From athen-list at u.washington.edu Mon Jan 5 05:55:16 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Bishop, Jeff - (jeffbis) via athen-list) Date: Mon Jan 5 05:55:28 2026 Subject: [Athen] Happy New Year and an ask for your feedback ... Message-ID: Hello and happy new year, ATHEN! We hope you had a wonderful holiday season and a restful winter break. As we look ahead, we wanted to share a brief update on ATHEN and the future of this community. For nearly three decades, ATHEN has been a steady presence for assistive technology and accessibility professionals in higher education. Members and contributors like you have been the backbone of this community-fostering expertise, collaboration, and meaningful conversation in support of access for disabled college students. We are deeply grateful for the role ATHEN has played and continues to play. Looking forward, we want to ensure ATHEN keeps pace with the evolving landscape of assistive technology, digital accessibility, and the growing demands faced by higher education professionals in these spaces. To help guide ATHEN's future in 2026 and beyond, we have launched a brief survey, available through January 23 at https://www.athenpro.org/membershipsurvey Your voice is critical as the Executive Board begins planning for the year ahead. ATHEN has remained a vital resource for nearly 30 years because of knowledgeable professionals like you, and we want to continue drawing on your expertise to strengthen this community for years to come. If you have questions or would like to share feedback not easily captured in the survey, please don't hesitate to reach out to athenpresident@gmail.com. We will share a summary of survey results later this spring. In addition, you will be hearing about voting opportunities coming up in the next few weeks for elected officers for the ATHEN board ... Thank you for all you do to make ATHEN the resource it has been for so many years! Jeff Bishop and the Executive Board -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Mon Jan 5 11:01:38 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Karthikeyan, Ramya via athen-list) Date: Mon Jan 5 11:01:43 2026 Subject: [Athen] Electronic files for Chinese History Volumes 1 and 2 Message-ID: Hello ATHEN members, Happy New Year! I would greatly appreciate if you could share any electronic files of the following books you may have in your collection. The request is for a visually impaired student enrolled in WINTER 2026 course. The Publisher is Harvard University Press and they only provide files through Bookshare and they are currently not available through the platform. 1. Title: Chinese History Volume 1 A New Manual Author: Endymion Wilkinson Edition: 5th or 6th ISBN: 9780998888309 (5th ed), 978-0674260238 (6th ed) 2. Title: Chinese History Volume 2 A New Manual Author: Endymion Wilkinson Edition: 6th ISBN: 9780674260191, 9780674260207 Thank you in advance! Best, Ramya Ramya Karthikeyan Alternative Format Specialist UCLA Center for Accessible Education 310-825-1501 (CAE line) http://www.cae.ucla.edu/ Pronouns: she/her Find the CAE on Social Media: [signature_260997815] [signature_4134850876] Note: The CAE is a Voter Registration Agency. To register to vote online, visit https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/. Please complete this Voter Preference Form to provide information about your registration status. For more information, visit BruinsVote. ***Email Confidentiality Notice*** This e-mail and any files transmitted with it may contain privileged and confidential information subject to privacy regulations. This information is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. If you have received this message in error, please notify us and remove it from your system. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Outlook-signature_.png Type: image/png Size: 1132 bytes Desc: Outlook-signature_.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Outlook-signature_.png Type: image/png Size: 1251 bytes Desc: Outlook-signature_.png URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Tue Jan 6 05:03:04 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Karen McCall via athen-list) Date: Tue Jan 6 05:03:08 2026 Subject: [Athen] Results of the PDF user research surveys and PDF remediators research surveys are available Message-ID: Morning! All research surveys are up! https://www.karlencommunications.com/Research.html As a summary, little has changed in the 10 years I've been doing this research. Those using adaptive technologies such as screen readers have the same problems with PDFs in 2025 as they did in 2015. Those remediating PDFs are frustrated with not having adequate tools to do the remediations as they were in 2015. I'm presenting the results of all surveys at the ICICT conference in London UK in February. It is worth noting that if I hadn't gone through year by year of the research for the ICICT journal article, you wouldn't be able to tell a response from 2015 or 2025. Things are that static in terms of lack of accessibility and lack of tools from both sides of the PDF accessibility issue. Cheers, Karen -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Tue Jan 6 06:34:03 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Susan Kelmer via athen-list) Date: Tue Jan 6 06:34:08 2026 Subject: [Athen] Results of the PDF user research surveys and PDF remediators research surveys are available In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I don't even do PDF remediation, and I knew this was the case. In fact, it is why I don't ever get myself involved in PDF remediation projects. There is no purpose to it. That doesn't mean I'm not disappointed by the results of the survey. Ten years, and we still don't have a product we can work with. So frustrating, considering the incredible growth in technology the last 20 years. Susan Kelmer Alternate Format Production Program Manager Disability Services Division of Student Life T 303 735 4836 www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices [cid:image001.png@01DC7EDE.D4353AD0] Due to the nature of electronic communication, the security of this message cannot be guaranteed. If you've received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete this message. From: athen-list On Behalf Of Karen McCall via athen-list Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 6:03 AM To: WebAIM Discussion List Cc: Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: [Athen] Results of the PDF user research surveys and PDF remediators research surveys are available [External email - use caution] Morning! All research surveys are up! https://www.karlencommunications.com/Research.html As a summary, little has changed in the 10 years I've been doing this research. Those using adaptive technologies such as screen readers have the same problems with PDFs in 2025 as they did in 2015. Those remediating PDFs are frustrated with not having adequate tools to do the remediations as they were in 2015. I'm presenting the results of all surveys at the ICICT conference in London UK in February. It is worth noting that if I hadn't gone through year by year of the research for the ICICT journal article, you wouldn't be able to tell a response from 2015 or 2025. Things are that static in terms of lack of accessibility and lack of tools from both sides of the PDF accessibility issue. Cheers, Karen -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 8916 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Tue Jan 6 07:27:07 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Karen McCall via athen-list) Date: Tue Jan 6 07:27:11 2026 Subject: [Athen] Results of the PDF user research surveys and PDF remediators research surveys are available In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Yes, I no longer have hope that PDFs will ever be accessible and usable for those of us with disabilities. I still believe that we need to teach people how to make more accessible word processed, presentation, and spreadsheet content...anything digital must be accessible. Even when I think of AI, it is being programmed by people who know nothing about accessibility: garbage in, garbage out. Intentional accessibility barriers. Cheers, Karen From: Susan Kelmer Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 9:34 AM To: Karen McCall ; Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: RE: Results of the PDF user research surveys and PDF remediators research surveys are available I don't even do PDF remediation, and I knew this was the case. In fact, it is why I don't ever get myself involved in PDF remediation projects. There is no purpose to it. That doesn't mean I'm not disappointed by the results of the survey. Ten years, and we still don't have a product we can work with. So frustrating, considering the incredible growth in technology the last 20 years. Susan Kelmer Alternate Format Production Program Manager Disability Services Division of Student Life T 303 735 4836 www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices [cid:image001.png@01DC7EF7.00D60480] Due to the nature of electronic communication, the security of this message cannot be guaranteed. If you've received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete this message. From: athen-list > On Behalf Of Karen McCall via athen-list Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 6:03 AM To: WebAIM Discussion List > Cc: Access Technology Higher Education Network > Subject: [Athen] Results of the PDF user research surveys and PDF remediators research surveys are available [External email - use caution] Morning! All research surveys are up! https://www.karlencommunications.com/Research.html As a summary, little has changed in the 10 years I've been doing this research. Those using adaptive technologies such as screen readers have the same problems with PDFs in 2025 as they did in 2015. Those remediating PDFs are frustrated with not having adequate tools to do the remediations as they were in 2015. I'm presenting the results of all surveys at the ICICT conference in London UK in February. It is worth noting that if I hadn't gone through year by year of the research for the ICICT journal article, you wouldn't be able to tell a response from 2015 or 2025. Things are that static in terms of lack of accessibility and lack of tools from both sides of the PDF accessibility issue. Cheers, Karen -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 8916 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Tue Jan 6 07:30:19 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Statham III, Otis via athen-list) Date: Tue Jan 6 07:30:27 2026 Subject: [Athen] Results of the PDF user research surveys and PDF remediators research surveys are available In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Karen, Be of good cheer. I am currently making PDFs much more accessible for PSU. They test High in Accessibility and most are accessible for read-aloud. Many more to do though. ? From: athen-list On Behalf Of Karen McCall via athen-list Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 10:27 AM To: Susan Kelmer ; Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: Re: [Athen] Results of the PDF user research surveys and PDF remediators research surveys are available Yes, I no longer have hope that PDFs will ever be accessible and usable for those of us with disabilities. I still believe that we need to teach people how to make more accessible word processed, presentation, and spreadsheet content?anything digital must be accessible. Even when I think of AI, it is being programmed by people who know nothing about accessibility: garbage in, garbage out. Intentional accessibility barriers. Cheers, Karen From: Susan Kelmer > Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 9:34 AM To: Karen McCall >; Access Technology Higher Education Network > Subject: RE: Results of the PDF user research surveys and PDF remediators research surveys are available I don?t even do PDF remediation, and I knew this was the case. In fact, it is why I don?t ever get myself involved in PDF remediation projects. There is no purpose to it. That doesn?t mean I?m not disappointed by the results of the survey. Ten years, and we still don?t have a product we can work with. So frustrating, considering the incredible growth in technology the last 20 years. Susan Kelmer Alternate Format Production Program Manager Disability Services Division of Student Life T 303 735 4836 www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices [cid:image001.png@01DC7EF7.7351E100] Due to the nature of electronic communication, the security of this message cannot be guaranteed. If you?ve received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and delete this message. From: athen-list > On Behalf Of Karen McCall via athen-list Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 6:03 AM To: WebAIM Discussion List > Cc: Access Technology Higher Education Network > Subject: [Athen] Results of the PDF user research surveys and PDF remediators research surveys are available [External email - use caution] Morning! All research surveys are up! https://www.karlencommunications.com/Research.html As a summary, little has changed in the 10 years I?ve been doing this research. Those using adaptive technologies such as screen readers have the same problems with PDFs in 2025 as they did in 2015. Those remediating PDFs are frustrated with not having adequate tools to do the remediations as they were in 2015. I?m presenting the results of all surveys at the ICICT conference in London UK in February. It is worth noting that if I hadn?t gone through year by year of the research for the ICICT journal article, you wouldn?t be able to tell a response from 2015 or 2025. Things are that static in terms of lack of accessibility and lack of tools from both sides of the PDF accessibility issue. Cheers, Karen -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 8916 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Tue Jan 6 13:26:01 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Dan Comden via athen-list) Date: Tue Jan 6 13:26:14 2026 Subject: [Athen] Results of the PDF user research surveys and PDF remediators research surveys are available In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Welcome to another edition of Acro(nym)Phobia! PDF = *P*erpetually *D*isappointing *F*iles I'll add it to the list, where it joins: - *P*robably *D*oesn't *F*low - *P*retty *D*umb *F*ormat - *P*ublishers *D*ragging *F*eet - *P*rofessors' *D*igital *F*ailure I've omitted the saltier entries. Perhaps you can create your own. Miss you folks! Happy 2026 -*- Dan (sent from my virtual handlebars) > From: Karen McCall via athen-list > To: WebAIM Discussion List > > Morning! > All research surveys are up! > https://www.karlencommunications.com/Research.html > As a summary, little has changed in the 10 years I've been doing this > research. > Those using adaptive technologies such as screen readers have the same > problems with PDFs in 2025 as they did in 2015. > Those remediating PDFs are frustrated with not having adequate tools to do > the remediations as they were in 2015. > I'm presenting the results of all surveys at the ICICT conference in > London UK in February. > It is worth noting that if I hadn't gone through year by year of the > research for the ICICT journal article, you wouldn't be able to tell a > response from 2015 or 2025. Things are that static in terms of lack of > accessibility and lack of tools from both sides of the PDF accessibility > issue. > Cheers, Karen > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Tue Jan 6 13:38:11 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Hayman, Douglass via athen-list) Date: Tue Jan 6 13:38:17 2026 Subject: [Athen] [EXTERNAL] - Re: Results of the PDF user research surveys and PDF remediators research surveys are available In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Pass to Dan to Fix, no wait, he is retired. Doug Hayman IT Accessibility Coordinator Information Technology Olympic College dhayman@olympic.edu (360) 475-7632 From: athen-list On Behalf Of Dan Comden via athen-list Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 1:26 PM To: athen-list@u.washington.edu Subject: [EXTERNAL] - Re: [Athen] Results of the PDF user research surveys and PDF remediators research surveys are available CAUTION: This email came from a non-OC system or external source. Beware of phishing and social engineering! Welcome to another edition of Acro(nym)Phobia! PDF = Perpetually Disappointing Files I'll add it to the list, where it joins: * Probably Doesn't Flow * Pretty Dumb Format * Publishers Dragging Feet * Professors' Digital Failure I've omitted the saltier entries. Perhaps you can create your own. Miss you folks! Happy 2026 -*- Dan (sent from my virtual handlebars) From: Karen McCall via athen-list > To: WebAIM Discussion List > Morning! All research surveys are up! https://www.karlencommunications.com/Research.html As a summary, little has changed in the 10 years I've been doing this research. Those using adaptive technologies such as screen readers have the same problems with PDFs in 2025 as they did in 2015. Those remediating PDFs are frustrated with not having adequate tools to do the remediations as they were in 2015. I'm presenting the results of all surveys at the ICICT conference in London UK in February. It is worth noting that if I hadn't gone through year by year of the research for the ICICT journal article, you wouldn't be able to tell a response from 2015 or 2025. Things are that static in terms of lack of accessibility and lack of tools from both sides of the PDF accessibility issue. Cheers, Karen -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Tue Jan 6 13:38:44 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (foreigntype@gmail.com via athen-list) Date: Tue Jan 6 13:38:57 2026 Subject: [Athen] Results of the PDF user research surveys and PDF remediators research surveys are available In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Very funny, Dan! This could take on a life of its own LOL. Wink Harner Accessibility Consultant/Alternative Text Production The Foreign Type Portland OR foreigntype@gmail.com This email was dictated using Dragon NaturallySpeaking. Please forgive quirks, misrecognitions, or errata . On Tue, Jan 6, 2026, 1:26 PM Dan Comden via athen-list < athen-list@u.washington.edu> wrote: > Welcome to another edition of Acro(nym)Phobia! > > PDF = *P*erpetually *D*isappointing *F*iles > I'll add it to the list, where it joins: > > - *P*robably *D*oesn't *F*low > - *P*retty *D*umb *F*ormat > - *P*ublishers *D*ragging *F*eet > - *P*rofessors' *D*igital *F*ailure > > I've omitted the saltier entries. Perhaps you can create your own. > > Miss you folks! Happy 2026 > > -*- Dan > (sent from my virtual handlebars) > > > > >> From: Karen McCall via athen-list >> To: WebAIM Discussion List >> >> Morning! >> All research surveys are up! >> https://www.karlencommunications.com/Research.html >> As a summary, little has changed in the 10 years I've been doing this >> research. >> Those using adaptive technologies such as screen readers have the same >> problems with PDFs in 2025 as they did in 2015. >> Those remediating PDFs are frustrated with not having adequate tools to >> do the remediations as they were in 2015. >> I'm presenting the results of all surveys at the ICICT conference in >> London UK in February. >> It is worth noting that if I hadn't gone through year by year of the >> research for the ICICT journal article, you wouldn't be able to tell a >> response from 2015 or 2025. Things are that static in terms of lack of >> accessibility and lack of tools from both sides of the PDF accessibility >> issue. >> Cheers, Karen >> >> _______________________________________________ > athen-list mailing list > athen-list@mailman22.u.washington.edu > http://mailman22.