Faculty Corner

Resources for Instructors...

As I find interesting or useful information I will post it here. Some of the information found here will concern students with disabilities (SWDs), other information may be about social and/or interactive media or software and/or equipment that I think might be useful to you, as faculty and technology consumers. I do hope you will peruse the contents from time-to-time and find it timely and pertinent.

 


07/12/2013

Teaching Students with Learning Disabilities
and Physical Impairments - Piano!

Martha Beth Lewis, Ph.D. gives instructors some amazing insights into how to teach piano to students with differing abilities! If you have the time, and I hope you do!, please check out her Q&A for piano pedagogy. " I hope you'll find an answer here - - perhaps even the answer to a question you didn't know you had."

http://www.marthabeth.com/learning_disabled_students.html

05/20/2013

A young college student, from Russia studying in US, who happens to be blind – but the message here is that the problem isn’t that the student is blind, but that the textbook is inaccessible. And, although publishers are getting better (working towards more accessibility) there is still a long way to go.

Svetlana and the Inaccessible Textbook



04/15/2013 Resources for Faculty compiled by the ADA Counselors @ HCCS.

HCCS - Online Resources for TL2065:

College Success For Students With Differing Abilities

 

Association for Higher Education and Disabilities.

AHEAD is involved in the development of policy and quality services for people with disabilities in higher education.
www.ahead.org

Access Technologists Higher Education Network

ATHEN collects and disseminates the best practices and implementation strategies of adaptive technology (AT) professionals in higher education.
www.athenpro.org

 

Equity & Excellence (E&E) in Higher Education Committee

The E&E committee provides faculty with Universal Course Design (UCD) strategies and curriculum tools to increase access for all students.
www.eeonline.org

 

National Center on Universal Design for Learning

NCUDL provides resources, information about guiding principles of UDL, and implementation strategies for UDL.
www.udlcenter.org

 


04/11/2013 Increasing universal access by developing educational resources

Cheatsheets sponsored by the NCDAE (National Center on Disability and Access to Education)

A series of informative accessibility pamphlets, or “cheatsheets,” have been developed to assist anyone who is creating accessible content. These resources are catered to less-technical individuals, such as faculty and staff, and are available to all. GOALS regularly adds new resources to the NCDAE site.

The Texas Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities: Resources!

Provides a number of learning modules (videos and documents) on making Microsoft Office 2010 documents accessible to people with disabilities. These modules were created by a multi-agency team of accessibility professionals. Accessible documents are more portable and usable for everyone, not just people with disabilities because accessible documents work better across all web browsers, computer systems, and other devices. Ensuring that your documents are made in an accessible manner provides everyone with an equal opportunity to access information from your agency, program or service. The Committee encourages widespread use of these modules by public and private entities.

 

 


 

02/07/2013 OH MY!? What exciting news from AiSquared!

+

It has finally happened! ZoomText is now available for the Mac, iPhone and iPad! Looks like some super enhancements have also been made to ZoomText for Windows, including information for using ZoomText with Windows 8 as well. Check it out here!

 


02/05/2013 There's an app for that! But is it right for you?

How many apps have you downloaded for your iPhone, iPad, or Android device(s) that looked promising? How many of those apps did you use only once and find out that it wasn't exactly what you thought it was or wasn't what you needed? Take a look at this article and learn a few tips before downloading that next app! Most of what is listed in the article are things I learned some time ago, but there were a few tips I hadn't thought about, so I'm sure you can benefit as well. Go. Now. Read! I sure you will be glad you did. :)

There's an app for that! But is it right for you? - NCLD (National Center for Learning Disabilities.

BTW, don't let the site's main focus steer you away from this article! Again, there is some good advice there for anyone who uses apps.

 


01/17/2013 Dragon NaturallySpeaking Updates!! Exciting new features and apps!

It's been awhile since I found something exciting to share with you! However, here's something I think you will really like and reap great benefits from:

Are you getting the most out of Dragon?

Try our FREE Dragon Apps!

The free Dragon Remote Microphone application for iOS and now Android allows Dragon 12 customers to use a compatible mobile device as a wireless microphone. With this app, Dragon users can achieve the same experience they've come to expect with Dragon, with the freedom of dictating wirelessly. The Dragon Remote Microphone application can be used with Dragon NaturallySpeaking 12 (Home Edition or above) with compatible iOS devices (iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch 4th gen devices running iOS 4.2 or later) and compatible Android devices. Visit here to learn more.


