You have several issues. I assuming you provide tutorials for the GED, ACT and SAT?
Let me say a few things first. It is your obligation to provide this material to blind students in a form that they can use. It is not the blind students responsibility to convert your materials. My statements may be legally a requirement for your company depending on where and how you are selling your educational materials.
* It is possible to have a textbook, even a math textbook read into a four-track tape recorder. RFB&D may be able to help your company. http://www.rfbd.org/ We hire students to read textbooks for blind students at ASU. The format of the recording is designed to assist the reader/listener in navigating the book. You can use digital recorders to do this audio work as well. You should have both audio and braille versions of you textbooks. There is another option that may work for you. If your students know braille, but not Nemeth Code braille, you could use the Tiger embosser, http://216.157.142.20/products.html. The Tiger is not cheap ($11,000). Or you can have the textbook converted into an electronic file that displays nemeth code. There are several vendors that will do it for you. About ($5000 to $9000 dollars) http://www.pit-magnus.com/prog_infotech/services/conversions.asp This vendor also works with XML and might be a good choice.
Good luck,
Richard Jones
Assistant Director
Disability Resources for Students
Arizona State University, Main
480-965-6045
"Our first belief is that "disability" is a rational concept. It does
not reside within the individual. Our second belief is that electronic
technology can alter environments in such a manner as to allow people
who have various functional deficits to operate without any disability
what so ever." Richard Reed, CCD Newsletter, Fall 1988, v (2), EDUCOM
Software Initiative, 1989.
-----Original Message-----
From: Pranav Lal [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2003 3:53 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Math symbols in pdf files will tagging help
Hi Richard,
The PDF file is a math text book. What format do you suggest? The blind
student does not know nemeth, cannot be asked to learn it at this point and
would be unwilling to purchase a program such as scientific notebook.
to elaborate my situation is as follows. My company is a provider of
courses that help students gain access to institutions of higher learning.
Some of the students who have enrolled for our courses are blind. My
employer wants to give them material in electronic format. The problem is
that most of the material is in pagemaker format. Pagemaker can export to
pdf and to HTML. In both cases, the math is a huge problem due to the way
fractions, equations and other symbols are written. These blind students do
not have money to spend on software. They just about manage to purchase a
screen reader and an OCR and in some cases a computer. There is no state
support so no funding of adaptive technology is possible. I need a solution
that uses commonly available software such as Internet explorer or perhaps
Microsoft Word.
Pranav
At 12:10 AM 9/18/2003, you wrote:
>The answer depends on the intent of the PDF file, the complexity of the
>equations and the braille skills of the user/student. If the PDF file is
>for the instruction of a blind student in a math skill then the PDF file
>would not be a legal or appropriate presentation of the material under
>Section 504. If the PDF file is for the instruction of a blind student,
>who knows Nemeth Code Braille, in some math skill then the PDF file would
>not be legal.
>If the PDF file is discussing another topic and just mentions a math
>process, then an alt tag would probably be appropriate.
>
>Richard Jones
>Assistant Director
>Disability Resources for Students
>Arizona State University, Main
>480-965-6045
>
>"Our first belief is that "disability" is a rational concept. It does
>not reside within the individual. Our second belief is that electronic
>technology can alter environments in such a manner as to allow people
>who have various functional deficits to operate without any disability
>what so ever." Richard Reed, CCD Newsletter, Fall 1988, v (2), EDUCOM
>Software Initiative, 1989.
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Pranav Lal [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2003 2:42 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Math symbols in pdf files will tagging help
>
>
> Hi all,
>
>I have a pdf file with math symbols and images. Will tagging allow me to
>make those symbols and images accessible by providing descriptions that are
>readable by a screen reader?
>
>Pranav
>
>-----------------------
>September online courses on accessible information technology:
>Barrier-free Information Technology http://easi.cc/workshops/adaptit.htm
>Advanced Barrier-free Web Design http://easi.cc/workshops/advwbsyl.htm
>LD and Information Technology http://easi.cc/workshops/ld.htm
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>CCourses and Clinics http://easi.cc/workshop.htm
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>-----------------------
>September online courses on accessible information technology:
>Barrier-free Information Technology http://easi.cc/workshops/adaptit.htm
>Advanced Barrier-free Web Design http://easi.cc/workshops/advwbsyl.htm
>LD and Information Technology http://easi.cc/workshops/ld.htm
>EASI Home Page http://www.rit.edu/~easi
>CCourses and Clinics http://easi.cc/workshop.htm
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-----------------------
September online courses on accessible information technology:
Barrier-free Information Technology http://easi.cc/workshops/adaptit.htm
Advanced Barrier-free Web Design http://easi.cc/workshops/advwbsyl.htm
LD and Information Technology http://easi.cc/workshops/ld.htm
EASI Home Page http://www.rit.edu/~easi
CCourses and Clinics http://easi.cc/workshop.htm
To sign off this list
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-----------------------
September online courses on accessible information technology:
Barrier-free Information Technology http://easi.cc/workshops/adaptit.htm
Advanced Barrier-free Web Design http://easi.cc/workshops/advwbsyl.htm
LD and Information Technology http://easi.cc/workshops/ld.htm
EASI Home Page http://www.rit.edu/~easi
CCourses and Clinics http://easi.cc/workshop.htm
To sign off this list
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