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/athen-list > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Tue Jan 6 13:39:19 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Carpenter, Anne via athen-list) Date: Tue Jan 6 13:39:23 2026 Subject: [Athen] [EXTERNAL] - Re: Results of the PDF user research surveys and PDF remediators research surveys are available In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: [laugh] Carpenter, Anne reacted to your message: ________________________________ From: athen-list on behalf of Hayman, Douglass via athen-list Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 9:38:11 PM To: Dan Comden ; Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: Re: [Athen] [EXTERNAL] - Re: Results of the PDF user research surveys and PDF remediators research surveys are available Pass to Dan to Fix, no wait, he is retired. Doug Hayman IT Accessibility Coordinator Information Technology Olympic College dhayman@olympic.edu (360) 475-7632 From: athen-list On Behalf Of Dan Comden via athen-list Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 1:26 PM To: athen-list@u.washington.edu Subject: [EXTERNAL] - Re: [Athen] Results of the PDF user research surveys and PDF remediators research surveys are available CAUTION: This email came from a non-OC system or external source. Beware of phishing and social engineering! Welcome to another edition of Acro(nym)Phobia! PDF = Perpetually Disappointing Files I'll add it to the list, where it joins: * Probably Doesn't Flow * Pretty Dumb Format * Publishers Dragging Feet * Professors' Digital Failure I've omitted the saltier entries. Perhaps you can create your own. Miss you folks! Happy 2026 -*- Dan (sent from my virtual handlebars) From: Karen McCall via athen-list > To: WebAIM Discussion List > Morning! All research surveys are up! https://www.karlencommunications.com/Research.html As a summary, little has changed in the 10 years I've been doing this research. Those using adaptive technologies such as screen readers have the same problems with PDFs in 2025 as they did in 2015. Those remediating PDFs are frustrated with not having adequate tools to do the remediations as they were in 2015. I'm presenting the results of all surveys at the ICICT conference in London UK in February. It is worth noting that if I hadn't gone through year by year of the research for the ICICT journal article, you wouldn't be able to tell a response from 2015 or 2025. Things are that static in terms of lack of accessibility and lack of tools from both sides of the PDF accessibility issue. Cheers, Karen -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Tue Jan 6 13:40:36 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Karthikeyan, Ramya via athen-list) Date: Tue Jan 6 13:40:42 2026 Subject: [Athen] [EXTERNAL] - Re: Results of the PDF user research surveys and PDF remediators research surveys are available In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: [laugh] Karthikeyan, Ramya reacted to your message: ________________________________ From: athen-list on behalf of Hayman, Douglass via athen-list Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 9:38:11 PM To: Dan Comden ; Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: Re: [Athen] [EXTERNAL] - Re: Results of the PDF user research surveys and PDF remediators research surveys are available Pass to Dan to Fix, no wait, he is retired. Doug Hayman IT Accessibility Coordinator Information Technology Olympic College dhayman@olympic.edu (360) 475-7632 From: athen-list On Behalf Of Dan Comden via athen-list Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 1:26 PM To: athen-list@u.washington.edu Subject: [EXTERNAL] - Re: [Athen] Results of the PDF user research surveys and PDF remediators research surveys are available CAUTION: This email came from a non-OC system or external source. Beware of phishing and social engineering! Welcome to another edition of Acro(nym)Phobia! PDF = Perpetually Disappointing Files I'll add it to the list, where it joins: * Probably Doesn't Flow * Pretty Dumb Format * Publishers Dragging Feet * Professors' Digital Failure I've omitted the saltier entries. Perhaps you can create your own. Miss you folks! Happy 2026 -*- Dan (sent from my virtual handlebars) From: Karen McCall via athen-list > To: WebAIM Discussion List > Morning! All research surveys are up! https://www.karlencommunications.com/Research.html As a summary, little has changed in the 10 years I've been doing this research. Those using adaptive technologies such as screen readers have the same problems with PDFs in 2025 as they did in 2015. Those remediating PDFs are frustrated with not having adequate tools to do the remediations as they were in 2015. I'm presenting the results of all surveys at the ICICT conference in London UK in February. It is worth noting that if I hadn't gone through year by year of the research for the ICICT journal article, you wouldn't be able to tell a response from 2015 or 2025. Things are that static in terms of lack of accessibility and lack of tools from both sides of the PDF accessibility issue. Cheers, Karen -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Tue Jan 6 13:44:52 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Deborah Armstrong via athen-list) Date: Tue Jan 6 13:44:58 2026 Subject: [Athen] Example of a fully accessible survey Message-ID: My college recently released this Survey Monkey survey: Take the Survey And I have rarely seen a web form that was so accessible. In particular, notice how on screen 5 and beyond when students are asked to sort their preferences for scheduling times, there are buttons to move items quickly up and down to properly sort everything and easily review the results with access technology. So often I've seen forms where the user is asked to drag and drop items to put them in the proper order, which doesn't work for screen reader users. Drag and drop also doesn't work for students, who are physically limited, for example, one of mine, who recovered from a stroke could move the mouse but did not have the dexterity for drag and drop. I am so grateful that many folks at our college value accessibility! --Debee -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Wed Jan 7 02:30:21 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (via athen-list) Date: Wed Jan 7 02:30:25 2026 Subject: [Athen] Results of the PDF user research surveys and PDF remediators research surveys are available In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <008701dc7fc0$a0ed0ad0$e2c72070$@montana.com> Hello, One of the oldest I am aware of is: Pretty Damn Frustrating Best George From: athen-list On Behalf Of Dan Comden via athen-list Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 2:26 PM To: athen-list@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: [Athen] Results of the PDF user research surveys and PDF remediators research surveys are available Welcome to another edition of Acro(nym)Phobia! PDF = Perpetually Disappointing Files I'll add it to the list, where it joins: * Probably Doesn't Flow * Pretty Dumb Format * Publishers Dragging Feet * Professors' Digital Failure I've omitted the saltier entries. Perhaps you can create your own. Miss you folks! Happy 2026 -*- Dan (sent from my virtual handlebars) From: Karen McCall via athen-list > To: WebAIM Discussion List > Morning! All research surveys are up! https://www.karlencommunications.com/Research.html As a summary, little has changed in the 10 years I've been doing this research. Those using adaptive technologies such as screen readers have the same problems with PDFs in 2025 as they did in 2015. Those remediating PDFs are frustrated with not having adequate tools to do the remediations as they were in 2015. I'm presenting the results of all surveys at the ICICT conference in London UK in February. It is worth noting that if I hadn't gone through year by year of the research for the ICICT journal article, you wouldn't be able to tell a response from 2015 or 2025. Things are that static in terms of lack of accessibility and lack of tools from both sides of the PDF accessibility issue. Cheers, Karen -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Wed Jan 7 05:43:28 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Karen McCall via athen-list) Date: Wed Jan 7 05:43:32 2026 Subject: [Athen] Example of a fully accessible survey In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Thanks for this information. I used to use Survey Monkey. They hired an accessibility consultant around 2015 and both the user interface and the resulting forms were accessible. Then they redesigned the UI and as a form author using a screen reader, I couldn't create a form any more. That's when I switched to Microsoft Forms. Do you know if the authoring part of the Survey Monkey UI has improved in accessibility? From: athen-list On Behalf Of Deborah Armstrong via athen-list Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 4:45 PM To: Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: [Athen] Example of a fully accessible survey My college recently released this Survey Monkey survey: Take the Survey And I have rarely seen a web form that was so accessible. In particular, notice how on screen 5 and beyond when students are asked to sort their preferences for scheduling times, there are buttons to move items quickly up and down to properly sort everything and easily review the results with access technology. So often I've seen forms where the user is asked to drag and drop items to put them in the proper order, which doesn't work for screen reader users. Drag and drop also doesn't work for students, who are physically limited, for example, one of mine, who recovered from a stroke could move the mouse but did not have the dexterity for drag and drop. I am so grateful that many folks at our college value accessibility! --Debee -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Wed Jan 7 11:21:41 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Deborah Armstrong via athen-list) Date: Wed Jan 7 11:21:48 2026 Subject: [Athen] Slightly ranting Message-ID: The quarter began Monday and already I've had three professors tell me: "Nobody let me know I would have a blind student in class". They're emailing me or on the phone or zoom so they don't know that I too am blind. As if we are some alien species. The one professor wails "I'm going to have to change my whole approach to teaching." I'm always polite, explain I too am visually impaired, that they are welcome to visit me so I can help them troubleshoot any accommodating a student needs etc. (I've found saying I'm visually impaired scares them less though I cannot see a thing!) But my internal dialog is screaming that they are idiots and wondering why when they got their masters degree did they never hear anything about universal design? I also explain that just because the blind student is visible, they have students with invisible disabilities who will benefit from universal design: students with low vision, learning differences, limited English proficiency, etc. Though there is a lot on Youtube about how to accommodate a blind child in K12, much less about helping blind students in higher education. Of course it's really the student's responsibility to talk to the professor ahead of time, explain their needs and what accommodations disability services can provide. And many of my students do. In fact, I currently have one who insists on scanning and converting her textbooks herself even though we have this service. She's super organized and assertive about her needs. But this is community college, and we have two problems. Students don't have the maturity to realize this or they are just so new to college and have no family with college experience to advise them. The other issue is most of the complaining professors are adjunct and hard to track down ahead of the quarter to even let them know they will have a student with a disability in class. So even if a student tries to reach them, they cannot. All my regular full-time instructors are great for our print-impaired students. They believe in them and are eager to make small changes to ensure their success. It's those darned part-timers! I wish I had better ways to alleviate these prejudices because they are the worst thing for a young person or newly blinded person with limited self-confidence when starting out in college. --Debee -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Thu Jan 8 08:38:05 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Jane Berk via athen-list) Date: Thu Jan 8 08:38:12 2026 Subject: [Athen] Slightly ranting In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: [like] Jane Berk reacted to your message: ________________________________ From: athen-list on behalf of Deborah Armstrong via athen-list Sent: Wednesday, January 7, 2026 7:21:41 PM To: Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: [Athen] Slightly ranting EXTERNAL: Use caution. The quarter began Monday and already I?ve had three professors tell me: ?Nobody let me know I would have a blind student in class?. They?re emailing me or on the phone or zoom so they don?t know that I too am blind. As if we are some alien species. The one professor wails ?I?m going to have to change my whole approach to teaching.? I?m always polite, explain I too am visually impaired, that they are welcome to visit me so I can help them troubleshoot any accommodating a student needs etc. (I?ve found saying I?m visually impaired scares them less though I cannot see a thing!) But my internal dialog is screaming that they are idiots and wondering why when they got their masters degree did they never hear anything about universal design? I also explain that just because the blind student is visible, they have students with invisible disabilities who will benefit from universal design: students with low vision, learning differences, limited English proficiency, etc. Though there is a lot on Youtube about how to accommodate a blind child in K12, much less about helping blind students in higher education. Of course it?s really the student?s responsibility to talk to the professor ahead of time, explain their needs and what accommodations disability services can provide. And many of my students do. In fact, I currently have one who insists on scanning and converting her textbooks herself even though we have this service. She?s super organized and assertive about her needs. But this is community college, and we have two problems. Students don?t have the maturity to realize this or they are just so new to college and have no family with college experience to advise them. The other issue is most of the complaining professors are adjunct and hard to track down ahead of the quarter to even let them know they will have a student with a disability in class. So even if a student tries to reach them, they cannot. All my regular full-time instructors are great for our print-impaired students. They believe in them and are eager to make small changes to ensure their success. It?s those darned part-timers! I wish I had better ways to alleviate these prejudices because they are the worst thing for a young person or newly blinded person with limited self-confidence when starting out in college. --Debee -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Thu Jan 8 11:20:40 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Mark Weiler via athen-list) Date: Thu Jan 8 11:21:13 2026 Subject: [Athen] [EXTERNAL *] Re: Slightly ranting In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I wonder if these resources might be helpful? At the university library I worked at, we hired a blind grad student, Ashley Shaw, as a web accessibility advisor. During this time, we talked about the exhausting barriers and endless advocacy in post-secondary. We eventually decided we want to try to help blind students/faculty and their sighted allies by creating an open education resource that describes some common barriers in university settings, with a focus on libraries. Our hope is that people could point to chapters in the resource when they get tired of having to advocate alone. To frame their content, each chapter tells the story a young blind child who is determined to become an astronaut. Their story is about reaching for the stars and co-creating space of belonging within the legacy of blind and sighted allies who came before them. Their journey takes them through university. You?ll have to read it to see whether their dreams come true! Here?s the reference, followed by chapter summaries. Ashley Shaw & Mark Weiler (2024). The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and Higher Education: Lessons from a Blind Grad Student?s and a Sighted Librarian?s Journeys. eCampus Ontario Chapter 1 introduces Ashley and myself and how our collaboration started. Chapter 2 describes screen readers, myths and facts, and the different ways blind people arrive at learning to use screen reader. Ashley gives a demonstration of JAWS. Recognizing that sighted people will lack listening skills and so will be confused by JAWS, the chapter also has my reflections on learning to use a screen reader as a sighted person. It includes a visualization of the JAWS aural interface for a webpage. Many sighted people seem to like that. In chapter 3 we wanted to address people in post-secondary who think that conformance to WCAG means something is barrier free. It briefly explains WCAG and includes a section on its limitations. Ashley gives another demonstration using JAWS to explain how that plays out on a webpage. To show the limitation of WCAG, we recognize how it doesn?t tell people what types of content people may value. When Ashley worked with us, she advised us to create pages that describe accessing the library and what goes on it. This is the page about the exterior of the library and entering the building. In chapter 4, we focus on academic settings. We draw attention to blind advocacy within