Alternate Format Overview Gaeir Dietrich ● Director High Tech Center Training Unit of the California Community Colleges Accessing Higher Ground 2011

What Does It Mean to Be Accessible? Digital  Accessible

To Be Accessible The documents must be accessible The software used to play the documents must be accessible The hardware on which the software and documents are loaded must be accessible ALL three!

Example A document uploaded into a courseware management system accessed on a laptop Document, CMS, laptop all must be accessible!

Please Note Most “e-books” are not accessible! Most online books are not accessible! Most CDs included with textbooks are not accessible! Most computer support/study programs are not accessible!

Defining Alternate Formats What are these things?

What is alternate media? Especially – E-text – Large print – Braille – Tactile graphics – Audio files – DAISY But also – Closed captioning – Descriptive narration – Accessible Web sites

E-text What is it? – Electronic text is a file that has characters the computer can read – Word files – – Plain text files (ASCII)

How do you make e-text? Original documents – Documents created in a word processor Scanned documents – Scan a document and create a TIFF – Use an OCR program to extract text

Large Print What is it? – Print that has been enlarged to at least 18 points for body text Issues – How large is large enough? – Anything above about 40 point gets unreasonable

How do you make large print? From e-text – In Word, select text and use CTRL + Shift + > – PDF, “print to page” on 11 in. x 17 in. paper and fit paper Computers – Screen magnifiers, such as Zoom Text – CCTV

Braille What is it? – Tactile written language Issues – Availability – Student’s reading level Note Grade 2 (contracted braille) is standard Special code for math: Nemeth braille

How do you make braille? Electronic transcription – Using e-text with Duxbury Refreshable braille displays – Electronic display attached to the computer – Transform text documents on the fly

Tactile Graphics What are they? – Simplified graphical images that use raised lines and textures to convey information Issues – Determining when needed – Instructors’ perceptions of need – How to create good graphics – Student’s ability to utilize graphics

How do you make tactile graphics? p.i.a.f. (Pictures in a Flash) – Microcapsule paper is heated (“toasted”) to produce raised images With computers – Tactile graphic programs send simple images to a Braille embosser; Tiger embosser, IVEO talking graphics Manually – Collage

Audio Files What are they? – Books on tape, audio recordings, MP3 Issues – Lack of navigation – On-campus tapes rarely shared – MP3 voices/speed

How do you create audio files? Books on tape – Audio books can be ordered through Learning Ally (formerly RFB&D) – MP3 files can be created from Text-to- Speech (TTS) programs DAISY files

Don’t forget! Commercial audio books – School can purchase and loan to student – Amazon.com – Audible.com Libraries –

Public Libraries Overdrive – Audio books from local libraries free – Check Web site for participating libraries Literature books – Many classics and under-copyright books – Search all participating libraries –

Alt Formats in Depth Providing materials to students

DAISY Digital Accessible Information System Navigable digital audio files

DAISY What is it? – Navigable digital files (computer audio) Plays on DAISY hardware and software players – Can be navigated by chapter, page, headings, paragraphs, phrases – Can be bookmarked – Remembers where you left off Replacement for audio tape, MP3, and plain e-text

“Flavors” of DAISY Text only – Format used by Bookshare Audio only – Format used by Learning Ally (RFB&D) Text and audio – Format produced by commercially available production software

Full-Text Full-Audio DAISY NCC Document (navigation control center) XHTMLMP3 Text SideAudio Side Both Sides Synchronized SMIL

Playing DAISY: in General Requires a DAISY player Software and hardware players available – Software—free to $300 – Hardware—$195 to $995 DAISY players also play MP3 files DAISY players allow you to control speed and pitch

Acquiring DAISY Books Primary sources – Learning Ally (formerly RFB&D) – Bookshare – National Library Services (NLS) Commercial sources ReadHowYouWant.com Make your own – SADX and DAISY Pipeline – Commercial software

Bookshare Quality getting better – Campus can become Bookshare volunteer DAISY (navigable audio) format – Software player comes with membership – Will create DAISY for you from e-text Audio and text – No graphics yet (coming soon!) Limited number of higher ed textbooks

Bookshare.org Text-only DAISY Requires player with text-to-speech (TTS) built in Membership free for all students and educational institutions Software included in membership

Playing Bookshare Books Choose from – Victor Reader Soft Generally preferred by blind users – Don Johnson Read OutLoud Generally preferred by LD users Software “tied” to Bookshare format – Only plays Bookshare books Can also play on some other systems – OpenBook, Kurzweil 1000/3000, WYNN

Learning Ally High-quality human narration Audio only – moving to full text/full audio DAISY (navigable audio) format – Authorized software or hardware player required to access books They do not record every edition Search by author’s name—NOT ISBN

Learning Ally Formerly Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D) – Fee for memberships – Individual memberships – School memberships Books on CD or downloadable

“Audio Plus” CDs Requires authorized player – All new solid-state players preauthorized Can purchase players from Learning Ally Other players can be sent to have “key” installed Players can play other DAISY books Players have firmware upgrade from DAISY 2.02 to DAISY 3

Downloadable “Audio Plus” Are DAISY books Require a DAISY player – Hardware or software – Still require User Authorization Key (UAK) – But no longer requires password Learning Ally software DAISY players now available for Windows and Mac!

