Transcript Alternate Media and the CSU Context Mary Cheng California State University AHEAD Conference San Diego July 18, 2006

Alternate Media and the
CSU Context
Mary Cheng
California State University
AHEAD Conference
San Diego
July 18, 2006
Alternate Media
The method of making materials accessible
to persons with disabilities. Common
formats:
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Large Print
Audio
E-Text
Braille
Tactile Graphics
Why is alternate media
important?
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Obligation of the higher education institution
to provide access to its programs and
services to students with disabilities (Section
504, the ADA)
Not just mere access but effective
communication access
Components of Effectiveness
as interpreted by OCR
timeliness of delivery (Fullerton, 2004)
 accuracy of the translation
 provision in a manner and medium
appropriate to the significance of the
message and the abilities of the
individual with the disability (City
College of San Francisco
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The Provision of Alternate Media
in the not too distant past
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Get the tape recorded book from RFB&D
(Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic)
Hire readers to read text aloud to student
Hire readers to read student’s books onto
tape
Enlarge the print by photocopying
Technology Impacting the
Provision of Alternate Media
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Assistive technology has improved access to course
materials
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Screen readers: specialized software that reads the
contents of a computer screen, converting the text to
speech. JAWS and Outspoken are two commonly used
screen readers.
Reading systems: software that enables multiple ways of
interacting with text that assists the student in reading,
writing and learning. Examples of such systems are
Kurzweil 3000 and
The use of assistive technology requires digital
formats of materials or e-text
E-Text as a Beginning Point in
Creation of other formats
E-Text
Large Print
Audio or
Audio & Text
Braille
How do we get E-Text?
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From repositories of existing alternate media
(RFB&D, Bookshare, CAM, AMX)
publishers (via state e-text law)
From scanning (in-house produced)
E-text Obtained from publishers
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Via state law, for example, California’s AB
422 (major publishers will supply even to
states that don’t have higher ed e-text
laws):
Publishers doing business in California will
supply electronic file of textbook free of charge
to eligible students with disabilities provided
certain conditions are met (proof of purchase of
book etc.)
Requesting E-Text from
Publishers
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Obtain title of book and other info (ISBN)
Locate publisher and contact point for making
request
Send request to publisher (web form, fax,
phone)
Publishers may or may not respond
Issues with Publisher
Requests:
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Timeliness of response: 15 minutes, 2 to 6
weeks, 3 months …
File quality: incomplete content, content in
wrong order, no page numbers, unwanted
character
No response
In-house Produced E-text
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Obtain the book
Debind book
Scan pages (image file)
Convert to digital text via OCR process
Edit for accuracy: spelling, page #s, columns,
spacing, headers, formulas, tables, graphs
Secondary conversion to appropriate format as
required (i.e. MP3)
Braille requires additional effort
Issues with In-house
Production
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Skill set and knowledge of staff
Availability of hardware and software
Limitation of Optical Character Recognition
(OCR) technology: not 100% accurate
Requires editing: How much editing
dependent on the type of material being
converted
Non-textual math and science, most difficult
Copyright vs Civil Rights concerns
What’s the Big Deal?
Timeliness (or lack thereof)
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Student registers during advance registration and turns in request
(student does not register during advance registration or courses are
added and dropped)
Disability Services (DS) staff researches for textbook titles based
upon course registration (no textbook is identified for the course)
DS staff attempts to contact instructor to find out textbook title (can’t
reach instructor or don’t know who is assigned to teach the course)
1st day of term: student buys book and brings in to DS office (usually
doesn’t happen on the first day)
1st and 2nd week of term: DS office checks repositories for available
alternate format (not available in any repository)
Order e-text from publisher (publisher takes 2 to 6 weeks to
respond)
4th week of term: DS office receives file from publisher (file needs
editing)
5th week of term: e-text file is cleaned up and alternate format of
textbook is finally ready for student
Responsibilities for Accurate &
Timely Files
Student Responsibilities
1. Early Registration
2. Request in advance
3. Communication with DS Office
Institutional Responsibilities
Publisher Responsibilities
1. Supply accurate, complete,
Accessible files within 48 hours
2. Notify campus if unable, supply
A desk copy
1. Early identification of textbook
by faculty
2. Cooperation from Bookstore
3. Cooperation from Library
4. Adequate resources:Crosstrained staff, redundant systems,
updated equipment for alternate
media conversion
Moving Forward
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Complex problem with many levels and stakeholders. Education
& training is needed at all levels
Identify where in the process the gaps exist
Identify what can be done to improve efficiencies in the
identification, request, production/modification, and delivery
processes.
Work with publishers on low-hanging fruit to increase current
efficiencies
Possibility of linking various repositories and creating best
practices for the sharing of alternate media for eligible students
Adopt a common file format that lends itself to preserving the
structural integrity of the book
Responsibilities in Meeting the Timely
Provision of Instructional Materials
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Students: register in advance and submit request to DS office in a
timely manner
Faculty: identify textbooks in a timely manner
Bookstore: make available the book list to Disability Services (DS)
Office
DS Office: have policies and procedures in place and develop an
efficient workflow for obtaining/producing/modifying and delivering
alternate media requests
Publishers: provide accurate, complete, and timely files in
accessible formats
Institution: ensure that the office responsible for conversion has
adequate trained staffing & resources
CSU Center for Accessible Media: work with publishers to increase
their level of compliance; coordinate and disseminate promising
practices and resources to assist campuses in the provision of
timely instructional materials
Relevant Office for Civil Rights
(OCR) Cases
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California Community College (1998)
City College of San Francisco (1998)
California State College, Los Angeles (1997)
California State College, Long Beach (1999)
Loyola Marymount University (1992)
Brooklyn College (1996)
California State College, Fullerton (2004)
California State University, Los Angeles (in progress)
California State University, San Bernardino (in progress)
California State University, Channel Island (in progress)
Resources
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www.htctu.net High Tech Center Training Unit
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http://www.htctu.net/publications/guidelines/altmedia/altme
dia.htm
http://www.htctu.net/publications/guidelines/distance_ed/dis
ted.htm
www.tc3.edu/bcl/altformhandbook SUNY Disability
Services Council Alternate Format Materials
Handbook
www.calstate.edu/accessibility California State
University Accessible Technology Initiative (will be
launched September 2007)