Congratulations!
You’re in charge of Alt Format…
Now what?
Presented by:
Julie K Balassa
Office for Students with Disabilities
Valencia College
Who is leaning and who is supporting?
CandoCo’s Victoria Main and co-performers
http://www.disabilitynow.org.uk/entertainment/arts/from-my-bedroom-to-the-olympics
Community of Us
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AHEAD IMAG (Instructional Materials Accessibility Group)
ATHEN (Access Technology Higher Education Network
DSSHE (Disabled Student Services in Higher Education)
ATN (Access Text Network)
AAP (American Association of Publishers)
NFB (National Federation of the Blind)
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AMX (Alternate Media eXchange Database)
Community of You
 Academic Departments (Dean, Faculty, Staff Assistants)
 Book Store
 Campus Administration
 Financial Aid (FWS)
 Internship Office
 Library (Director, librarians, checkout staff)
 OIT (CIO, techs, web design team, AV, etc.)
 Student Development/Student Life
 Word Processing
 STUDENTS!
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If they are to have a choice,
we have no choice.
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Half a Dozen Laws
 Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
 The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
(ADA)
 The Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008
(ADAA)
 Section 504, the ADA, and the ADAA apply to recipients of Federal
financial assistance
 Section 508 of the Rehab Act applies to Federal
government and maybe education sector
 Copyright Law
 Fair Use
 Chafee Amendment
 State and local laws
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Section 504
 A recipient . . . shall take such steps as are
necessary to ensure that no handicapped student is
denied the benefits of, excluded from participation in,
or otherwise subjected to discrimination under the
education program or activity operated by the
recipient because of the absence of educational
auxiliary aids for students with impaired sensory,
manual, or speaking skills.
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ADA and ADAA
 A public entity shall furnish appropriate auxiliary
aids and services where necessary to afford an
individual with a disability an equal opportunity to
participate in, and enjoy the benefits of, a
service, program, or activity conducted by a
public entity.
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Auxiliary Aids and services may include:
 Taped texts
 Closed or open captioning
 Notetakers
 Voice synthesizers
 Interpreters
 Specialized gym equipment
 Readers
 Calculators or keyboards with
 Videotext displays
 Television enlargers
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 Talking calculators
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 Braille calculators,
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printers, or typewriters
 Telephone amplifiers
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large buttons
Reaching device for library
Tactile graphics
Assistive listening devices
Telecommunication devices
for deaf persons
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Section 508
 [E]ach Federal department or agency…shall ensure,
unless an undue burden would be imposed on the
department or agency, that the electronic and
information technology allows…individuals with
disabilities to have [comparable] access and use of
information and data.
 Mandatory in some states, best practice in others
 Applies to
 Development, procurement, maintenance, use
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Enforcement
 Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
 Ordinarily handles grievances from students
 Typically calls in the DOJ if litigation is involved
 Department of Justice (DOJ)
 Students can file a grievance directly with the DOJ
 DOJ may refer it back to OCR if no litigation
 Both the OCR and DOJ interpret the laws and
make decisions that constitute precedent.
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Important Interpretations
 The OCR) has repeatedly interpreted the term
"communication" in this context to mean the transfer of
information, including (but not limited to) the verbal
presentation of a lecturer, the printed text of a book, and the
resources of the Internet.
 In construing the conditions under which communication is
"as effective as" that provided to non-disabled persons, on
several occasions OCR has regarded the three basic
components of effectiveness as
 timeliness of delivery
 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
AHEAD Position Statement
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What if there’s a grievance?
The OCR/DOJ will investigate and look for
 An accessibility map
 Clear and easily accessible ADA Coordinator information
 Clear and easily accessible grievance process information
 Discrimination grievance is not the same as grade
grievance!
 Clear and easily accessible policies/guidelines that are
 Reasonable
 Not designed to exclude
 Compliance – mainly that communication with the
student with a disability was as effective as
communication with others
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Scenarios
Is this OK?
Is this OK?
A student who is blind requests a
format compatible with Jaws.
A student with a reading disorder
requests a “book on tape”.
You provide an audio recording
(delivery method inconsequential).
You provide an HTML file that
must be read with a screenreader.
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Scenarios
Is this OK?
Is this OK?
A student requests a math text in
audio format.
A student makes a timely alt
format request.
You provide a publisher PDF file.
You lose some staff so extend
your turnaround time.
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Scenarios
Is this OK?
Is this OK?
A student who is blind makes a
timely alt format request for a
foreign language textbook.
A student requests the 5th edition
of a textbook.
You’re under-staffed so you
explain that you cannot provide a
file in which languages are autodetected and the student will have
to manually toggle voices.
Learning Ally does not have the
5th edition and you have no time
to produce it so you provide the
4th edition.
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One way or another
 You can build it into the infrastructure.
 Or you can provide ad-hoc individual accommodations.
 One way or another, you must satisfy student need.
Which is more sustainable?
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Copyright Law
 Copyright protection subsists…in original works of
authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression,
now known or later developed, from which they can be
perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated,
either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.
 The owner of a copyright has the exclusive right to
reproduce, distribute, perform, display, license, and to
prepare derivative works based on the copyrighted work.