The free Dragon Recorder app can record files and wirelessly transfer your recordings to your PC for transcription. The Dragon Recorder app allows customers using Dragon NaturallySpeaking 12 (Premium Edition or above) to dictate text anytime, anywhere, capturing high-quality audio files using their existing iPhone, iPad or iPod touch (4th gen). Users can play back, fast forward and rewind the recording as necessary. The Dragon Recorder app then wirelessly transfers the audio files from the mobile device to the user’s PC and delivers an accurate written transcript of the entire recording. While the Dragon Recorder app introduces more customers to the freedom and flexibility of remote dictation, customers requiring advanced recording functionality can continue to rely on Dragon’s ability to transcribe the audio files of the industry’s leading digital voice recorders. Visit here to learn more.




 


09/10/2012 "Add-in" Components for Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint) that aid Students with Disabilities!

These add-ins were created through an open source project with Microsoft, Sonata Software Ltd. and the Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY) Consortium and can be downloaded on Sourceforge.

Download the DAISY add-in for Microsoft Word (DAISY Translator)

Digital books that “talk out loud” are invaluable for students with visual and learning disabilities. Using a free add-in for Microsoft Word, teachers and parents can convert Office Word documents into digital talking books. Students can listen to these books, and they can search and move around in them by word, sentence, paragraph, page, bookmarks, or time increments.There is also a free add-in for those who use OpenOffice.

STAMP

Approved by Microsoft, the Subtitling Add-In for Microsoft PowerPoint (STAMP) helps Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 users add closed captions to the video and audio files included in their presentations, which boosts their impact for those with hearing disabilities.

More FREE software to help you engage your students can be found here: Microsoft in Education | Faculty Resources.

06/06/2012 Project Math Access!

It is not impossible for a blind or visually-impaired person to learn math, but it is certainly a challenge. As an instructor of mathematics, are you up to the challenge? Check out Project Math Access, site hosted by Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired and developed by the staff of Research and Development Institute of Sycamore, Illinois. Funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.


09/12/2011 FREEDOM STICK!

Freedom Stick! a portable, use-anywhere accessibility solution.

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to Professor Ira D. Socol, MIT and Regional Support Centre - Scotland North and East

The MITS Freedom Stick is a portable, use-anywhere accessibility solution. Install this software package on any 4gb USB Flash Drive (full) or 2gb USB Flash Drive (lite) and you create a set of tools for your students that they can carry in their pockets which will make any Windows computer highly accessible.
The Freedom Stick contains a fully accessible version of the Firefox web browser, the full Open Office suite (comparable to Microsoft Office), the Balabolka Text-To-Speech system, an on-screen calculator which allows students to paste their math work into homework or test documents, a "mind mapper" (similar to Inspiration), the Audacity audio recorder/player, and many, many more supports.

Open the Freedom Stick's Firefox browser and you will finds dozens of pre-set internet bookmarks which will link you and your students to many more curricular supports, to digital libraries, and to other resources.

The easiest way to get started with the MITS Freedom Stick is to download either of the self-unzipping files at right to your computer. Then simply copy the whole "unzipped" collection of software to a blank USB Flash Drive.

NOTE: The Freedom Stick! does not replace other accessibility/adaptive solutions, instead the compilation offers alternatives to the more costly solutions that are on the market.

 

09/07/11 Deaf Man As Surg Tech!

Tim Tesner, a deaf man who knows his way around an operating room! It's the first part of the video.

 

http://videocatalog.gallaudet.edu/player.cfm?video=1811

 

09/06/11 Click. Record And Capture Your Voice and Screen All Online. Share.

Free web-based screen recorder - Screenr. Instant screencasts. Click and record. Share your link with anyone.

(Note: I haven't had time to adequately test for accessibility/ADA/508 issues. With that in mind, make sure you include a transcript/outline of the screencast so that your students who have a disability will be able to make use of your information.)

 

08/10/2011 Oh what a difference technology makes!

The Audio Description Project
An Initiative of the American Council of the Blind

Been to the movies lately? Remember the short commercial before the  movie begins admonishing movie-goers to: be silent/no talking, no cell phones, etc? Well, what if you are blind or severely visually-impaired?

Scene One: My friend who is blind goes to the movies with me. During the show, he leans over to me and whispers, "Why is the audience laughing?"  I whisper back, "Kevin Cline just stuck two French fries in the other guy's nostrils!".

Scene Two: I go to the same movie with this same friend.  As we walk through the lobby, he stops at the audio description table and picks up a small radio receiver and ear piece.  We go to our seats and while I'm looking around, he is listening to the pre-show audio described program notes.  He leans over to me and asks, "Did you know this movie we're about to see first came out in 1988 and was written by John Cleese, who also stars in it?"  The movie starts, and my friend doesn't ask one question during the show...not one.  We are both free to enjoy the show in our own way.

Audio description is being done in both scenarios.
The difference is TECHNOLOGY!

Each technology has its own set of solutions and shortcomings.  Here we provide a brief discussion about each technology and invite you to tell us more about how your organization uses technology to enhance audio description.  For users of audio description, we encourage you to tell us what works for you, and what doesn't.

