reading and research are....
Talking Books from the National Library Service & BARD
http://www.loc.gov/nls/index.html
https://nlsbard.loc.gov/login//NLS
Bard has an iphone & ipad app that's awesome. i use it a lot. it saves space when traveling instead of carrying my player.
another source for information and one of my favorites is a free service from the National Federation of the Blind called Newsline.
https://nfb.org/audio-newspaper-service CALL TOLL FREE: 1-866-504-7300 for more information
its an audio newspaper & magazine service. They also have an Iphone app
.http://nfbnewslineonline.org/nlmobile.htm links on page to itunes store, app is free
There are more services out there but i can vouch for them yet as i haven't had the opportunity to try them all. These services Ive listed are amazing and really help me to stay in touch with the World, learn what i need in school.
The last resort in obtaining a book in digital format is to scan it into your computer and use
Jaws or Open Book to read it. Jaws and Open Book are software you can purchase. I'm in the process of learning these two programs with the Lighthouse for the Blind and haven't done this yet. As soon as i have some experience with this method i will report back. I know other blind students from the Florida Association of Blind Students to which i am the secretary have had to use this method many times.
Jaws software link http://www.freedomscientific.com/products/fs/jaws-product-page.asp
Open Book software link http://www.freedomscientific.com/products/fs/openbook-product-page.asp
That brings up a great point. If you live in Florida and if you are a student who is blind or low vision or someone who wants to advocate for blind students. You can join the Florida Association of Blind Students. http://www.nfbflorida.org/divisions/students/ if you dont live in Florida each state has a chapter or you can join the National Association of Blind Students.
link to NABS http://nabslink.org/
for Fabs email me and i will gladly give you the information. my email is kchristenson76@gmail.com Dues are only $5 a year. We are changing what it means to be a blind student. we help each other, explore better options for all sorts of educational and life issues. we are a team and a family. We also have a Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Florida-Association-of-Blind-Students/228316753886844
and a Facebook closed discussion group-must be a member to join this group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/479604765490611/
There is also a list serve for FABS
FABS LIST SERVE….. -http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/fabs_nfbnet.org
LInk to NFB List Serve page.https://nfb.org/listserv
also if you don't know about the NFB-National Federation of the Blind, check it out. this organization saved me from despair of losing my sight. They are my family and my friends.
https://nfb.org//
whew OK, that's tons of information i know. i hope its not too confusing to follow.
The most important thing i want to talk about today is helping people who have disabilities have equal access to textbooks. There is legislation in progress right now to fix this issue. its called the TEACH act.
Technology, Equality and Accessibility in College and Higher Education Act or the TEACH Act - Directs the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) to develop accessibility guidelines for electronic instructional materials and related information technologies in institutions of higher education (IHEs). "info taken from Teach act site"
https://nfb.org/national-federation-blind-and-association-american-publishers-applaud-introduction-%E2%80%9Cteach-act%E2%80%9D
Here is how YOU can help...please sign this petition
https://www.change.org/petitions/pass-teach-act-equal-access-to-educational-materials-for-students-with-disabilities
Thank you all for reading my blog. and have a better day today than yesterday!
No comments:
Post a Comment