 But there are limitations on exclusive rights.
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Limitation on Exclusive Rights
Fair Use
 …the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by
reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other
means specified by that section, for purposes such as
criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including
multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research,
is not an infringement of copyright.
 4 factors to be considered:
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Purpose & character of use
Nature of copyrighted work
Amount & substantiality of portion used:work as a whole
Effect of use upon potential market
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Limitation on Exclusive Rights
Chafee Amendment (PL 104-197)
 "(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106
and 710, it is not an infringement of copyright for an
authorized entity to reproduce or to distribute copies
or phonorecords of a previously published,
nondramatic literary work if such copies or
phonorecords are reproduced or distributed in
specialized formats exclusively for use by blind or
other persons with disabilities.
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Chafee “Authorized Entity”
 …'authorized entity' means a nonprofit organization
or a governmental agency that has a primary mission
to provide specialized services relating to training,
education, or adaptive reading or information access
needs of blind or other persons with disabilities.
 Post-secondary institutions are not considered
Authorized Entities.
 That means we must obtain permission to scan and
distribute and we must obtain proof of purchase.
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Now for the nitty gritty
 Is he saying “What’s a grit?” or “What’s an alt format”?
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Alternate Format
The choice to access material
in formats other than standard print
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A Dozen Policies/Procedures
 Be registered with disability services
 Be registered in the class
 Turnaround time
 Request in time
 1st & 2nd preference (opportunity to change?)
 Provide proof of purchase for publisher files
 Check email (or other) for notice that files are ready
 Check alt format materials when received
 Do not distribute (sell, post on Facebook, etc.)
 Return or delete at end of term or if withdraw
 Contact DSS if contact info changes
 Consequences for failure to abide by agreement
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Half a Dozen Alt Format Processes
 Student request
 Data entry
 Order (Learning Ally, publisher, ATN, etc.)
 Satisfied and download or receive CD
 Denied and research other options
 Safe Storage
 Production
 Delivery
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Student Request
 Online form
 Local form
 In-person
 Who gathers the book information?
 Institutional textbook selection process
 Institutional textbook ordering process
 Timeline sync
 availability of book information
 start of classes
 alt format turn-around time
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Request Data Tracking
 Excel spreadsheet
 Online form data autopopulates csv file
 Automatically emails stakeholders
 E-mail folders
 Hard copy files
 Other?
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Order
 Ordering staff
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You
Your assistant
Department staff assistant
Student workers
 Ordering portal
 Learning Ally, Bookshare, APH (Louis), Project Gutenberg, et al
 ATN – 2 levels of membership, free and paid/file contribution
 Publisher websites et al
 Ordering steps
 Place order
 Check status
 To be continued…
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Ordering steps
 Satisfied
 Download files/receive CD
 Store
 Denied
Beg – use the word “desperate”
Contact publisher rep
Contact publisher admin
Contact archivist
(you may end up wearing a concrete overcoat)
 Research other digital options (e.g. Kindle for PC version)
 Communicate with the student!
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Safe Storage – Location
 Cabinet
 Local drive
 Network drive
 Removable drive
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Safe Storage - Subjects
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Safe Storage - Folder Naming Convention
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Safe Storage - File Naming Convention
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Production - Hardware Tool Kit
 Decent computer with enough processor speed & memory
 Dual monitors
 High-speed scanner
 Guillotine
 Tactile graphics production equipment e.g. PIAF
 Braille embosser
 DAISY portable player for testing?
 Mobile devices for testing?
 Headphones, earplugs, ear buds
 Food & gifts
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Production - Software Tool Kit
 Dolphin Publisher - DAISY production
 MS Word 2007
 Adobe Acrobat Pro – PDF production
 Abbyy FineReader or Scansoft OmniPage - OCR
 Dreamweaver or Notepad - HTML production
 Infty, Scientific Notebook and/or MathType - math production
 Duxbury Braille Translation SW
 Adobe Illustrator - tactile graphics production
 Dolphin Easy Converter or K3000 - MP3 production
 Dolphin Easy Converter - multi-purpose (11 in – 5 out)
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Production – A Dozen Input Formats
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Microsoft Word documents
Rich Text Format
Text
EPUB files (open or unprotected files)
PDF
HTML
Website data
Test bank data
Scanned paper documents
NIMAS
KESI (Kurzweil 3000)
Image files - JPEG, TIFF, EPS, BMP etc.
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Production – A Dozen Output Formats
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Microsoft Word documents
Rich Text Format
Text
DAISY
PDF – edited
HTML/XML
KESI
MP3
Large Print
Braille
Tactile Graphics
Image files with alt text
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Production - Materials
 Course materials– textbooks, packets, manuals, etc.
 Required
 Optional
 Institutional materials including
 Orientation
 Deadlines
 Maps
 Exams including
 Course
 Entrance
 Exit
 Online including
 LMS (Learning Management System)
 Lecture capture
 Websites
 Internal
 External
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Half a Dozen Accessibility Rules
 Rule 1: It’s not real text just because it looks like text.
 Rule 2: It’s not real math just because it looks like math.