As we become aware of new technology, we'll add the information and links.  We'll do our best to stick to the facts but we'll also share opinions and publish information from ADP's listserv.  Please see our Contacts page for information about the listserv.

 


08/09/2011  Check out the great NEW features in Dragon 11.5 Premium!

Dragon 11.5 Premium is packed with great new features. Some of our favorites include:


NEW Dragon Remote Mic app that turns your iPhone into a wireless microphone for use with Dragon on your PC. The Dragon Remote Mic app is available FREE of charge from iTunes.

NEW Social media commands that make it faster and easier to post to Facebook and Twitter. Just say “post to Facebook” and simply speak your status update.

NEW Formatting and editing commands (such as “quote that” and “bracket that” or “undo all” for multiple match formatting) will help version 11.5 customers get more done faster on their computers.

Version 11.5 also adds support for the latest new applications and operating systems, and it incorporates user interface and usability enhancements to user profile creation, the Dragon Sidebar, the correction process, and more!

What can I say but I LOVE, love, love the newest version of Dragon NaturallSpeaking!

Without sounding too much like a commercial, I love using Dragon NaturallySpeaking because it makes my work a lot easier - I mean, come on, I can talk a whole lot faster than I can type! Whether it's creating a report for my supervisor, emailing information to a student, staff or faculty member, or just composing my own essays or research papers for my professors at the university Dragon allows me to speak my thoughts and with greater accuracy (35% fewer errors recognizing my speech) than just trying to type. I've never been a great typist, at most 35 words per minute and that's on a good day. My brain just doesn't process my thoughts and convey the keystrokes needed fast enough to my fingers to strike the keys to keep up with the flow of thoughts. I love the newest feature - on the fly, in my car or anywhere actually, I can record my thoughts on a digital recorder or my iPhone and later have Dragon transcribe those thoughts to paper! I don't know about you but some of my best ideas or thoughts come to me when I'm sitting in the Houston traffic. I like to think I'm fairly articulate but sometimes struggle to get my words down on paper and have the words flow in a coherent fashion. Sometimes what I write doesn't even make sense to me, and I wrote it!

So, if you really want to amp up your writing and reduce the amount of time spent actually typing - try it out! Research has shown that humans typically speak on average 120 words per minute - how many of us can actually, accurately, type that fast!? And if you're someone with a disability that hampers your typing ability, oh my! - try it.

 

08/03/2011 Creating Accessible iTunes U Content

WGBH & National Center for Accessible Media

Description

Now available from the Carl and Ruth Shapiro family national Center for accessible media at the WGBH educational foundation: "Creating Accessible ITunes U Content," guidelines for making iTunes U multimedia accessible through the use of captions, subtitles and audio descriptions. Also available for download or samples are of accessible video and audio clips.

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=433437484

 

UPDATE 08/03/2011 regarding Learning Ally (RFBD.org)

Unfortunately, with federal budget cuts hitting even the education sectors, funding free memberships at Learning Ally is not available at this time. Learning Ally is working hard to find outside funding, grants and gifts to cover the shortfall left by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, Grant #H327D100001. For membership information please refer to Learning Ally.

At this time Bookshare is still offering free memberships to those who have documented print-based disabilities. For membership and qualifications go to Bookshare for more information.

More Exciting News From Reading For The Blind And Dyslexic!

New name and a new look! New Goals!

Reading For the Blind and Dyslexic recently changed their name to reflect their users needs and input! RFBD.org is now known as Learning Ally. Read all about the change in name and new tools available for those who learn differently, not just those who are blind or dyslexic. Their users come from a diverse community of learners who do not want to be labeled. Individuals who can benefit from the resources available from Learning Ally can apply for a FREE membership! (This project is supported by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, Grant #H327D100001.) This membership includes free software/tools for the PC and Mac.

I say, "it's about time!"

 

Online To-Do List, Task Management and Reminder app!

Have too many things to do? Can't remember when a project, essay or research paper is due? Need multiple ways to get reminded? Need to manage your lists from multiple sources *and* sync them? Check out Remember The Milk! Oh! and it's free!


Are you a member?

Do you or someone you know struggle with reading? Holding a book due to physical impairment/fatigue? Diagnosed with a print based reading disability?

Reading for the Blind and Dyslexic

RFB&D is a national nonprofit with the largest digital/audio textbook library of accessible educational materials for individuals with visual and learning disabilities. Now for the Apple Mac as well!!

Bookshare

Accessible Books and Periodicals  for Readers with print-based disabilities.

Both of these organizations offer FREE memberships, thanks to major funding from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, and support of private donors, to individuals. Certification is required; you will find certification options within the online registration process. We strongly recommend that anyone with a print-based disability join both of these organizations to gain access to alternately formatted textbooks, and mainstream reading materials.