Downloadable “Audio Access” Are not DAISY – Are WMA with DRM (Digital Rights Management) – Do not have navigation Can be played with Windows Media Player and some mainstream players (Zen by Creative and Rio; *not* iPod)

Two Downloadable Formats AudioPlus – DAISY (navigable audio) – Requires authorized DAISY software or hardware (all solid state players pre- authorized) – Plays on iOS with Audio App AudioAccess – WMA files with DRM (not DAISY) – Requires WMA player Windows Media Player Zen by Creative Rio, etc. – Will not play on iPod

Specials Membership ($99) comes with free software – ReadHear by gh – Plays Audio Plus books – Limited time offer Audio App for DAISY books – iOS program – For iPhone, iPod touch, iPad – Available from iTunes

Please Note! New small DAISY players – Play all DAISY source files – Play Learning Ally (formerly RFB&D), Bookshare, NLS books – Play MP3 – Play.doc and.txt files – Record audio, as well

Braille and Tactile Graphics Rare and elusive sightings…

Some Resources Braille – ATPC – Louis Database

ATPC for Braille Alternate Text Production Center Large braille catalog of higher ed math books Will provide braille for a fee

American Printing House Louis Database – Some higher ed braille Good source of teaching materials and information on blindness and visual impairment

Creating Alternate Formats If you can’t find them, make them!

Build Your Own Create e-text in-house – Obtain e-text from publishers – Scan Process file – OCR – Load into reading program Distribute to student

E-text from Publishers Requesting publisher files – Turnaround time varies – Quality varies – Usability varies – Publisher files are production source files, not end-user files – Files usually need additional processing

Finding the Publisher American Association of Publishers (AAP) Web site – Large publishers working with ATN

Access Text Network Basic membership free – Allows campus to request files – Search of common providers Exchange membership – $500/year or 25 files to exchange – Allows file exchange for certain publishers

ATN Publishers Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishing Cengage Learning CQ Press Elsevier F.A. Davis Company John Wiley & Sons Jones & Bartlett Learning Lynne Rienner Publishers McGraw-Hill Education Pearson Education Springer Publishing W.W. Norton

Accessible Textbook Finder AccessText Network Alternative Media Access Center Bookshare CourseSmart Learning Ally National Library Service Project Gutenberg VitalSource

Exchange Network Premium membership Publishers agreeing to exchange – CQ Press – Elsevier – Wiley – Pearson – Cengage – WW Norton

Not Available? Chop and scan – Remove the spine Scan using the software that came with the scanner – Use a high speed scanner (creates TIFF) Get a rebinding machine – Rebind book for student

Creating E-text Scan a document – Creates a picture (TIFF) Convert the picture to words (OCR) – OmniPage/FineReader Open the text – Word processor – Scan & read programs

Please Note – Kurzweil 3000/R&W Gold/WYNN Wizard – Designed for individuals to use NOT for campus production – Use when the student wants to read within these interfaces – If student wants Word use program designed specifically for OCR

A Note about PDF PDF files may be pictures of text – A computer cannot read a picture Try to select text with I-beam tool – If you cannot select text, it is probably a picture Text may not be in proper reading order

Reading PDFs Occasionally students may be able to use PDFs directly – With enlargement software – With Adobe Reader (or PDF Aloud) Be aware that you cannot assume the PDF can be used as is!

PDF Is a Start PDF files are “source files” Great as a beginning point for producing e-text PDF files are not usually “end-user files” If you obtain PDF files from publishers, expect to process them – Usually cannot simply hand them to students

Processing PDF PDF to Word – Use OmniPage or FineReader to run OCR PDF to Kurzweil – Process with Kurzweil PDF to WYNN – Process with WYNN Wizard

OCR on PDF Treat the same as a TIFF file Load into OCR program Zone Run OCR Edit Save as Word, HTML, etc.

AMX Database File sharing between campuses – Within CCCs and also other colleges Quality varies File types vary Can save time Free! Contact Gaeir to join

Working with E-Text A Different Way to Read

Reading Products Screen readers – Read entire screen Document readers – Read documents Scan and read Read and study Simple text-to-speech Enlargement programs

A Bit about Voices Voices Are Programs, Too!

TTS Voices AT&T – Mike – Crystal NeoSpeech – Kate – Paul Microsoft – Mike – Mary

Foreign Language Require a voice specific to that language Voices “speak” with accent specific to the language – They do not translate! Many common languages have voices.

Voices in Other Languages EnglishSpanishGerman 1OneUnoEins 2TwoDosZwei 3ThreeTresDrei One One (Spanish accent) One (German accent)

Foreign Language Textbooks Some programs allow you to mix English and another language – Kurzweil – TextAloud Note: Limited selection of languages comes with software; other voices can be purchased.

Auditory Math Hearing numerals is not always helpful Hearing word problems can be VERY helpful Talk to your students! – Ask LD students about making word problems auditory

Want to Learn More? Contact us any time!

More Information HTCTU Web site – For general information – Gaeir Dietrich