 Rule 3: A picture has no real text just because it looks
like text.
 Rule 4: It’s not real foreign language just because it looks
like foreign language.
 Rule 5: It’s not a real list just because it looks like a list.
 Rule 6: It doesn’t stand out just because it looks like it does.
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Rule 1
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It’s not real text just because it looks like text.
If you click & the whole thing is selected, it’s not real text.
If you scanned it & didn’t OCR it, it’s not real text.
If you wrote on it, your cursive writing is not real text.
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Rule 2
It’s not real math
unless there’s MathML.
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Rule 3
Text in a picture is not real text
unless you add alt text.
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Rule 4
It’s not really foreign language
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unless you set the language.
Rule 5
It’s not a real list
unless there’s li or group code.
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Rule 6
It doesn’t really stand out
unless there are headers
and styles.
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Production – Triage
PDF
 Quick & dirty
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Add metadata
Set language
Paginate
Add tags
Tools needed: Adobe Acrobat Pro
 Intensive – above plus
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Fix logical document structure (hierarchical headings etc.)
Set logical reading order
Add bookmarks that correspond to headings
Add alt text for images
Fix tables
Tools needed: Adobe Acrobat Pro
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Production – Triage
Word
 Quick & dirty
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Clean up styles (normal, H1, H2, H3)
Set language
Paginate
Tools needed: MS Word
 Intensive – above plus, including
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Clean up styles (nest Headings, fix Lists, etc.)
Set headers & styles according to printed book
Add alt text for images
Fix tables
Tools needed: MS Word
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Production – Triage
DAISY
 Quick & dirty
 Convert from source PDF or Word file
 Tools needed
 Dolphin Easy Converter
 Dolphin Producer
 Save As DAISY plug-in for Word
 Intensive
 Convert from thoroughly prepared Word or HTML file
 Edit on conversion or DAISY side
 Tools needed
 Dolphin Easy Converter
 Dolphin Publisher
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Production – Triage
MP3
 Quick & dirty
 Convert directly from source file (Word, PDF, HTML, etc.)
 Tools needed
 Dolphin Easy Converter
 Read & Write Gold or Kurzweil 3000
 Etc.
 Intensive
 Thoroughly prepare source file
 Tools needed
 MS Word
 Dreamweaver or Notepad
 Dolphin Easy Converter (can produce one MP3 per heading)
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Production – Math
 Tools needed
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Infty
Scientific Notebook
MathType
MathDaisy
 Text & Math
 Text can be copied & pasted or OCR’d
 Math must be OCR’d & fixed (Infty) or created from scratch
(SN, MathType)
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Production – Foreign Language
 Tools needed
 MS Word
 Dreamweaver
 Dolphin Publisher
 Primary language
 Set language of or synthesize whole document with
primary language
 Set language of or synthesize selected sections of
secondary language with other voice
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Production Relief
 Products
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SARA/EVAS
Zoom Twix
Read & Write Gold
Dolphin Easy Converter
 Staff
 Permanent
 Temporary (loaners, work study students)
 Services
 Word processing
 File exchange
 Outsourcing e.g. Badger Accessibility Services
http://www.bas.wisc.edu/
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Delivery
 FTP
 Cloud
 Media
 Email
Give students a choice!
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Q &A
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Contact Information
Julie K. Balassa
Assistant Director
Office for Students with Disabilities
Valencia College
jbalassa@valenciacollege.edu
Some Resources
ADA/Section 504 info http://www.pacificu.edu/studentlife/lss/faculty/ada504faq.cfm
Section 508 info http://www.justice.gov/crt/508/508law http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?fuseAction=1998Amend
Auxiliary Aids info - OCR http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/auxaids.html
AHEAD http://www.ahead.org
AHEAD Institute on E-Text Production document
http://www.ahead.org/uploads/docs/etext/training/Production%20Training%20Binder%20Spring%202007.pdf
AHEAD textbook access position statement http://www.ahead.org/resources/e-text/position-statement
American Printing House for the Blind http://www.aph.org/
ATHEN http://www.athenpro.org/
ATN (Access Text Network) http://www.accesstext.org/
Bookshare https://www.bookshare.org/
Chafee NLS factsheet http://www.loc.gov/nls/reference/factsheets/copyright.html
Copyright info http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/copyright
DAISY info http://daisy.org
DSSHE listserv http://listserv.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=DSSHE-L
Dolphin http://yourdolphin.com/
Duxbury Systems http://www.duxburysystems.com/
HTCTU (High Tech Center Training Unit) http://htctu.net
Karlen Communications (Karen McCall) http://www.karlencommunications.com/
Kurzweil Educational Systems http://www.kurzweiledu.com/default.html
Learning Ally http://www.learningally.org/
MathType, MathPlayer, MathDaisy http://www.dessci.com/en/
NFB info including listservs http://www.nfbnet.org/
Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/
Read &Write Gold info http://www.texthelp.com/
SARA http://www.freedomscientific.com/products/lv/sara-product-page.asp
Scientific Notebook http://www.mackichan.com/index.html?products/snb.html~mainFrame
Valencia OSD website http://valenciacollege.edu/osd
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