Transcript How DAISY fits into your alt-format operation by EA Daffran.

Supporting Literacy Skills with
Alternative Formats.
Highlighted text
EA Draffan.
Issues arising
• Web Accessibility
• E-learning
• Course management tools may be accessible
but the content that is loaded into them may
not be
• Alternative Media Formats
• Many alternative formats require Assistive
Technology for production and/or access of
alternate format course materials
Strategies
• Encourage an understanding of Copyright
legislation, publication issues, production of
formats that suit a variety of needs.
Research has shown that only 4.4% of our
publications are in accessible format but this
does not include educational materials - 26.3%
Adult Fiction, 1.9% Cookery and 1.8%
Gardening. (“Availability of Accessible
Publications” Lockyer, Creaser & Davies, 2005)
• Enable students to become skilled users of
the appropriate technologies.
Services Available
• A growing number of companies and
charities offering ‘Transcription Services’.
• Universities and Colleges developing
‘Alternative Formats Services’
Alternatives and Print
Accessible Resources
Acquisition and Creation Unit
Selection of alternative formats
available:
• CD recordings in DAISY format
• Audio Cassette recordings
• Large print photocopies
• Photocopies on coloured paper
• Scanned material in Word format
• Scanned material in PDF format
• Personal readers
What do the students say they want?
• Clear Layout
– Only Provide Meaningful Content
– Simple and Consistent Navigation
• Chunk Information
• Use Logical and Sequential Layout
• Provide Meaning for Meaning
– Graphical Representation of Text
– Textual Representation of Graphics
• Maximise Opportunities for Learning
Practical Advice
• Offer templates/style sheets for making Daisy
and Braille documents.
• Check the chosen journal or books are not
already on the Revealweb/RNIB catalogues.
• Get copyright clearance when supporting
dyslexic students. HE different CLA guidance
from other organisations.
• Break up the process of
recording, editing and
checking – one hour can
seem very long at times!
More Practical Advice
• More than 250 pages – put it on 2 CDs –
always back up work! Pen drives/memory
sticks are useful.
• Quick audio recordings using for example
Plextalk - a mic is not even essential - check
the work carefully.
• Combine text with speech
and text highlighting,
• Use left justification,
• Line breaks, Sans serif fonts.
Software that can help…
•
•
•
•
•
•
Dolphin Easy Converter
Dolphin Easy Producer/Publisher
Screen Readers
Text to Speech & save to MP3
ScreenShot Reader
Scanning and Optical Character
Recognition
Plustek
OpticBook
does not like
lilac!
Making it work with PowerPoint
Making it work with all presentation
tools
• Provide an outline equivalent
• Provide an HTML equivalent
– Create in HTML originally. Do not use “Save as Web”
– Use a Conversion Utility such as the The Illinois
Accessible Web Publishing Wizard
http://www.accessiblewizards.uiuc.edu/
• For the more adventurous - use accessible flash
tools such as Xerte
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/xerte/
Making it work – Adobe Acrobat PDF’s
EasyConverter
Screenshot Reader
Making it work – Adobe Acrobat
PDF’s
•
•
•
•
Properly Structure Source Files
Proper reader configuration
Ensure PDF is properly tagged
Provide alternative formats such as Daisy,
audio, print, braille or tactile drawing
• Convert - virtual scan settings – 300 dpi,
use grey scale
“We find those
who use CCTVs
often tire when
reading so
swapping over
to using Daisy
format has
helped.”
With thanks to Ailsa from
RNCB who gave me these
comments over the phone.
Comments
from a tutor
Thank You
E.A. Draffan
Research Fellow
Learning Societies Lab
University of Southampton
Mobile 07976 289103
E-mail: [email protected]
LexDis Project website
www.lexdis.ecs.soton.ac.uk