While the University said some aspects of the Kindle were accessible, the device is inconvenient for users with disabilities. Some argue that the Kindle does not have an accessible navigation system for people with disabilities.
“You have to be able to see in order to use the device,” said Mona Heath, the University’s deputy chief information officer. “Once you can get to the place where you can select the textbook you’re interested in, the device can read aloud the textbook to you; but they just need to make it so that their menus and their navigation aid can be read aloud as well.”
[Snip]
The University is part of a consortium that provides a wealth of electronic books. Anytime a student with a disability needs a book, DRES [Disability Resources and Educational Services] checks its archives to see if that book had already been converted.
“We can check and see if another university has converted the same book,” Anderson said. “And we can get the book from them if we follow some guidelines that the publishers want us to follow to make sure we’re compliant with copyright law.”
Once DRES has exhausted those resources, it goes to the publisher and asks for an electronic copy, she said. Students essentially submit a receipt to prove that they paid for the printed textbook. In exchange for the receipts, publishers send electronic versions of the textbook and DRES makes the books accessible to students with disabilities.
“We have to have a document on file in our office (and) a contract that every student signs saying that they realize that those files are only for their use,” Anderson said. “They can’t share them with anyone. They can’t post them online no matter what.”
The FreePint Family is a family of resources to help information workers be more effective, raise the value of information in their organisations and contribute to success.
'FreePint... provides most of my professional development because it won't come through work and [other resources] just don't cut it.'
FUMSI Forum: Do you have a research question? Post it to the FUMSI Forum, where professionals share Q&A and useful tips on how to Find, Use, Manage and Share Information. It's free.
FreePint Shop:
VIP LiveWire:
