Supporting Literacy Skills with Alternative Formats.
EA Draffan.
Highlighted text
Speaker Notes:
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
-
Speaker Notes:
It is usually easier to create an accessible site than to provide all the same information in another equally effective format. There are clear guidelines and standards for ensuring web accessibility and clear benefits for institutions who embrace these standards. Accessible web content will reach audiences who use assistive and/or emerging technologies. Use of structural tags and accessible templates will result in faster loading times and easier site maintenance.
E-learning takes many forms and while the adapting materials and offering human support can address individual barriers as they are identified, a proactive approach can minimise that need.
Distance learning can be a powerful option for many students including those are disabled. Distance learning can be accessible and easy to use for those who rely on Assistive Technologies, if designed well from the outset.
Content is often loaded into a course management tool like Blackboard. While these management tools themselves often afford basic accessibility, the content that is loaded may or may not be accessible.
Assistive Technology is often used to access alternate format materials and e-text is an increasingly common format.
Many institutions have developed or are developing policies and best practices to deal with alternate format material provision in general and e-text in particular.
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.
Speaker Notes:
Services Available
-
A growing number of companies and charities offering ‘Transcription Services’.
-
Universities and Colleges developing ‘Alternative Formats Services’
Access Ability Centre
Equal Opportunities Office
Skills and Access Technologies
Curriculum Access Service
Learning and Disability Support
Alternatives and Print
Student Support
Learning Resources
Transcription Services
Accessible Resources Acquisition and Creation Unit
Speaker Notes:
The slide shows a series of labels used to name student services or transcription services.
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
Speaker Notes:
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
Speaker Notes:
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!
Speaker Notes:
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.
Speaker Notes:
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!
Speaker Notes:
Making it work with PowerPoint
Speaker Notes:
This is a Flash presentation of how a student adapted a PowerPoint slide show to suit her needs – it was two cluttered and her text to speech program would not work with the version provided on-line so she had to download the slides and un-clutter some whilst reading the headings and text in edit mode with TextHelp Read and Write.
PowerPoint Accessibility
Provide the Presentation File to Students
Don’t Overload Slides
Don’t Use Colour to Convey Meaning
Carefully Select Colours and Fonts
Avoid Animation and Transitions
Embedded Content may not be Accessible
Make use of Speaker notes that can be read with screen readers or text to speech.
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
-
-
For the more adventurous - use accessible flash tools such as Xerte
Speaker Notes:
Making it work – Adobe Acrobat PDF’s
Speaker Notes:
Two pictures of a PDF file showing aircraft parts with labels. The left hand picture shows detailed diagrams with labels. The right hand picture shows what can be achieved when the PDF is scanned into MS Word to be read by a screen reader or text to speech. The labels lose their positions and the diagrams are all over the place.
EasyConverter
Screenshot Reader
Speaker Notes:
Screen grab of Easy Converter which allows the user or librarian to convert Word, PDF, text and web pages into large print, braille, daisy and Mp3 format.
TextHelp Screenshot Reader working with an inaccessible diagram of an aircraft with labels.
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
Speaker Notes:
With thanks to Ailsa from RNCB who gave me these comments over the phone.
Comments from a tutor
Speaker Notes:
“Our Dyslexic students and those with literacy issues benefit from using Daisy formats because they are concentrating on learning the content of the material instead of struggling to read it. It can also back up their literacy lessons as we put the content on CD or onto the network.”
“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.
Thank You
E.A. Draffan
Research Fellow
Learning Societies Lab
University of Southampton
Mobile 07976 289103
E-mail: ead@ecs.soton.ac.uk
LexDis Project website
www.lexdis.ecs.soton.ac.uk
Speaker Notes: