Sean Keegan, Associate Director, Assistive Technology, Stanford University
Lars Christensen, , Sensus ApS
Disability Area: Topic Area:
Length of Session (in hours): 1
Format: Lecture
Expertise Level: All Levels
Type of session: General Conference
Summary of Session
The Stanford Converter into Braille and E-Text (SCRIBE) provides students and staff a Web-based platform for creating accessible documents, including Braille, e-text, audio, and e-books.
Abstract
The provision of alternate formats for students with print-based disabilities is a standard practice at nearly all higher-education institutions. Disability service offices develop policies and procedures for their alternate format programs as well as invest in computers, software applications, and staff training. Despite such efforts, creating alternate format versions in a timely manner and in the format preferred by the student can be challenging. Additionally, students may wish to use different document formats depending on the nature of the academic material and their preferred assistive technology or mobile device. Such conversions can increase the time for delivery or require additional computing resources that may not be available. This presentation will describe a pilot project at Stanford University for a automated, Web-based document conversion system supporting the production of accessible formats for students with print-based disabilities as well as technical and logistical considerations for such a platform.
Kepoints
Demonstrate a model for an automated document conversion system at an institutional level.
Technical and functional challenges experienced in the development of the SCRIBE system, including licensing issues, conversion options, usage patterns.,
Potential benefits to students and staff as well as redefining how to encourage institutional access vs. individual accommodations
Speaker Bio(s)
Sean Keegan
Sean Keegan is the Associate Director for Assistive Technology in the Office of Accessible Education (OAE) at Stanford University. As a member of the OAE, Sean oversees the implementation and support of assistive technology for students with disabilities throughout the campus as well as on mobile devices. Sean also oversees the Alternate Format Production Facility that provides conversion services for textbook and academic materials into alternate formats for students with disabilities. Recent projects include the implementation of a Web-based, captioning workflow solution designed to simplify the process of creating captioned media and the development of SCRIBE, a Web-based alternate format platform for converting electronic documents into accessible formats.
Lars Christensen
Lars Ballieu Christensen works with information technology and design for people with special needs. He founded Sensus, a research-based consultancy organization, and has advised numerous governments, national and international organizations, academic institutions and private companies on accessibility, inclusive design and access to digital information. Lars is a co-author for the Danish guidelines for accessible web design and is a member of the Danish Expert Committee on Accessibility at the National IT and Telecom Agency.