AHEAD 2008 Alt Format Sessions
A fantastic slate of sessions are available for your participation at this years AHEAD National Conference. We are very fortunate to once again be able to bring these authoritative presenttions to conference participants.
Two Day Preconference - Monday and Tuesday July 14th-15th
Essentials of Campus Accessibility: The AHEAD Institute on E-Text Production
Meeting the increasing demand for e-text as an accessible text format depends on sophisticated techniques for production and delivery based on high speed duplex scanning. While many colleges are creating e-text for students with print disabilities, many more are unaware of the process and requirements of creating e-text. Join us for this unique two-day institute on best practices in creating electronic text and working with publishers of academic materials. The presenters, who are proven experts in assistive technology, will address the topic of e-text production and provision by teaching skills in the use of e-text and best practices, exploring ways to work with publishers regarding copyright and security issues, and providing “hands on” training in the creation of e-text from print material using models developed in a variety of programs around the country The two-day training will address the needs of both administrators and practitioners so the potential impact of the institute will be significant. DS Directors are encouraged to invite their direct-service staff for this invaluable training.
Wednesday July 16th
11:30-1:00pm #1.1 Alternate Math: Strategies for Accessible Math for the Web and Alternate Formats
Sean Keegan, California Community Colleges, HTCTU
MathType and Scientific Notebook are just two applications that can be used to create MathML-based Web pages as well as support the transformation to alternate formats, such as Nemeth Braille. Hands-on activities will be conducted to inform participants how to format and process math content into formats usable by students with disabilities.
4:00-5:30pm #3.1 Affordable Reading Systems
Gaeir Dietrich, California Community Colleges, HTCTU
Jayme Johnson, California Community Colleges, HTCTU
Growing numbers of students with print disabilities are requesting e-text and audio versions of instructional materials. While some e-text and audio format players come with big price tags, there is software available at low cost or even free of charge. Learn more about the features and usability of these inexpensive products and where you can find them.
Thursday July 17th
11:00-12:30pm #4.1 Feature Focus: Comparing Kurzweil, TextHELP, WordQ+Word+WordWeb and WYNN- A Users Perspective!
Sherri Parkins, Seneca College of Applied Arts and Tech.
Kevin Reinhardt, Seneca College of Applied Arts and Tech
Access to written material is paramount in today’s world. Access is a multistep process that can be enhanced by Assistive Technologies. Students who struggle need accommodations provided by programs like Kurzweil, TextHELP, WYNN or the combination of Microsoft Word+WordQ+WordWeb. What ARE the differences between these programs? Investigate toolbars, examine features including scanning,
reading, bookmarking, comprehension, studying, notetaking, and writing supports.
4:00-5:30pm #6.1 Paving the Road to DAISY
Ron Stewart, AHEAD
The DAISY standard is an open-source format for accessible digital audio books that can be played on both software and hardware DAISY players. We will show examples of players and demonstrate the ease with which a DAISY talking book can be navigated and used. We will discuss the flexibility of the DAISY format, along with its expandability to include math and, eventually, multimedia. We will walk through the process of creating a DAISY book, demonstrating markup and showing how to use the DAISY books you create. Then we will use the features in DAISY reader software that allow the user to jump to specific pages, add bookmarks, and search the text.
Friday July 18th
8:30-10:30am #7.1 Authoring Accessible PDF Documents from Microsoft Word
Sean Keegan, California Community Colleges, HTCTU
Developing accessible PDF documents begins with adding the appropriate accessibility information during the document authoring process as well as choosing the correct applications to create the final document. This hands-on session will review the procedures necessary for creating accessible PDF files and include strategies for improving the accessibility of legacy PDF documents.
2:30-4:00pm #8.1 Creating Talking Tactile Graphics with IVEO
Gaeir Dietrich, De Anza College
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but sometimes the best way to convey information is with words *and* a picture! IVEO software paired with a touch tablet allows you to use text-to-speech (TTS) technology to create a tactile graphic that talks. In this session, we will talk about what makes a good tactile graphic and give you some ideas of how to create graphic templates that can be repurposed for multiple uses. You will see how to transform two-dimensional graphics into raised form and learn to use the IVEO tools to create zones and add auditory tags.
Saturday July 19th
9:00-10:30am #9.1 Converting Files for Alt Format
Ron Stewart, AHEAD
Moving files from one format to another has become one of the major headaches in the process of producing student-ready alternative format materials. This problem is being resolved by a variety of file conversion tools that are now appearing for the provider’s accommodation toolbox. In this session, we will talk about the issues that surround source files from a variety of providers and explore some of the tools that are now available to meet this challenging issue. Tools will be explored from the simple to the complex and from no-cost open-source to commercially available applications.
