TVI Tidbits - Volume 2, No 6
March 11, 2010
Book Port Plus is here!
Use your Book Port Plus or Book Sense to download NFB Newsline
Civil Rights Laws in Education/Textbook Orders
Camp Abilities - Long Island!
AFB & Adobe Webinar on PDF Accessibility April 5th
Humanware’s Victor Reader Stream CD Edition
Bookshare – Victor Reader Stream Download Training - webinar
March 16, 2010 4:30 PM - 5:00 PM EDT
Dean Martineau’s Top Tech Tidbits
The following information is for your information and not an endorsement of any product or service:
http://shop.aph.org/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_Book Port Plus_1-07191-00P_10001_11051
INTRODUCTORY PRICE: $299.00
Read Digital Talking Books, play digital audio, read computer files, and
make superb recordings with Book Port Plus™!
Book Port Plus represents the latest generation of accessible media player/recorders. Its small size, quality recording, and unique capabilities make it an ideal replacement for older technology like cassette player/recorders, earlier Digital Talking Book (DTB) players, or inaccessible commercial digital recorders. Its specialized hardware and software makes Book Port Plus easier to use, more reliable, and more flexible than cell phones or PCs that might perform some of its functions.
The quality components and innovative software make Book Port Plus an excellent music player and outstanding recorder. The reading controls let you read a wide variety of books in both audio (human speech) and text (synthetic speech) format. Its ability to create Digital Talking Book recordings is unique.
Book Port Plus contains state-of-the-art hardware:
- High-speed USB lets you read NLS DTB cartridges, thumb drives, and USB CD-ROM drives
- High capacity SD™ card support -- up to 32GB
- Stereo microphone jack
- Stereo headphone jack
- Built-in speaker
- Built-in microphone
- Digital Talking Books from National Library Service (NLS). These books include both downloaded titles and titles sent in the mail on a cartridge.
- Digital Talking Books from Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D). You may download titles from their website and listen with the Book Port Plus, or you may order titles on CD.
What Can I Read on Book Port Plus?
Note: An optional USB-powered CD-ROM drive, available from commercial vendors, is required to play the CD directly from the Book Port Plus.
- Digital Talking Books from www.bookshare.org
- Audio books from www.audible.com
- Text-based books from various sites on the internet, for example: www.gutenburg.org
- Books you scan using optical character recognition software
Note: The unit must be authorized through RFB&D or NLS to play recordings from these organizations. You also need to have an account to use www.bookshare.org
Recording
Book Port Plus' recording capabilities are unmatched and perform better than many dedicated digital recorders.
The Book Port Plus recorder supports:
- Both auto gain control and manual level setting
- Ability to monitor recording
- Accessible peak meter guidance
- Append to recordings
- Edit recordings
- Turn a recording into a DTB
- Extremely high quality, quiet audio pre-amp
All shipments will incur actual UPS shipping rates based on the destination.
Thank you.
Your APH Partner
2) Use your Book Port Plus or Book Sense to download NFB Newsline:
3) Department of Education Officials Step Up Enforcement of Civil Rights Laws in Education
"Seeking to step up enforcement of civil rights laws, the federal Department of Education says it will be sending letters in coming weeks to thousands of school districts and colleges, outlining their responsibilities on issues of fairness and equal opportunity."..."The department intends to send letters offering guidance to virtually all of the nation’s 15,000 school districts and several thousand institutions of post-secondary education, officials said.
The letters will focus on 17 areas of civil rights concern, including possible racial discrimination in student assignments and admissions, in the meting out of discipline, and in access to resources, including qualified teachers. Other areas include possible sex and gender bias in athletics programs, as well as sexual harassment and violence. Other letters will remind districts and colleges of their responsibilities under federal law with regard to disabled students." Read this NY Times article at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/08/education/08educ.html.
Textbook Ordering Time is Here! Now is the time for TVIs to inform principals, CSE Chairs and others regarding student rights and district responsibilities detailed in IDEA! The school district is responsible for providing AIM - accessible instructional materials - (core instructional materials, not just the texts) at the SAME TIME as regular print readers receive theirs. Please refer these folks to the AIM web site for the process they must follow in order to comply with the law: https://www.emsc.nysed.gov/specialed/aim/ . At the same time, we encourage you to share this information with students and parents so that they can be advocates in case the district does not comply. The more parents hold districts accountable, the more aware the districts will be of their responsibilities to provide AIM in a timely manner for all students!
4) Parent Praises Camp Abilities - Long Island!
Is it possible for you to spread the word about this terrific camp? My son attended last summer and loved it.
It is the only camp he ever truly enjoyed. Thank you.
- Carolyn Taylor, parent
5) Save the Date! - AFB & Adobe Webinar on PDF Accessibility April 5th
This free 90-minute webinar will demonstrate how Adobe's ubiquitous PDF is accessible by people with disabilities using assistive technology. Topics to be covered include different types of PDFs, using Adobe's built-in accessibility features, and navigating PDF documents. This webinar is perfect for users of assistive technology, keyboard users, web masters, content providers/authors, Section 508 coordinators, and rehabilitation trainers. Read more at: http://www.afb.org/Community.asp?EventID=2156
6) Humanware’s Victor Reader Stream CD Edition is a CD
player add-on to the Stream for playing books on CD. Current Stream owners
can buy the attachment, or the Victor Reader Stream CD Edition can be purchased
as a whole. For more information, go to:
http://www.humanware.com/streamcd
7) Speaking of which, “Bookshare – Victor Reader Stream Download
Training” is a free webinar
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 4:30
PM - 5:00 PM EDT
For more information go to: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/636080867
8) From Dean Martineau’s Top Tech Tidbits
To read in full go to: http://www.flying-blind.com/tidbits2010.html
a) Executive Products has designed a new CASE for the NLS/BPH
Digital Talking Book Player available to Library for the Blind
users in the US:
https://www.executiveproductsinc.com/catalog/product_info.php?c
Path=361&products_id=1841&osCsid=14ebd96fb23b48a3097aac1ba35292f3
b) The nearly three-hour seminar on the KNFB Reader held
last Thursday can now be downloaded:
http://hingson.s3.amazonaws.com/KnfbReaderHintsandTricks-March4-2010.mp3