Canadian post-secondary settings, such as a 3-minute presentation by Laura Bulk when she was a PhD student. We include other references to YouTube presentations given by blind Canadians reflecting on their post-secondary experiences. It also mentions real examples of creative collaboration between a blind Canadian grad student and a prof, such as using silly putty, magnets, and a cooking sheet in a statistics class. I then give a demonstration of creating a syllabus in Word document using headings. I show how it changes the reading experience with JAWS. Lastly, it describes other academic obstacles, some of which that might not get spoken about much, such as expecting a student to know their pedagogical needs in a subject domain they are only beginning to enter, getting page numbers for citations purposes, and dealing with reading material that isn?t proof-read with assistive technology. Chapter 5 has concluding references. There?s also a resources section. Oh, and we gave a webinar about it too. Cheers, Mark From: athen-list On Behalf Of Jane Berk via athen-list Sent: January 8, 2026 11:38 AM To: Deborah Armstrong ; Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: [EXTERNAL *] Re: [Athen] Slightly ranting [Image removed by sender. like] Jane Berk reacted to your message: ________________________________ From: athen-list on behalf of Deborah Armstrong via athen-list Sent: Wednesday, January 7, 2026 7:21:41 PM To: Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: [Athen] Slightly ranting EXTERNAL: Use caution. The quarter began Monday and already I?ve had three professors tell me: ?Nobody let me know I would have a blind student in class?. They?re emailing me or on the phone or zoom so they don?t know that I too am blind. As if we are some alien species. The one professor wails ?I?m going to have to change my whole approach to teaching.? I?m always polite, explain I too am visually impaired, that they are welcome to visit me so I can help them troubleshoot any accommodating a student needs etc. (I?ve found saying I?m visually impaired scares them less though I cannot see a thing!) But my internal dialog is screaming that they are idiots and wondering why when they got their masters degree did they never hear anything about universal design? I also explain that just because the blind student is visible, they have students with invisible disabilities who will benefit from universal design: students with low vision, learning differences, limited English proficiency, etc. Though there is a lot on Youtube about how to accommodate a blind child in K12, much less about helping blind students in higher education. Of course it?s really the student?s responsibility to talk to the professor ahead of time, explain their needs and what accommodations disability services can provide. And many of my students do. In fact, I currently have one who insists on scanning and converting her textbooks herself even though we have this service. She?s super organized and assertive about her needs. But this is community college, and we have two problems. Students don?t have the maturity to realize this or they are just so new to college and have no family with college experience to advise them. The other issue is most of the complaining professors are adjunct and hard to track down ahead of the quarter to even let them know they will have a student with a disability in class. So even if a student tries to reach them, they cannot. All my regular full-time instructors are great for our print-impaired students. They believe in them and are eager to make small changes to ensure their success. It?s those darned part-timers! I wish I had better ways to alleviate these prejudices because they are the worst thing for a young person or newly blinded person with limited self-confidence when starting out in college. --Debee * ? Notice: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ~WRD0005.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 823 bytes Desc: ~WRD0005.jpg URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Fri Jan 9 07:15:22 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Deborah Armstrong via athen-list) Date: Fri Jan 9 07:15:27 2026 Subject: [Athen] Preserving bookmarks in PDFS Message-ID: The input is an OER textbook which is a fairly accessible PDF. It has headings, and seems well tagged/marked up. But the student wants to use a browser which makes book navigation much easier than adobe reader. However the bookmarks in the PDF don't translate. If you open the PDF in a browser, there are no headings. If you open it in a conversion program, the bookmarks are known but converting to HTML looses them. I've seen this with a couple of OER textbooks when they are requested by a screen reader user. And as a screen reader user myself, I've confirmed the behavior. Students with other print impairments don't seem to have trouble with the files. K3000 and Adobe Reader of course see the bookmarks. K1000 does as well, but most students don't have that at home, and when K1000 converts to HTML, it also looses the bookmarks. It's too bad that K1000 cannot be used by a student at home with a license that lasts for the quarter or semester. What I really want to do is simply convert the PDF to html and have all that markup preserved. Any thoughts? --Debee -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Fri Jan 9 08:34:50 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Karen McCall via athen-list) Date: Fri Jan 9 08:34:54 2026 Subject: [Athen] Preserving bookmarks in PDFS In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: As far as I know, Bookmarks are still "optional" in terms of whether they get added to a document or not. They were in ISO 32000-1:2008 (PDF). I just looked at ISO 23000-2:2020 and Bookmarks are only referenced in terms of being the outline of the document. It is the same with ISO 14289-2:2024 - Bookmarks are only referenced a couple of times and only to state that the outline is often referred to as Bookmarks. This may explain why JAWS 2026 keeps identifying my Headings as Bookmarks which is annoying!!!!!! I can't find a way to turn this off. For both PDF standards, it is up to the PDF Viewer/Editor developers to "interpret" and "implement" the standards. Good luck to us all! Cheers, Karen From: athen-list On Behalf Of Deborah Armstrong via athen-list Sent: Friday, January 9, 2026 10:15 AM To: Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: [Athen] Preserving bookmarks in PDFS The input is an OER textbook which is a fairly accessible PDF. It has headings, and seems well tagged/marked up. But the student wants to use a browser which makes book navigation much easier than adobe reader. However the bookmarks in the PDF don't translate. If you open the PDF in a browser, there are no headings. If you open it in a conversion program, the bookmarks are known but converting to HTML looses them. I've seen this with a couple of OER textbooks when they are requested by a screen reader user. And as a screen reader user myself, I've confirmed the behavior. Students with other print impairments don't seem to have trouble with the files. K3000 and Adobe Reader of course see the bookmarks. K1000 does as well, but most students don't have that at home, and when K1000 converts to HTML, it also looses the bookmarks. It's too bad that K1000 cannot be used by a student at home with a license that lasts for the quarter or semester. What I really want to do is simply convert the PDF to html and have all that markup preserved. Any thoughts? --Debee -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Fri Jan 9 10:13:13 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (April A Hill via athen-list) Date: Fri Jan 9 10:13:23 2026 Subject: [Athen] Slightly ranting In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Debee, Professor of chemistry perspective incoming! I completely hear your concerns about faculty not willing to put in the work to make courses accessible, and I have also seen that it?s often our part-time folks who balk at doing that work. But since I took on the role of assistant chair, which means I hire the adjuncts for our department, I?m painfully aware that, even if doing the bare minimum of work outside of class time, our adjuncts are paid less than $30 per hour. So I can completely understand their unwillingness to put in the many hours of work it would take to make their teaching materials accessible (since most professors are not trained to do so as part of their standard professional preparation, sigh). But the work must be done. Hence, in my department we?ve worked to create a culture of sharing such that our full-time folks create accessible course materials (most of them anyway...some full-time professors are unwilling to do the accessibility work but that?s another story) and willingly share those with our part-time folks so they don?t have to reinvent the wheel. Perhaps you could encourage your full-time folks who seem committed to accessibility to do the same for their part-time colleagues. Cheers! Dr. April Hill Assistant Chair, Director of Criminalistics Pronouns: she/her/hers Metropolitan State University of Denver Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry PO Box 173362, Campus Box 52, Denver, CO 80217 Office: Science Building 3057 Phone: (303)615-0270 www.msudenver.edu/chemistry | www.hill-lab.com From: athen-list on behalf of via athen-list Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026 at 1:01?PM To: athen-list@u.washington.edu Subject: [EXTERNAL] athen-list Digest, Vol 240, Issue 4 NOTICE: This email originated from outside the University. Please exercise caution when replying or opening links and attachments. Send athen-list mailing list submissions to athen-list@u.washington.edu To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmailman22.u.washington.edu%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fathen-list&data=05%7C02%7Cahill45%40msudenver.edu%7C8f537d104e284d29565e08de4ef0c568%7C03309ca417334af9a73cf18cc841325c%7C1%7C0%7C639034993168922276%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2ByTDvH2d90vL9WOb%2F1j0FuKwOj6sYLxCntmlah0F6so%3D&reserved=0 or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to athen-list-request@mailman22.u.washington.edu You can reach the person managing the list at athen-list-owner@mailman22.u.washington.edu When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of athen-list digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Re: Slightly ranting (Jane Berk via athen-list) 2. Re: [EXTERNAL *] Re: Slightly ranting (Mark Weiler via athen-list) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2026 16:38:05 +0000 From: Jane Berk via athen-list To: Deborah Armstrong , Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: Re: [Athen] Slightly ranting Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252" [like] Jane Berk reacted to your message: ________________________________ From: athen-list on behalf of Deborah Armstrong via athen-list Sent: Wednesday, January 7, 2026 7:21:41 PM To: Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: [Athen] Slightly ranting EXTERNAL: Use caution.> The quarter began Monday and already I?ve had three professors tell me: ?Nobody let me know I would have a blind student in class?. They?re emailing me or on the phone or zoom so they don?t know that I too am blind. As if we are some alien species. The one professor wails ?I?m going to have to change my whole approach to teaching.? I?m always polite, explain I too am visually impaired, that they are welcome to visit me so I can help them troubleshoot any accommodating a student needs etc. (I?ve found saying I?m visually impaired scares them less though I cannot see a thing!) But my internal dialog is screaming that they are idiots and wondering why when they got their masters degree did they never hear anything about universal design? I also explain that just because the blind student is visible, they have students with invisible disabilities who will benefit from universal design: students with low vision, learning differences, limited English proficiency, etc. Though there is a lot on Youtube about how to accommodate a blind child in K12, much less about helping blind students in higher education. Of course it?s really the student?s responsibility to talk to the professor ahead of time, explain their needs and what accommodations disability services can provide. And many of my students do. In fact, I currently have one who insists on scanning and converting her textbooks herself even though we have this service. She?s super organized and assertive about her needs. But this is community college, and we have two problems. Students don?t have the maturity to realize this or they are just so new to college and have no family with college experience to advise them. The other issue is most of the complaining professors are adjunct and hard to track down ahead of the quarter to even let them know they will have a student with a disability in class. So even if a student tries to reach them, they cannot. All my regular full-time instructors are great for our print-impaired students. They believe in them and are eager to make small changes to ensure their success. It?s those darned part-timers! I wish I had better ways to alleviate these prejudices because they are the worst thing for a young person or newly blinded person with limited self-confidence when starting out in college. --Debee -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: > ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2026 19:20:40 +0000 From: Mark Weiler via athen-list To: Jane Berk , Access Technology Higher Education Network , Deborah Armstrong Subject: Re: [Athen] [EXTERNAL *] Re: Slightly ranting Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" I wonder if these resources might be helpful? At the university library I worked at, we hired a blind grad student, Ashley Shaw, as a web accessibility advisor. During this time, we talked about the exhausting barriers and endless advocacy in post-secondary. We eventually decided we want to try to help blind students/faculty and their sighted allies by creating an open education resource that describes some common barriers in university settings, with a focus on libraries. Our hope is that people could point to chapters in the resource when they get tired of having to advocate alone. To frame their content, each chapter tells the story a young blind child who is determined to become an astronaut. Their story is about reaching for the stars and co-creating space of belonging within the legacy of blind and sighted allies who came before them. Their journey takes them through university. You?ll have to read it to see whether their dreams come true! Here?s the reference, followed by chapter summaries. Ashley Shaw & Mark Weiler (2024). The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and Higher Education: Lessons from a Blind Grad Student?s and a Sighted Librarian?s Journeys>. eCampus Ontario Chapter 1> introduces Ashley and myself and how our collaboration started. Chapter 2> describes screen readers, myths and facts, and the different ways blind people arrive at learning to use screen reader. Ashley gives a demonstration of JAWS. Recognizing that sighted people will lack listening skills and so will be confused by JAWS, the chapter also has my reflections on learning to use a screen reader as a sighted person. It includes a visualization of the JAWS aural interface for a webpage. Many sighted people seem to like that. In chapter 3> we wanted to address people in post-secondary who think that conformance to WCAG means something is barrier free. It briefly explains WCAG and includes a section on its limitations. Ashley gives another demonstration using JAWS to explain how that plays out on a webpage. To show the limitation of WCAG, we recognize how it doesn?t tell people what types of content people may value. When Ashley worked with us, she advised us to create pages that describe accessing the library and what goes on it. This is the page about the exterior of the library and entering the building>. In chapter 4>, we focus on academic settings. We draw attention to blind advocacy within Canadian post-secondary settings, such as a 3-minute presentation> by Laura Bulk when she was a PhD student. We include other references to YouTube presentations given by blind Canadians reflecting on their post-secondary experiences. It also mentions real examples of creative collaboration between a blind Canadian grad student and a prof, such as using silly putty, magnets, and a cooking sheet in a statistics class. I then give a demonstration of creating a syllabus in Word document using headings. I show how it changes the reading experience with JAWS. Lastly, it describes other academic obstacles, some of which that might not get spoken about much, such as expecting a student to know their pedagogical needs in a subject domain they ar! e only beginning to enter, getting page numbers for citations purposes, and dealing with reading material that isn?t proof-read with assistive technology. Chapter 5> has concluding references. There?s also a resources section>. Oh, and we gave a webinar about it too>. Cheers, Mark From: athen-list On Behalf Of Jane Berk via athen-list Sent: January 8, 2026 11:38 AM To: Deborah Armstrong ; Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: [EXTERNAL *] Re: [Athen] Slightly ranting [Image removed by sender. like] Jane Berk reacted to your message: ________________________________ From: athen-list on behalf of Deborah Armstrong via athen-list Sent: Wednesday, January 7, 2026 7:21:41 PM To: Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: [Athen] Slightly ranting EXTERNAL: Use caution.> The quarter began Monday and already I?ve had three professors tell me: ?Nobody let me know I would have a blind student in class?. They?re emailing me or on the phone or zoom so they don?t know that I too am blind. As if we are some alien species. The one professor wails ?I?m going to have to change my whole approach to teaching.? I?m always polite, explain I too am visually impaired, that they are welcome to visit me so I can help them troubleshoot any accommodating a student needs etc. (I?ve found saying I?m visually impaired scares them less though I cannot see a thing!) But my internal dialog is screaming that they are idiots and wondering why when they got their masters degree did they never hear anything about universal design? I also explain that just because the blind student is visible, they have students with invisible disabilities who will benefit from universal design: students with low vision, learning differences, limited English proficiency, etc. Though there is a lot on Youtube about how to accommodate a blind child in K12, much less about helping blind students in higher education. Of course it?s really the student?s responsibility to talk to the professor ahead of time, explain their needs and what accommodations disability services can provide. And many of my students do. In fact, I currently have one who insists on scanning and converting her textbooks herself even though we have this service. She?s super organized and assertive about her needs. But this is community college, and we have two problems. Students don?t have the maturity to realize this or they are just so new to college and have no family with college experience to advise them. The other issue is most of the complaining professors are adjunct and hard to track down ahead of the quarter to even let them know they will have a student with a disability in class. So even if a student tries to reach them, they cannot. All my regular full-time instructors are great for our print-impaired students. They believe in them and are eager to make small changes to ensure their success. It?s those darned part-timers! I wish I had better ways to alleviate these prejudices because they are the worst thing for a young person or newly blinded person with limited self-confidence when starting out in college. --Debee * ? Notice: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: > -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ~WRD0005.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 823 bytes Desc: ~WRD0005.jpg URL: > ------------------------------ Subject: Digest Footer _______________________________________________ athen-list mailing list athen-list@mailman22.u.washington.edu https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmailman22.u.washington.edu%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fathen-list&data=05%7C02%7Cahill45%40msudenver.edu%7C8f537d104e284d29565e08de4ef0c568%7C03309ca417334af9a73cf18cc841325c%7C1%7C0%7C639034993170023925%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=yLMkQvP5QkQWzjlC%2FuR7uz70ptZhzhmX4vyEXWZDhxc%3D&reserved=0 ------------------------------ End of athen-list Digest, Vol 240, Issue 4 ****************************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Fri Jan 9 10:17:19 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Joshua Hori via athen-list) Date: Fri Jan 9 10:17:24 2026 Subject: [Athen] Preserving bookmarks in PDFS In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hello Debee, Try Brave Browser, it?s the only one that I know of that displays PDF tags correctly. It?s also Chromium based, so you can still use the plug-ins from the Google Play store. It has numerous security enhancements which may be difficult to use at first. Fingerprint blocking, https enforcement, script blocking, and more. There is a button that turns the security off if needed in the address bar. The Reading mode is highly suggested. Joshua From: athen-list on behalf of Deborah Armstrong via athen-list Date: Friday, January 9, 2026 at 7:16?AM To: Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: [Athen] Preserving bookmarks in PDFS The input is an OER textbook which is a fairly accessible PDF. It has headings, and seems well tagged/marked up. But the student wants to use a browser which makes book navigation much easier than adobe reader. However the bookmarks in the PDF don?t translate. If you open the PDF in a browser, there are no headings. If you open it in a conversion program, the bookmarks are known but converting to HTML looses them. I?ve seen this with a couple of OER textbooks when they are requested by a screen reader user. And as a screen reader user myself, I?ve confirmed the behavior. Students with other print impairments don?t seem to have trouble with the files. K3000 and Adobe Reader of course see the bookmarks. K1000 does as well, but most students don?t have that at home, and when K1000 converts to HTML, it also looses the bookmarks. It?s too bad that K1000 cannot be used by a student at home with a license that lasts for the quarter or semester. What I really want to do is simply convert the PDF to html and have all that markup preserved. Any thoughts? --Debee -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Mon Jan 12 07:09:51 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (via athen-list) Date: Mon Jan 12 07:10:17 2026 Subject: [Athen] Research Survey into the accessibility of complex data tables Message-ID: <000001dc83d5$8c9b4150$a5d1c3f0$@karlencommunications.com> If you use a screen reader and are reading complex data tables (tables with merged or split cells) please take time to fill our this research survey. The survey will close February 13, 2026. https://forms.office.com/r/LLAizWdeYP Please share this survey with anyone who might be interested. Cheers, Karen -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Mon Jan 12 09:11:32 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Deborah Armstrong via athen-list) Date: Mon Jan 12 09:11:40 2026 Subject: [Athen] Notebook LM Message-ID: Notebook LM, from google is absolutely one of the coolest tools for a student with a print impairment. A great deal of AI training and examples are focused on work productivity and Notebook LM is great for that too, but if your student dislikes or doesn't have the time to read reams, it can not only summarize, but answer questions. It's completely accessible to the screen reader user, and Freedom Scientific just did a webinar demonstrating tasks using it with JAWS: Research Reimagined: Mastering Google's NotebookLM with JAWS - Freedom Scientific Video or audio only can be downloaded from the above website or if a student asks Siri or Alexa to "play the latest Freedom Scientific Podcast" that's what is going to play now. It's also the latest entry on their YouTube channel so users can see as well as listen to the demo. Students with good vision can also surf YouTube for tons of more visually-oriented training, some amateur and some professional. As the Vispero trainer points out, she loves to upload all her user guides to it and then can ask a question like "how do I pair my supersonic headset to my computer?". A more student oriented example would be to upload notes or textbook chapters to it and then ask it to compare Sparta and Athens, or clarify a formula in chapter 12 or which textbook chapter covers how to delete an item from a list in python. I can see it being especially helpful for paralegal or real estate studies where many laws must be mastered. The idea is that you create a "notebook" with the material and it can accept a wide variety of file formats, and then you can query that data and get answers fast. Though the free version is limited, google has adoption programs for many colleges that allow students to freely use the professional version. I know professors feel AI is cheating, but in crafting your query, you are not cheating. Learning how to effectively create prompts is a valuable art and it takes practice. You can get to the material you need to memorize for an exam faster this way. And in the real world, we look up stuff all the time, which is what I'd tell a professor if I got scolded for using AI. --Debee -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Mon Jan 12 11:31:31 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Deborah Armstrong via athen-list) Date: Mon Jan 12 11:31:38 2026 Subject: [Athen] Does your student really need Braille? Message-ID: I've written about this before, but I was inspired to review it again with experiences from several of my recent students. Braille is vital if your student needs it. And though it is time-consuming to properly produce, it is essential for many students' success. However, it's important in my opinion to carefully investigate whether it is actually appropriate. Knowledge We see many people loosing their vision and learning Braille. Younger folks, especially are excited about becoming more capable with Braille. They are reading recipes, keeping calendars and contact lists and with a Braille display or embosser, proofreading. But that's not reading. It's great, but many don't have the speed or proficiency to get through academic material. If it's a STEM course they need to know the proper code, such as Nemeth. If it's Music, they of course need to know Music Braille. I try to give my student the first reading assignment in Braille to ensure it's working out before I emboss, or have embossed an entire book. I have students after that who decide they don't really "know" Braille, and I have others impatiently asking why I didn't give them the entire thing. I also have students with special needs, they cannot read punctuation, or they can only read Grade 1. I might give them a handout with those special needs, but not a whole book. Last year, I actually had an angry parent whose daughter could not read capital letters or punctuation but wanted a whole book. Sorry but for academics, if you cannot read capital letters or punctuation, you can't read a whole college textbook! Braille Displays Modern displays from Humanware and Hims and a few other less popular manufacturers make it possible for the student to read Braille on that device, and not need a computer. The NLS eReader is free to U.S. citizens. A current student reads one of her textbooks on the NLS eReader, and another she requested in embossed Braille. If what the student is reading is basically text, for example a novel or history book, then a Braille display might save you hours of embossing. Though they are expensive, enterprising students find funding sources, including the department of rehab or they use the NLS eReader. If they do have a Braille display, you should also give them the document in a format they can read on the computer with speech, as they often use Braille when away from a computer, or to check the way words are spelled. When a document is transcribed in to Braille it can be saved as a BRF (a Braille ready file) that can be directly sent to an embosser or downloaded to a display. One huge advantage of using a display is the student can search for phrases, just as eBook readers let a sighted user experience this advantage over a printed copy. However most displays are single lines, that is twenty or forty characters, and this can be slow going if it's the only way to read. File formats Most modern displays can read other formats, and a BRF file isn't always the best choice. The sophisticated markup with Daisy, epub, HTML and even Word or PDF with text and headings can make it much easier to navigate a large textbook. If your student's braille display can for example open HTML files and automatically translate them in to Braille, and enables the student to navigate by headings, this gives them more flexibility than a plain BRF file, where they can only navigate by pages. And pages in Braille mean the next embossable page, not the next print page when navigating on a display. Even more primitive displays connected to a computer work best when the document has markup, so jumping to a particular page, heading or section is not tedious. Yes, you can use a search command but then you have to know what you are searching for. Many chapters don't have the actual word "Chapter" at their beginnings. So if a student needs to jump to chapter seven without any markup it can become quite frustrating with a BRF file. And most modern displays can auto-translate so there's no need for you to do the tedious job of transcribing. Of course, this is all irrelevant if we have a math textbook, science, music or anything that a display isn't going to translate automatically. They can only do literary Braille. Also a foreign language textbook must be marked up by hand because they switch between English and the language to be learned. Braille displays and screen readers cannot auto-translate with accuracy there. Jaws can do some language switching with speech but not perfectly. Sources Be sure the book your student needs is not already available. Here in California community colleges have the advanced text production center which transcribes and embosses anything I need that's time-consuming or difficult. They have a catalog of everything produced. The National Braille Press and the American Printing House for the Blind sell Braille textbooks, though admittedly, most are for K12. Bookshare can also provide for sale embossed copies of Braille through the Braille institute in Los Angeles, though the Daisy version to be read on a computer and/or Braille display will offer more navigation. Their transcriptions however are produced by computer and not by hand, so like the automatic translation built in to a Braille display, will not necessarily preserve complex formatting or retain symbols needed for STEM. Local transcribing groups across the nation also retain electronic files of materials they produced. Lastly, the National Library Service for the blind and Handicapped has free Braille recreational reading on their BARD (Braille and Audio Reading) site. For classic literature, popular works, and especially music scores, this is the place to get BRF files you can immediately emboss or download to a student's display and they have all been hand-transcribed. Make sure your institution sets up a free account. Hardcopy Braille must be transcribed, embossed, collated and bound. If you need to do it, you must. I am a fluent and rapid Braille reader. I have read Braille since I was five, and I'd be the first one to ask for an embossed Braille book when I needed it. But there are simply many times I do not. Make sure your students know when they do and do not need it as well. --Debee -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Mon Jan 12 12:44:39 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Joshua Hori via athen-list) Date: Mon Jan 12 12:44:45 2026 Subject: [Athen] Notebook LM In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I've been using NotebookLM with a deaf/blind student in chemistry since January 2025, and it truly is a remarkable tool. I even wrote an article about my experiences with it: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/notebooklm-accessible-organized-eco-conscious-way-do-research-hori-bfmnc/. While there were a few accessibility issues initially, we managed to develop workarounds to ensure usability. I'm pleased to report that they have now made mind maps accessible and are automatically naming different reports for easier navigation. Although the mobile app is quite limited, it does allow you to add sources or listen to studio content generated from your desktop. Google has also introduced a new tool called Illuminate, which is being used to generate discussions on online content, including JSTOR research: https://illuminate.google.com/explore?pli=1. A quick note for using NotebookLM in STEM: utilize role-playing to keep the AI on track. For example, you might set up a scenario like, "You are an Inorganic Chemistry instructor presenting details to high school students to spark their interest in this complex subject for college. Ensure you fully read out acronyms to avoid confusion and provide everyday examples of where this knowledge might be applied." This can be set up via the edit button for audio generation. I have generated audio discussions only using SMILES code for content (chemical bonding structures). Without a prompt, it went wildly off the path and made incorrect statements. With prompt, I was able to understand how to read the SMILES code. Best, Joshua Hori Accessible Technology Coordinator Information Educational Technology Academic Technology Services 50 Hutchison Dr. Davis, CA 95616 530-752-2439 Schedule a meeting via Calendly From: athen-list on behalf of Deborah Armstrong via athen-list Date: Monday, January 12, 2026 at 9:13?AM To: Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: [Athen] Notebook LM Notebook LM, from google is absolutely one of the coolest tools for a student with a print impairment. A great deal of AI training and examples are focused on work productivity and Notebook LM is great for that too, but if your student dislikes or doesn?t have the time to read reams, it can not only summarize, but answer questions. It?s completely accessible to the screen reader user, and Freedom Scientific just did a webinar demonstrating tasks using it with JAWS: Research Reimagined: Mastering Google?s NotebookLM with JAWS ? Freedom Scientific Video or audio only can be downloaded from the above website or if a student asks Siri or Alexa to ?play the latest Freedom Scientific Podcast? that?s what is going to play now. It?s also the latest entry on their YouTube channel so users can see as well as listen to the demo. Students with good vision can also surf YouTube for tons of more visually-oriented training, some amateur and some professional. As the Vispero trainer points out, she loves to upload all her user guides to it and then can ask a question like ?how do I pair my supersonic headset to my computer??. A more student oriented example would be to upload notes or textbook chapters to it and then ask it to compare Sparta and Athens, or clarify a formula in chapter 12 or which textbook chapter covers how to delete an item from a list in python. I can see it being especially helpful for paralegal or real estate studies where many laws must be mastered. The idea is that you create a ?notebook? with the material and it can accept a wide variety of file formats, and then you can query that data and get answers fast. Though the free version is limited, google has adoption programs for many colleges that allow students to freely use the professional version. I know professors feel AI is cheating, but in crafting your query, you are not cheating. Learning how to effectively create prompts is a valuable art and it takes practice. You can get to the material you need to memorize for an exam faster this way. And in the real world, we look up stuff all the time, which is what I?d tell a professor if I got scolded for using AI. --Debee -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Wed Jan 14 10:11:01 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Bishop, Jeff - (jeffbis) via athen-list) Date: Wed Jan 14 10:11:09 2026 Subject: [Athen] An ask for your feedback ... In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hello ATHEN Community, As we look ahead, we wanted to share a brief update on ATHEN and the future of this community. For nearly three decades, ATHEN has been a steady presence for assistive technology and accessibility professionals in higher education. Members and contributors like you have been the backbone of this community-fostering expertise, collaboration, and meaningful conversation in support of access for disabled college students. We are deeply grateful for the role ATHEN has played and continues to play. Looking forward, we want to ensure ATHEN keeps pace with the evolving landscape of assistive technology, digital accessibility, and the growing demands faced by higher education professionals in these spaces. To help guide ATHEN's future in 2026 and beyond, we have launched a brief survey, available through January 30 at: https://www.athenpro.org/membershipsurvey Your voice is critical as the Executive Board begins planning for the year ahead. ATHEN has remained a vital resource for nearly 30 years because of knowledgeable professionals like you, and we want to continue drawing on your expertise to strengthen this community for years to come. If you have questions or would like to share feedback not easily captured in the survey, please don't hesitate to reach out to athenpresident@gmail.com. We will share a summary of survey results later this spring at our upcoming annual meeting that you will hear about shortly. In addition, you will be hearing about voting opportunities coming up in the next few weeks for elected officers for the ATHEN board ... In fact, we will send out a notice a bit later today announcing opening nominations for officers and board of director positions. Thank you for all you do to make ATHEN the resource it has been for so many years! Jeff Bishop and the Executive Board -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Wed Jan 14 10:24:02 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Bishop, Jeff - (jeffbis) via athen-list) Date: Wed Jan 14 10:24:13 2026 Subject: [Athen] Call for Nominations - ATHEN Executive Council In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hello ATHEN members, We are requesting your nominations for the following ATHEN Executive positions: - Vice-President - Treasurer - Member-at-Large representative For a general overview of the job responsibilities, please see the following web page: https://www.athenpro.org/about/#tab-bylaws You are welcome to nominate yourself for these positions. If you are nominating another individual, it is highly recommended that you check with that person as to their availability. These positions are members of the ATHEN Executive Council and require some participation. All positions are for a 2 year commitment. Please submit all nominations via email to the Board at board@athenpro.org. Nominations will close on Friday, January 23, 2026 at 5PM (Pacific). Voting will become available shortly thereafter. Thank you for your time. Jeff Bishop ATHEN President -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Wed Jan 14 14:21:14 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Thompson, Marc via athen-list) Date: Wed Jan 14 14:21:19 2026 Subject: [Athen] Job Announcement: Digital Content Accessibility Specialist or Senior Digital Content Accessibility Specialist Message-ID: The Digital Content Accessibility Specialist or Senior Digital Content Accessibility Specialist supports the Digital Accessibility Program (DAP) by assisting with the creation, remediation, and evaluation of electronic documents and multimedia to ensure compliance with accessibility standards, including WCAG 2.1, ADA Title II, and the Illinois Information Technology Accessibility Act (IITAA). This role provides consultation, training, and hands-on remediation services to faculty, staff, and departments to help make instructional materials, departmental communications, and public-facing content accessible. This role requires familiarity with accessibility evaluation tools and assistive technologies, as well as the ability to explain accessibility practices clearly to a wide range of campus stakeholders. See Full Job Announcement for details. Marc Thompson, Ph.D. (he/him/his) Assistant Director for Teaching & Learning Experiences Program Director, Information Accessibility Design & Policy Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 505 East Armory Avenue | MC-528 Champaign, IL 61820 Tel: 217-244-0957 | Fax: 217-333-8524 1-800-252-1360 ext. 40957 thompso1@illinois.edu [University of Illinois logo] Under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act any written communication to or from university employees regarding university business is a public record and may be subject to public disclosure. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 2609 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Thu Jan 15 07:42:52 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Geraldine Mendiola via athen-list) Date: Thu Jan 15 07:42:59 2026 Subject: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Message-ID: Good morning, I am seeking information on a Braille embosser and a tactile graphics machine to better support our students. We have two students who will need these resources this semester. Currently, we have one embosser, but it is very old and no longer operable. Any guidance or assistance in obtaining or repairing these devices would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your support. Please don?t hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. Thank you, Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT Coordinator, Testing Services Disability Resources Student Success Center Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 Jacksonville State University P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 The Friendliest Campus in the South WWW.JSU.EDU [cid:6956035d-a3ee-46c5-9437-ecbfb39553c0] [National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo] [cid:beb5d335-ff6e-4aad-bb3e-d773d5f9edd7] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY This message and any attached documents contain information that may be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to legal liability. Thank you. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Outlook-43xtl0w2.png Type: image/png Size: 29156 bytes Desc: Outlook-43xtl0w2.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Outlook-National C.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 64464 bytes Desc: Outlook-National C.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Outlook-hkai0dds.png Type: image/png Size: 26502 bytes Desc: Outlook-hkai0dds.png URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Thu Jan 15 15:57:33 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (David Andrews via athen-list) Date: Thu Jan 15 16:00:07 2026 Subject: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: We would need more information, your budget, how much will you emboss, single-sided or interpoint, how will you generate graphics, noise or other considerations, and things I am forgetting to ask. Dave >Good morning, > >I am seeking information on a Braille embosser and a tactile >graphics machine to better support our students. We have two >students who will need these resources this semester. >Currently, we have one embosser, but it is very old and no longer >operable. Any guidance or assistance in obtaining or repairing these >devices would be greatly appreciated. >Thank you for your support. >Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. > > >Thank you, > > > >Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT > >Coordinator, Testing Services >Disability Resources > >Student Success Center >Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 > >Jacksonville State University > >P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 > >The Friendliest Campus in the South > >WWW.JSU.EDU > > >[] > > > > > >National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo > >[] > > >CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE > >PLEASE READ CAREFULLY >This message and any attached documents contain information that may >be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure >under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended >solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability >Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended >recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are >hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, >copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in >reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of >this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall >not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or >exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have >received this communication in error, please immediately notify the >sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently >delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse >or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication >of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to >legal liability. Thank you. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 9307186.png Type: image/png Size: 29156 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 9307186.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 64464 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 9307196.png Type: image/png Size: 26502 bytes Desc: not available URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Fri Jan 16 07:59:16 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Deborah Armstrong via athen-list) Date: Fri Jan 16 07:59:23 2026 Subject: [Athen] Question re online labs' accessibility Message-ID: What is the latest on the accessibility of online labs from the big publishers, Pearson, Cengage, Mcgraw-Hill, etc.? We have more and more instructors requiring them and at our community colleges we get vision-impaired students new to college and new to vision loss and new to using a screen reader. So when a student tells me that their lab is not accessible, I'm really not sure what to do. Is it the student's lack of screen reader skill, or is the lab truly not accessible? As a screen reader user myself I hear these complaints often, but I'm a worker bee, not even faculty, so there's not a lot I actually can do about the situation. We have a computer access lab where I send students to get one-on-one assistance, but I often don't know if the lab is really going to work out for them. I can get an access code from the instructor and play with the lab a little, but it takes time away from what I'm supposed to be doing. Because I'm a screen reader user myself, students and instructors think I have magic solutions. And once in a while I actually do. But not always. When I've taken courses using some of these labs, I haven't run in to a lot of access issues, and the few I had were easy to work around. But that doesn't mean my students' complaints are not real. I am curious how often this is occurring, and what you on this list typically do to resolve the issue. --Debee -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Fri Jan 16 08:14:49 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (ELIZABETH KILLINGER via athen-list) Date: Fri Jan 16 08:15:31 2026 Subject: [Athen] [EXT] Question re online labs' accessibility In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I don't know what publisher it is with, but most of the bigger ones have techs that can help with this. It takes some transferring. I would sit down with the student first and have them login and demonstrate the issue. If you cannot troubleshoot. Then you can reach out to the publisher. One thing to note, that if your school is using any of these resources, you should have a VPAT on file for them - verifying they are accessible to current standards. *Elizabeth Killinger* *Associate Coordinator* *FIT-ABLE | Office of Disability ServicesFashion Institute of Technology* David Dubinsky Student Center, A570 Phone: 212.217.4090 Website: fitnyc.edu/fitable On Fri, Jan 16, 2026 at 10:59?AM Deborah Armstrong via athen-list < athen-list@u.washington.edu> wrote: > What is the latest on the accessibility of online labs from the big > publishers, Pearson, Cengage, Mcgraw-Hill, etc.? > > We have more and more instructors requiring them and at our community > colleges we get vision-impaired students new to college and new to vision > loss and new to using a screen reader. > > So when a student tells me that their lab is not accessible, I?m really > not sure what to do. Is it the student?s lack of screen reader skill, or is > the lab truly not accessible? As a screen reader user myself I hear these > complaints often, but I?m a worker bee, not even faculty, so there?s not a > lot I actually can do about the situation. We have a computer access lab > where I send students to get one-on-one assistance, but I often don?t know > if the lab is really going to work out for them. > > I can get an access code from the instructor and play with the lab a > little, but it takes time away from what I?m supposed to be doing. Because > I?m a screen reader user myself, students and instructors think I have > magic solutions. And once in a while I actually do. But not always. > > When I?ve taken courses using some of these labs, I haven?t run in to a > lot of access issues, and the few I had were easy to work around. But that > doesn?t mean my students? complaints are not real. > > I am curious how often this is occurring, and what you on this list > typically do to resolve the issue. > > --Debee > > > > > _______________________________________________ > athen-list mailing list > athen-list@mailman22.u.washington.edu > > https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://mailman22.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/athen-list__;!!H8WCONMI!a6OAxJ3y6RVk4-KD3z7o4VhsI3P2W9RiUzyIIukM6usoTD9hotiT4kgCESDa5YOSd9j_DtqFHH4u132emULps0RiVdSpNrJrPZ6hd5b_$ > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Mon Jan 19 04:07:29 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Matthew Horspool via athen-list) Date: Mon Jan 19 04:10:03 2026 Subject: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Geraldine, I agree with David that more information would be ideal. However, as a generic finger in the wind, I would say that the Juliet 120 is a very good bet. It is sold by HumanWare and is virtually identical to the Index Basic D V5. My particular reason for recommending it is that it comes with a free license of Tactile View, which is usually a few hundred dollars in its own right, so it is good value for money compared to the Index and there is no loss of features. It takes tractor fed paper and is quite noisy, but the embossing speed is generous, the dot quality is good and it can do graphics as well as text. Admittedly, the embossers from ViewPlus do tend to produce better quality graphics than the Romeo/Juliet/Index range, but they are more expensive and the braille dots are not as good, and the graphics on the Juliet etc are still perfectly serviceable. HTH, Matthew From: athen-list On Behalf Of Geraldine Mendiola via athen-list Sent: 15 January 2026 15:43 To: athen-list@u.washington.edu Subject: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Good morning, I am seeking information on a Braille embosser and a tactile graphics machine to better support our students. We have two students who will need these resources this semester. Currently, we have one embosser, but it is very old and no longer operable. Any guidance or assistance in obtaining or repairing these devices would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your support. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. Thank you, Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT Coordinator, Testing Services Disability Resources Student Success Center Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 Jacksonville State University P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 The Friendliest Campus in the South WWW.JSU.EDU [cid:image001.png@01DC893C.2AE33A50] [National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo] [cid:image003.png@01DC893C.2AE33A50] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY This message and any attached documents contain information that may be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to legal liability. Thank you. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 29156 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 64464 bytes Desc: image002.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.png Type: image/png Size: 26502 bytes Desc: image003.png URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Tue Jan 20 07:24:43 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Geraldine Mendiola via athen-list) Date: Tue Jan 20 07:24:51 2026 Subject: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Good morning, Thank you for this information. It is very helpful and greatly appreciated. How about an acoustic cabinet? Would that keep the noise level at a minimum? Please don?t hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. Thank you, Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT Coordinator, Testing Services Disability Resources Student Success Center Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 Jacksonville State University P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 The Friendliest Campus in the South WWW.JSU.EDU [cid:0d86c66f-03de-4fc3-867a-b006ab082285] [National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo] [cid:0031cf31-b636-45a7-a77c-1b6e4e835f51] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY This message and any attached documents contain information that may be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to legal liability. Thank you. ________________________________ From: Matthew Horspool Sent: Monday, January 19, 2026 6:07 AM To: Geraldine Mendiola ; Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: RE: Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs You don't often get email from mhorspool@live.co.uk. Learn why this is important Hi Geraldine, I agree with David that more information would be ideal. However, as a generic finger in the wind, I would say that the Juliet 120 is a very good bet. It is sold by HumanWare and is virtually identical to the Index Basic D V5. My particular reason for recommending it is that it comes with a free license of Tactile View, which is usually a few hundred dollars in its own right, so it is good value for money compared to the Index and there is no loss of features. It takes tractor fed paper and is quite noisy, but the embossing speed is generous, the dot quality is good and it can do graphics as well as text. Admittedly, the embossers from ViewPlus do tend to produce better quality graphics than the Romeo/Juliet/Index range, but they are more expensive and the braille dots are not as good, and the graphics on the Juliet etc are still perfectly serviceable. HTH, Matthew From: athen-list On Behalf Of Geraldine Mendiola via athen-list Sent: 15 January 2026 15:43 To: athen-list@u.washington.edu Subject: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Good morning, I am seeking information on a Braille embosser and a tactile graphics machine to better support our students. We have two students who will need these resources this semester. Currently, we have one embosser, but it is very old and no longer operable. Any guidance or assistance in obtaining or repairing these devices would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your support. Please don?t hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. Thank you, Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT Coordinator, Testing Services Disability Resources Student Success Center Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 Jacksonville State University P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 The Friendliest Campus in the South WWW.JSU.EDU [cid:image001.png@01DC893C.2AE33A50] [National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo] [cid:image003.png@01DC893C.2AE33A50] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY This message and any attached documents contain information that may be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to legal liability. Thank you. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: Outlook-1wqqm0hk.png Type: image/png Size: 26502 bytes Desc: Outlook-1wqqm0hk.png URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Tue Jan 20 08:35:46 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Andrea L. Dietrich via athen-list) Date: Tue Jan 20 08:35:53 2026 Subject: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: If noise is a specific concern you might want to look into the PIAF https://store.humanware.com/hus/piaf-picture-in-a-flash-tactile-graphic-maker.html or similar embossers. They work by printing graphics on special heat-sensitive paper using a regular laser or inkjet printer, and then you run that paper through the heat embosser and the heat raises the lines of anything printed with black ink. If you will be primarily providing graphics rather than braille text it might be a good alternative, and the embosser is silent. Andrea Dietrich She / Her / Hers Accessible Media Specialist Student Disability Services | Student and Campus Life The Ceriale Center for Cornell Health 110 Ho Plaza Ithaca, NY 14853-3101 sds.cornell.edu From: athen-list On Behalf Of Geraldine Mendiola via athen-list Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 10:25 AM To: Matthew Horspool ; Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: Re: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Good morning, Thank you for this information. It is very helpful and greatly appreciated. How about an acoustic cabinet? Would that keep the noise level at a minimum? Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. Thank you, Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT Coordinator, Testing Services Disability Resources Student Success Center Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 Jacksonville State University P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 The Friendliest Campus in the South WWW.JSU.EDU [cid:image001.png@01DC8A00.E9D2ED60] [National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo] [cid:image003.png@01DC8A00.E9D2ED60] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY This message and any attached documents contain information that may be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to legal liability. Thank you. ________________________________ From: Matthew Horspool > Sent: Monday, January 19, 2026 6:07 AM To: Geraldine Mendiola >; Access Technology Higher Education Network > Subject: RE: Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs You don't often get email from mhorspool@live.co.uk. Learn why this is important Hi Geraldine, I agree with David that more information would be ideal. However, as a generic finger in the wind, I would say that the Juliet 120 is a very good bet. It is sold by HumanWare and is virtually identical to the Index Basic D V5. My particular reason for recommending it is that it comes with a free license of Tactile View, which is usually a few hundred dollars in its own right, so it is good value for money compared to the Index and there is no loss of features. It takes tractor fed paper and is quite noisy, but the embossing speed is generous, the dot quality is good and it can do graphics as well as text. Admittedly, the embossers from ViewPlus do tend to produce better quality graphics than the Romeo/Juliet/Index range, but they are more expensive and the braille dots are not as good, and the graphics on the Juliet etc are still perfectly serviceable. HTH, Matthew From: athen-list > On Behalf Of Geraldine Mendiola via athen-list Sent: 15 January 2026 15:43 To: athen-list@u.washington.edu Subject: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Good morning, I am seeking information on a Braille embosser and a tactile graphics machine to better support our students. We have two students who will need these resources this semester. Currently, we have one embosser, but it is very old and no longer operable. Any guidance or assistance in obtaining or repairing these devices would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your support. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. Thank you, Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT Coordinator, Testing Services Disability Resources Student Success Center Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 Jacksonville State University P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 The Friendliest Campus in the South WWW.JSU.EDU [cid:image001.png@01DC8A00.E9D2ED60] [National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo] [cid:image003.png@01DC8A00.E9D2ED60] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY This message and any attached documents contain information that may be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to legal liability. Thank you. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 29156 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 64464 bytes Desc: image002.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.png Type: image/png Size: 26502 bytes Desc: image003.png URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Tue Jan 20 08:41:18 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Geraldine Mendiola via athen-list) Date: Tue Jan 20 08:41:28 2026 Subject: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Thank you all for all this helpful information. It is greatly appreciated. Please don?t hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. Thank you, Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT Coordinator, Testing Services Disability Resources Student Success Center Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 Jacksonville State University P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 The Friendliest Campus in the South WWW.JSU.EDU [cid:1d7e9b85-4b16-4900-9ed3-0c1b47d0e6ba] [National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo] [cid:7d86738b-cc6d-41e9-82f4-7e4853ace1c9] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY This message and any attached documents contain information that may be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to legal liability. Thank you. ________________________________ From: Andrea L. Dietrich Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 10:35 AM To: Geraldine Mendiola ; Access Technology Higher Education Network ; Matthew Horspool Subject: RE: Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs You don't often get email from adietrich@cornell.edu. Learn why this is important If noise is a specific concern you might want to look into the PIAF https://store.humanware.com/hus/piaf-picture-in-a-flash-tactile-graphic-maker.html or similar embossers. They work by printing graphics on special heat-sensitive paper using a regular laser or inkjet printer, and then you run that paper through the heat embosser and the heat raises the lines of anything printed with black ink. If you will be primarily providing graphics rather than braille text it might be a good alternative, and the embosser is silent. Andrea Dietrich She / Her / Hers Accessible Media Specialist Student Disability Services | Student and Campus Life The Ceriale Center for Cornell Health 110 Ho Plaza Ithaca, NY 14853-3101 sds.cornell.edu From: athen-list On Behalf Of Geraldine Mendiola via athen-list Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 10:25 AM To: Matthew Horspool ; Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: Re: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Good morning, Thank you for this information. It is very helpful and greatly appreciated. How about an acoustic cabinet? Would that keep the noise level at a minimum? Please don?t hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. Thank you, Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT Coordinator, Testing Services Disability Resources Student Success Center Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 Jacksonville State University P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 The Friendliest Campus in the South WWW.JSU.EDU [cid:image001.png@01DC8A00.E9D2ED60] [National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo] [cid:image003.png@01DC8A00.E9D2ED60] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY This message and any attached documents contain information that may be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to legal liability. Thank you. ________________________________ From: Matthew Horspool > Sent: Monday, January 19, 2026 6:07 AM To: Geraldine Mendiola >; Access Technology Higher Education Network > Subject: RE: Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs You don't often get email from mhorspool@live.co.uk. Learn why this is important Hi Geraldine, I agree with David that more information would be ideal. However, as a generic finger in the wind, I would say that the Juliet 120 is a very good bet. It is sold by HumanWare and is virtually identical to the Index Basic D V5. My particular reason for recommending it is that it comes with a free license of Tactile View, which is usually a few hundred dollars in its own right, so it is good value for money compared to the Index and there is no loss of features. It takes tractor fed paper and is quite noisy, but the embossing speed is generous, the dot quality is good and it can do graphics as well as text. Admittedly, the embossers from ViewPlus do tend to produce better quality graphics than the Romeo/Juliet/Index range, but they are more expensive and the braille dots are not as good, and the graphics on the Juliet etc are still perfectly serviceable. HTH, Matthew From: athen-list > On Behalf Of Geraldine Mendiola via athen-list Sent: 15 January 2026 15:43 To: athen-list@u.washington.edu Subject: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Good morning, I am seeking information on a Braille embosser and a tactile graphics machine to better support our students. We have two students who will need these resources this semester. Currently, we have one embosser, but it is very old and no longer operable. Any guidance or assistance in obtaining or repairing these devices would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your support. Please don?t hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. Thank you, Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT Coordinator, Testing Services Disability Resources Student Success Center Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 Jacksonville State University P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 The Friendliest Campus in the South WWW.JSU.EDU [cid:image001.png@01DC8A00.E9D2ED60] [National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo] [cid:image003.png@01DC8A00.E9D2ED60] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY This message and any attached documents contain information that may be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to legal liability. Thank you. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: Outlook-1tuiebbp.png Type: image/png Size: 26502 bytes Desc: Outlook-1tuiebbp.png URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Tue Jan 20 09:31:18 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Matthew Horspool via athen-list) Date: Tue Jan 20 09:31:27 2026 Subject: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Geraldine and Andrea, Yes, an acoustic cabinet would definitely help with the noise. The Juliet 120 will fit in the Index Acoustic Cabinet or the Index Basic Acoustic Hood, if they still sell that. (Note though that it will not fit in the Index Everest Acoustic Hood.) RE the PIAF, I agree that it is great for graphics. It is virtually noiseless, the tactile resolution is excellent and because the graphics are originally drawn in ink, they are easy to create visually and they look good too. It is notoriously difficult to get consistently good braille dots on PIAF paper though. The dots are generally OK for labels, but they would be taxing on the fingers for anything longer than a few words. Note also that PIAF paper is extremely expensive compared with ordinary braille paper, and the time taken to print and then swell the pages is slower than an embosser, so for producing text-based material, it would not be economical in terms of either time or cost of materials. Even factoring in the high cost of an embosser and an acoustic cabinet, it would not take long for this to be cheaper than replenishing your stock of PIAF paper. I'm not saying this to put a downer on PIAF, as it really is a good system and in fact many braille production centres have both a PIAF system for graphics and an embosser for text, but if you only have budget for one piece of kit, I think an embosser would be a better purchase. Best wishes, Matthew From: Andrea L. Dietrich Sent: 20 January 2026 16:36 To: Geraldine Mendiola ; Access Technology Higher Education Network ; Matthew Horspool Subject: RE: Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs If noise is a specific concern you might want to look into the PIAF https://store.humanware.com/hus/piaf-picture-in-a-flash-tactile-graphic-maker.html or similar embossers. They work by printing graphics on special heat-sensitive paper using a regular laser or inkjet printer, and then you run that paper through the heat embosser and the heat raises the lines of anything printed with black ink. If you will be primarily providing graphics rather than braille text it might be a good alternative, and the embosser is silent. Andrea Dietrich She / Her / Hers Accessible Media Specialist Student Disability Services | Student and Campus Life The Ceriale Center for Cornell Health 110 Ho Plaza Ithaca, NY 14853-3101 sds.cornell.edu From: athen-list > On Behalf Of Geraldine Mendiola via athen-list Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 10:25 AM To: Matthew Horspool >; Access Technology Higher Education Network > Subject: Re: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Good morning, Thank you for this information. It is very helpful and greatly appreciated. How about an acoustic cabinet? Would that keep the noise level at a minimum? Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. Thank you, Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT Coordinator, Testing Services Disability Resources Student Success Center Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 Jacksonville State University P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 The Friendliest Campus in the South WWW.JSU.EDU [cid:image001.png@01DC8A32.934542E0] [National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo] [cid:image003.png@01DC8A32.934542E0] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY This message and any attached documents contain information that may be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to legal liability. Thank you. ________________________________ From: Matthew Horspool > Sent: Monday, January 19, 2026 6:07 AM To: Geraldine Mendiola >; Access Technology Higher Education Network > Subject: RE: Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs You don't often get email from mhorspool@live.co.uk. Learn why this is important Hi Geraldine, I agree with David that more information would be ideal. However, as a generic finger in the wind, I would say that the Juliet 120 is a very good bet. It is sold by HumanWare and is virtually identical to the Index Basic D V5. My particular reason for recommending it is that it comes with a free license of Tactile View, which is usually a few hundred dollars in its own right, so it is good value for money compared to the Index and there is no loss of features. It takes tractor fed paper and is quite noisy, but the embossing speed is generous, the dot quality is good and it can do graphics as well as text. Admittedly, the embossers from ViewPlus do tend to produce better quality graphics than the Romeo/Juliet/Index range, but they are more expensive and the braille dots are not as good, and the graphics on the Juliet etc are still perfectly serviceable. HTH, Matthew From: athen-list > On Behalf Of Geraldine Mendiola via athen-list Sent: 15 January 2026 15:43 To: athen-list@u.washington.edu Subject: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Good morning, I am seeking information on a Braille embosser and a tactile graphics machine to better support our students. We have two students who will need these resources this semester. Currently, we have one embosser, but it is very old and no longer operable. Any guidance or assistance in obtaining or repairing these devices would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your support. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. Thank you, Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT Coordinator, Testing Services Disability Resources Student Success Center Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 Jacksonville State University P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 The Friendliest Campus in the South WWW.JSU.EDU [cid:image001.png@01DC8A32.934542E0] [National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo] [cid:image003.png@01DC8A32.934542E0] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY This message and any attached documents contain information that may be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to legal liability. Thank you. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 29156 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 64464 bytes Desc: image002.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.png Type: image/png Size: 26502 bytes Desc: image003.png URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Thu Jan 22 11:16:59 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Fowles, Derrick via athen-list) Date: Thu Jan 22 11:17:05 2026 Subject: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hello all, Does anyone know where I could find an accesible version of this book? National Geographic Concise ATLAS of the WORLD 5th Edition, National Geographic Washington DC 2022 ISBN: 978-1426222511 Thank you Best Regards, Derrick Fowles Get Outlook for iOS ________________________________ From: athen-list on behalf of Matthew Horspool via athen-list Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 12:31:18 PM To: Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: Re: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Hi Geraldine and Andrea, Yes, an acoustic cabinet would definitely help with the noise. The Juliet 120 will fit in the Index Acoustic Cabinet or the Index Basic Acoustic Hood, if they still sell that. (Note though that it will not fit in the Index Everest Acoustic Hood.) RE the PIAF, I agree that it is great for graphics. It is virtually noiseless, the tactile resolution is excellent and because the graphics are originally drawn in ink, they are easy to create visually and they look good too. It is notoriously difficult to get consistently good braille dots on PIAF paper though. The dots are generally OK for labels, but they would be taxing on the fingers for anything longer than a few words. Note also that PIAF paper is extremely expensive compared with ordinary braille paper, and the time taken to print and then swell the pages is slower than an embosser, so for producing text-based material, it would not be economical in terms of either time or cost of materials. Even factoring in the high cost of an embosser and an acoustic cabinet, it would not take long for this to be cheaper than replenishing your stock of PIAF paper. I'm not saying this to put a downer on PIAF, as it really is a good system and in fact many braille production centres have both a PIAF system for graphics and an embosser for text, but if you only have budget for one piece of kit, I think an embosser would be a better purchase. Best wishes, Matthew From: Andrea L. Dietrich Sent: 20 January 2026 16:36 To: Geraldine Mendiola ; Access Technology Higher Education Network ; Matthew Horspool Subject: RE: Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs If noise is a specific concern you might want to look into the PIAF https://store.humanware.com/hus/piaf-picture-in-a-flash-tactile-graphic-maker.html or similar embossers. They work by printing graphics on special heat-sensitive paper using a regular laser or inkjet printer, and then you run that paper through the heat embosser and the heat raises the lines of anything printed with black ink. If you will be primarily providing graphics rather than braille text it might be a good alternative, and the embosser is silent. Andrea Dietrich She / Her / Hers Accessible Media Specialist Student Disability Services | Student and Campus Life The Ceriale Center for Cornell Health 110 Ho Plaza Ithaca, NY 14853-3101 sds.cornell.edu From: athen-list > On Behalf Of Geraldine Mendiola via athen-list Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 10:25 AM To: Matthew Horspool >; Access Technology Higher Education Network > Subject: Re: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Good morning, Thank you for this information. It is very helpful and greatly appreciated. How about an acoustic cabinet? Would that keep the noise level at a minimum? Please don?t hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. Thank you, Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT Coordinator, Testing Services Disability Resources Student Success Center Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 Jacksonville State University P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 The Friendliest Campus in the South WWW.JSU.EDU [cid:image001.png@01DC8A32.934542E0] [National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo] [cid:image003.png@01DC8A32.934542E0] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY This message and any attached documents contain information that may be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to legal liability. Thank you. ________________________________ From: Matthew Horspool > Sent: Monday, January 19, 2026 6:07 AM To: Geraldine Mendiola >; Access Technology Higher Education Network > Subject: RE: Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs You don't often get email from mhorspool@live.co.uk. Learn why this is important Hi Geraldine, I agree with David that more information would be ideal. However, as a generic finger in the wind, I would say that the Juliet 120 is a very good bet. It is sold by HumanWare and is virtually identical to the Index Basic D V5. My particular reason for recommending it is that it comes with a free license of Tactile View, which is usually a few hundred dollars in its own right, so it is good value for money compared to the Index and there is no loss of features. It takes tractor fed paper and is quite noisy, but the embossing speed is generous, the dot quality is good and it can do graphics as well as text. Admittedly, the embossers from ViewPlus do tend to produce better quality graphics than the Romeo/Juliet/Index range, but they are more expensive and the braille dots are not as good, and the graphics on the Juliet etc are still perfectly serviceable. HTH, Matthew From: athen-list > On Behalf Of Geraldine Mendiola via athen-list Sent: 15 January 2026 15:43 To: athen-list@u.washington.edu Subject: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Good morning, I am seeking information on a Braille embosser and a tactile graphics machine to better support our students. We have two students who will need these resources this semester. Currently, we have one embosser, but it is very old and no longer operable. Any guidance or assistance in obtaining or repairing these devices would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your support. Please don?t hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. Thank you, Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT Coordinator, Testing Services Disability Resources Student Success Center Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 Jacksonville State University P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 The Friendliest Campus in the South WWW.JSU.EDU [cid:image001.png@01DC8A32.934542E0] [National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo] [cid:image003.png@01DC8A32.934542E0] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY This message and any attached documents contain information that may be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to legal liability. Thank you. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 29156 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 64464 bytes Desc: image002.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.png Type: image/png Size: 26502 bytes Desc: image003.png URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Fri Jan 23 07:25:13 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Karen McCall via athen-list) Date: Fri Jan 23 07:25:17 2026 Subject: [Athen] JAWS and NVDA not reading list item count or identifying sub-lists Message-ID: I must have missed this change in both screen readers. When did both screen readers stop reading the list item count in Word and stop identifying when you are in a sub-list. I know JAWS had a setting to identify sub-lists but I can't find that setting in JAWS 2026 Utilities setting, text processing. Even in PDFs, I'm not told I'm in a sub-list which to me, is pretty important in understanding relationships of content. If there is a new setting for Word to identify the number of items in a list AND a setting to identify when I'm in a sub-list, please let me know. For PDFs, I'd like to hear the same information if there is a setting for it. I can't believe that neither screen reader (both 2026 versions and this is also true for the 2025 versions) don't give us this information anymore and don't have a setting for it. I also went through the JAWS keyboard commands and can't find one that announces the number of list items or that you are in a sub-list. In reality, you would have to be able to see the sub-list to use any keyboard command specific to identifying you are in a sub-list. Any assistance is appreciated. Cheers, Karen -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Fri Jan 23 08:58:23 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Will Pines via athen-list) Date: Fri Jan 23 08:58:40 2026 Subject: [Athen] JAWS and NVDA not reading list item count or identifying sub-lists In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I just tried NVDA and lists on a web page and the lists are announced with number of items. Tried the same in a Word doc with same content and it does not work, It brings up a grammar dialog box instead (NVDA Key+F7) On Fri, Jan 23, 2026 at 7:26?AM Karen McCall via athen-list < athen-list@u.washington.edu> wrote: > I must have missed this change in both screen readers. > > When did both screen readers stop reading the list item count in Word and > stop identifying when you are in a sub-list. > > I know JAWS had a setting to identify sub-lists but I can?t find that > setting in JAWS 2026 Utilities setting, text processing. > > Even in PDFs, I?m not told I?m in a sub-list which to me, is pretty > important in understanding relationships of content. > > If there is a new setting for Word to identify the number of items in a > list AND a setting to identify when I?m in a sub-list, please let me know. > > For PDFs, I?d like to hear the same information if there is a setting for > it. > > I can?t believe that neither screen reader (both 2026 versions and this is > also true for the 2025 versions) don?t give us this information anymore > and don?t have a setting for it. > > I also went through the JAWS keyboard commands and can?t find one that > announces the number of list items or that you are in a sub-list. In > reality, you would have to be able to see the sub-list to use any keyboard > command specific to identifying you are in a sub-list. > > Any assistance is appreciated. > > Cheers, Karen > _______________________________________________ > athen-list mailing list > athen-list@mailman22.u.washington.edu > http://mailman22.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/athen-list > -- Best, *WILL PINES*, *Disability Specialist* Accessible Technology Specialist Student Disability Resource Center *he/him/his* University of California, Riverside 900 University Avenue 1228 Student Services Building Riverside, CA 92521 Phone: 951-827-3861 | Email: wilbert.pines@ucr.edu Schedule an Appointment SDRC Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter ?A mind stretched by new experiences will never go back to its original dimensions.? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Fri Jan 23 11:36:18 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Karen McCall via athen-list) Date: Fri Jan 23 11:36:23 2026 Subject: [Athen] JAWS and NVDA Question about identifying lists and Sub-lists Message-ID: I sent this earlier today but haven't got a copy in my Inbox. Apologies for posting again. Just want to make sure it gets sent. I must have missed this change in both screen readers. When did both screen readers stop reading the list item count in Word and stop identifying when you are in a sub-list. I know JAWS had a setting to identify sub-lists but I can't find that setting in JAWS 2026 Utilities setting, text processing. Even in PDFs, I'm not told I'm in a sub-list which to me, is pretty important in understanding relationships of content. If there is a new setting for Word to identify the number of items in a list AND a setting to identify when I'm in a sub-list, please let me know. For PDFs, I'd like to hear the same information if there is a setting for it. I can't believe that neither screen reader (both 2026 versions and this is also true for the 2025 versions) don't give us this information anymore and don't have a setting for it. I also went through the JAWS keyboard commands and can't find one that announces the number of list items or that you are in a sub-list. In reality, you would have to be able to see the sub-list to use any keyboard command specific to identifying you are in a sub-list. Any assistance is appreciated. Cheers, Karen -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Sat Jan 24 04:51:37 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Matthew Horspool via athen-list) Date: Sat Jan 24 04:51:42 2026 Subject: [Athen] JAWS and NVDA Question about identifying lists and Sub-lists In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Karen, I hadn't noticed this, but can confirm it now you've pointed it out! I usually rely on multi-level lists having multi-level indents. I have a sound scheme in JAWS which plays sounds for various indent levels, and I have NVDA indentation beeps turn on. Both of these settings still work and may be a potential workaround. HTH, Matthew From: athen-list On Behalf Of Karen McCall via athen-list Sent: 23 January 2026 19:36 To: webaim-forum@list.webaim.org Cc: Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: [Athen] JAWS and NVDA Question about identifying lists and Sub-lists I sent this earlier today but haven't got a copy in my Inbox. Apologies for posting again. Just want to make sure it gets sent. I must have missed this change in both screen readers. When did both screen readers stop reading the list item count in Word and stop identifying when you are in a sub-list. I know JAWS had a setting to identify sub-lists but I can't find that setting in JAWS 2026 Utilities setting, text processing. Even in PDFs, I'm not told I'm in a sub-list which to me, is pretty important in understanding relationships of content. If there is a new setting for Word to identify the number of items in a list AND a setting to identify when I'm in a sub-list, please let me know. For PDFs, I'd like to hear the same information if there is a setting for it. I can't believe that neither screen reader (both 2026 versions and this is also true for the 2025 versions) don't give us this information anymore and don't have a setting for it. I also went through the JAWS keyboard commands and can't find one that announces the number of list items or that you are in a sub-list. In reality, you would have to be able to see the sub-list to use any keyboard command specific to identifying you are in a sub-list. Any assistance is appreciated. Cheers, Karen -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Sat Jan 24 09:36:46 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (John Gardner via athen-list) Date: Sat Jan 24 09:36:55 2026 Subject: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Geraldine, I haven't seen a suggestion you look at a ViewPlus embosser (I apologize if I missed it). In my (admittedely prejudiced) view, any embosser without the ability to create varying dot heights and without a true printer driver is just not acceptable if you intend to emboss graphics. Please have a look at the Columbia (or the ApH version called Pixblaster). I do not want to abuse this list with a long explanation of its advantages, but I'm happy to give you more details privately (john.gardner@viewplus.com). John From: athen-list On Behalf Of Geraldine Mendiola via athen-list Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 8:41 AM To: Andrea L. Dietrich ; Access Technology Higher Education Network ; Matthew Horspool Subject: Re: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Thank you all for all this helpful information. It is greatly appreciated. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. Thank you, Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT Coordinator, Testing Services Disability Resources Student Success Center Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 Jacksonville State University P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 The Friendliest Campus in the South WWW.JSU.EDU [cid:image001.png@01DC8D12.CAD867E0] [National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo] [cid:image003.png@01DC8D12.CAD867E0] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY This message and any attached documents contain information that may be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to legal liability. Thank you. ________________________________ From: Andrea L. Dietrich Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 10:35 AM To: Geraldine Mendiola ; Access Technology Higher Education Network ; Matthew Horspool Subject: RE: Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs You don't often get email from adietrich@cornell.edu. Learn why this is important If noise is a specific concern you might want to look into the PIAF https://store.humanware.com/hus/piaf-picture-in-a-flash-tactile-graphic-maker.html or similar embossers. They work by printing graphics on special heat-sensitive paper using a regular laser or inkjet printer, and then you run that paper through the heat embosser and the heat raises the lines of anything printed with black ink. If you will be primarily providing graphics rather than braille text it might be a good alternative, and the embosser is silent. Andrea Dietrich She / Her / Hers Accessible Media Specialist Student Disability Services | Student and Campus Life The Ceriale Center for Cornell Health 110 Ho Plaza Ithaca, NY 14853-3101 sds.cornell.edu From: athen-list On Behalf Of Geraldine Mendiola via athen-list Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 10:25 AM To: Matthew Horspool ; Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: Re: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Good morning, Thank you for this information. It is very helpful and greatly appreciated. How about an acoustic cabinet? Would that keep the noise level at a minimum? Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. Thank you, Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT Coordinator, Testing Services Disability Resources Student Success Center Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 Jacksonville State University P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 The Friendliest Campus in the South WWW.JSU.EDU [cid:image001.png@01DC8D12.CAD867E0] [National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo] [cid:image003.png@01DC8D12.CAD867E0] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY This message and any attached documents contain information that may be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to legal liability. Thank you. ________________________________ From: Matthew Horspool > Sent: Monday, January 19, 2026 6:07 AM To: Geraldine Mendiola >; Access Technology Higher Education Network > Subject: RE: Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs You don't often get email from mhorspool@live.co.uk. Learn why this is important Hi Geraldine, I agree with David that more information would be ideal. However, as a generic finger in the wind, I would say that the Juliet 120 is a very good bet. It is sold by HumanWare and is virtually identical to the Index Basic D V5. My particular reason for recommending it is that it comes with a free license of Tactile View, which is usually a few hundred dollars in its own right, so it is good value for money compared to the Index and there is no loss of features. It takes tractor fed paper and is quite noisy, but the embossing speed is generous, the dot quality is good and it can do graphics as well as text. Admittedly, the embossers from ViewPlus do tend to produce better quality graphics than the Romeo/Juliet/Index range, but they are more expensive and the braille dots are not as good, and the graphics on the Juliet etc are still perfectly serviceable. HTH, Matthew From: athen-list > On Behalf Of Geraldine Mendiola via athen-list Sent: 15 January 2026 15:43 To: athen-list@u.washington.edu Subject: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Good morning, I am seeking information on a Braille embosser and a tactile graphics machine to better support our students. We have two students who will need these resources this semester. Currently, we have one embosser, but it is very old and no longer operable. Any guidance or assistance in obtaining or repairing these devices would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your support. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. Thank you, Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT Coordinator, Testing Services Disability Resources Student Success Center Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 Jacksonville State University P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 The Friendliest Campus in the South WWW.JSU.EDU [cid:image001.png@01DC8D12.CAD867E0] [National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo] [cid:image003.png@01DC8D12.CAD867E0] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY This message and any attached documents contain information that may be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to legal liability. Thank you. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 29156 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 64464 bytes Desc: image002.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.png Type: image/png Size: 26502 bytes Desc: image003.png URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Mon Jan 26 04:35:27 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Matthew Horspool via athen-list) Date: Mon Jan 26 04:41:15 2026 Subject: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi John, I would be interested in reading the braille dots from the Columbia/PixBlaster (P.S. thanks for confirming my suspicion that these are one and the same). My experience of older ViewPlus embossers is that the graphics are absolutely amazing! I genuinely have never seen better embossed graphics. The close dot distance and variable dot height create graphics which are delightful to the touch. However, the braille quality has historically been pretty poor. I had to read twenty pages of text embossed on a ViewPlus once (can't remember the name) and I had achy fingers by the end because the dots were so spikey. I do not have this experience reading twenty pages from an Index. If you're in a well-funded department with a budget for multiple machines, I would absolutely advocate for a ViewPlus for graphics and an Index for text. However, in a budget with limited funding, I would settle for an Index with inferior graphics over a ViewPlus with inferior text, particularly if the graphics are not complex. For example, if you're mostly embossing line graphs, these should still be readable even without variable dot height. Best wishes, Matthew From: John Gardner Sent: 24 January 2026 17:37 To: Geraldine Mendiola ; Access Technology Higher Education Network ; Andrea L. Dietrich ; Matthew Horspool Subject: RE: Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Hi Geraldine, I haven't seen a suggestion you look at a ViewPlus embosser (I apologize if I missed it). In my (admittedely prejudiced) view, any embosser without the ability to create varying dot heights and without a true printer driver is just not acceptable if you intend to emboss graphics. Please have a look at the Columbia (or the ApH version called Pixblaster). I do not want to abuse this list with a long explanation of its advantages, but I'm happy to give you more details privately (john.gardner@viewplus.com). John From: athen-list > On Behalf Of Geraldine Mendiola via athen-list Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 8:41 AM To: Andrea L. Dietrich >; Access Technology Higher Education Network >; Matthew Horspool > Subject: Re: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Thank you all for all this helpful information. It is greatly appreciated. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. Thank you, Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT Coordinator, Testing Services Disability Resources Student Success Center Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 Jacksonville State University P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 The Friendliest Campus in the South WWW.JSU.EDU [cid:image001.png@01DC8EC0.341EC8D0] [National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo] [cid:image003.png@01DC8EC0.341EC8D0] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY This message and any attached documents contain information that may be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to legal liability. Thank you. ________________________________ From: Andrea L. Dietrich > Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 10:35 AM To: Geraldine Mendiola >; Access Technology Higher Education Network >; Matthew Horspool > Subject: RE: Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs You don't often get email from adietrich@cornell.edu. Learn why this is important If noise is a specific concern you might want to look into the PIAF https://store.humanware.com/hus/piaf-picture-in-a-flash-tactile-graphic-maker.html or similar embossers. They work by printing graphics on special heat-sensitive paper using a regular laser or inkjet printer, and then you run that paper through the heat embosser and the heat raises the lines of anything printed with black ink. If you will be primarily providing graphics rather than braille text it might be a good alternative, and the embosser is silent. Andrea Dietrich She / Her / Hers Accessible Media Specialist Student Disability Services | Student and Campus Life The Ceriale Center for Cornell Health 110 Ho Plaza Ithaca, NY 14853-3101 sds.cornell.edu From: athen-list > On Behalf Of Geraldine Mendiola via athen-list Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 10:25 AM To: Matthew Horspool >; Access Technology Higher Education Network > Subject: Re: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Good morning, Thank you for this information. It is very helpful and greatly appreciated. How about an acoustic cabinet? Would that keep the noise level at a minimum? Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. Thank you, Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT Coordinator, Testing Services Disability Resources Student Success Center Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 Jacksonville State University P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 The Friendliest Campus in the South WWW.JSU.EDU [cid:image001.png@01DC8EC0.341EC8D0] [National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo] [cid:image003.png@01DC8EC0.341EC8D0] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY This message and any attached documents contain information that may be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to legal liability. Thank you. ________________________________ From: Matthew Horspool > Sent: Monday, January 19, 2026 6:07 AM To: Geraldine Mendiola >; Access Technology Higher Education Network > Subject: RE: Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs You don't often get email from mhorspool@live.co.uk. Learn why this is important Hi Geraldine, I agree with David that more information would be ideal. However, as a generic finger in the wind, I would say that the Juliet 120 is a very good bet. It is sold by HumanWare and is virtually identical to the Index Basic D V5. My particular reason for recommending it is that it comes with a free license of Tactile View, which is usually a few hundred dollars in its own right, so it is good value for money compared to the Index and there is no loss of features. It takes tractor fed paper and is quite noisy, but the embossing speed is generous, the dot quality is good and it can do graphics as well as text. Admittedly, the embossers from ViewPlus do tend to produce better quality graphics than the Romeo/Juliet/Index range, but they are more expensive and the braille dots are not as good, and the graphics on the Juliet etc are still perfectly serviceable. HTH, Matthew From: athen-list > On Behalf Of Geraldine Mendiola via athen-list Sent: 15 January 2026 15:43 To: athen-list@u.washington.edu Subject: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Good morning, I am seeking information on a Braille embosser and a tactile graphics machine to better support our students. We have two students who will need these resources this semester. Currently, we have one embosser, but it is very old and no longer operable. Any guidance or assistance in obtaining or repairing these devices would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your support. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. Thank you, Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT Coordinator, Testing Services Disability Resources Student Success Center Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 Jacksonville State University P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 The Friendliest Campus in the South WWW.JSU.EDU [cid:image001.png@01DC8EC0.341EC8D0] [National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo] [cid:image003.png@01DC8EC0.341EC8D0] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY This message and any attached documents contain information that may be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to legal liability. Thank you. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 29156 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 64464 bytes Desc: image002.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.png Type: image/png Size: 26502 bytes Desc: image003.png URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Mon Jan 26 08:54:25 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (John Gardner via athen-list) Date: Mon Jan 26 08:57:40 2026 Subject: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Matthew, I am well aware of the limitations of the original Tiger dots. Interesting, the first models of our Tiger embossers deliberately made sharp-pointed dots, because those gave best tactile contrast and generally the best tactile graphics. Since those early days we have optimized Tiger dots to be smoother. Graphics are still great, and the braille feels lots better. But we also developed printers that emboss really good braille. The Columbia, Delta, and Embraille all use this newer (Tiger Plus) technology. Of course they also make excellent graphics, though with slightly coarser resolution (equivalent to about 17 dots/inch instead of the 20 dpi Tiger standard. And they are not confined to a square grid anymore so one can make much smoother curves, etc. Send me a mailing address and I'll ask that a sample box be sent to you. These boxes have examples of graphics made with the original Tiger technology, the Tiger Plus braille-optimized technology, and the newest (Rogue) graphics-optimized technology having the smaller dots but not restricted to square grid - the best tactile graphics you can imagine. So you are right Matthew, but out of date! Be well. John From: athen-list On Behalf Of Matthew Horspool via athen-list Sent: Monday, January 26, 2026 4:35 AM To: Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: Re: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Hi John, I would be interested in reading the braille dots from the Columbia/PixBlaster (P.S. thanks for confirming my suspicion that these are one and the same). My experience of older ViewPlus embossers is that the graphics are absolutely amazing! I genuinely have never seen better embossed graphics. The close dot distance and variable dot height create graphics which are delightful to the touch. However, the braille quality has historically been pretty poor. I had to read twenty pages of text embossed on a ViewPlus once (can't remember the name) and I had achy fingers by the end because the dots were so spikey. I do not have this experience reading twenty pages from an Index. If you're in a well-funded department with a budget for multiple machines, I would absolutely advocate for a ViewPlus for graphics and an Index for text. However, in a budget with limited funding, I would settle for an Index with inferior graphics over a ViewPlus with inferior text, particularly if the graphics are not complex. For example, if you're mostly embossing line graphs, these should still be readable even without variable dot height. Best wishes, Matthew From: John Gardner Sent: 24 January 2026 17:37 To: Geraldine Mendiola ; Access Technology Higher Education Network ; Andrea L. Dietrich ; Matthew Horspool Subject: RE: Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Hi Geraldine, I haven't seen a suggestion you look at a ViewPlus embosser (I apologize if I missed it). In my (admittedely prejudiced) view, any embosser without the ability to create varying dot heights and without a true printer driver is just not acceptable if you intend to emboss graphics. Please have a look at the Columbia (or the ApH version called Pixblaster). I do not want to abuse this list with a long explanation of its advantages, but I'm happy to give you more details privately (john.gardner@viewplus.com). John From: athen-list > On Behalf Of Geraldine Mendiola via athen-list Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 8:41 AM To: Andrea L. Dietrich >; Access Technology Higher Education Network >; Matthew Horspool > Subject: Re: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Thank you all for all this helpful information. It is greatly appreciated. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. Thank you, Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT Coordinator, Testing Services Disability Resources Student Success Center Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 Jacksonville State University P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 The Friendliest Campus in the South WWW.JSU.EDU [cid:image001.png@01DC8E9F.294DA190] [National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo] [cid:image003.png@01DC8E9F.294DA190] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY This message and any attached documents contain information that may be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to legal liability. Thank you. ________________________________ From: Andrea L. Dietrich > Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 10:35 AM To: Geraldine Mendiola >; Access Technology Higher Education Network >; Matthew Horspool > Subject: RE: Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs You don't often get email from adietrich@cornell.edu. Learn why this is important If noise is a specific concern you might want to look into the PIAF https://store.humanware.com/hus/piaf-picture-in-a-flash-tactile-graphic-maker.html or similar embossers. They work by printing graphics on special heat-sensitive paper using a regular laser or inkjet printer, and then you run that paper through the heat embosser and the heat raises the lines of anything printed with black ink. If you will be primarily providing graphics rather than braille text it might be a good alternative, and the embosser is silent. Andrea Dietrich She / Her / Hers Accessible Media Specialist Student Disability Services | Student and Campus Life The Ceriale Center for Cornell Health 110 Ho Plaza Ithaca, NY 14853-3101 sds.cornell.edu From: athen-list > On Behalf Of Geraldine Mendiola via athen-list Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 10:25 AM To: Matthew Horspool >; Access Technology Higher Education Network > Subject: Re: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Good morning, Thank you for this information. It is very helpful and greatly appreciated. How about an acoustic cabinet? Would that keep the noise level at a minimum? Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. Thank you, Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT Coordinator, Testing Services Disability Resources Student Success Center Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 Jacksonville State University P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 The Friendliest Campus in the South WWW.JSU.EDU [cid:image001.png@01DC8E9F.294DA190] [National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo] [cid:image003.png@01DC8E9F.294DA190] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY This message and any attached documents contain information that may be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to legal liability. Thank you. ________________________________ From: Matthew Horspool > Sent: Monday, January 19, 2026 6:07 AM To: Geraldine Mendiola >; Access Technology Higher Education Network > Subject: RE: Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs You don't often get email from mhorspool@live.co.uk. Learn why this is important Hi Geraldine, I agree with David that more information would be ideal. However, as a generic finger in the wind, I would say that the Juliet 120 is a very good bet. It is sold by HumanWare and is virtually identical to the Index Basic D V5. My particular reason for recommending it is that it comes with a free license of Tactile View, which is usually a few hundred dollars in its own right, so it is good value for money compared to the Index and there is no loss of features. It takes tractor fed paper and is quite noisy, but the embossing speed is generous, the dot quality is good and it can do graphics as well as text. Admittedly, the embossers from ViewPlus do tend to produce better quality graphics than the Romeo/Juliet/Index range, but they are more expensive and the braille dots are not as good, and the graphics on the Juliet etc are still perfectly serviceable. HTH, Matthew From: athen-list > On Behalf Of Geraldine Mendiola via athen-list Sent: 15 January 2026 15:43 To: athen-list@u.washington.edu Subject: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Good morning, I am seeking information on a Braille embosser and a tactile graphics machine to better support our students. We have two students who will need these resources this semester. Currently, we have one embosser, but it is very old and no longer operable. Any guidance or assistance in obtaining or repairing these devices would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your support. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. Thank you, Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT Coordinator, Testing Services Disability Resources Student Success Center Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 Jacksonville State University P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 The Friendliest Campus in the South WWW.JSU.EDU [cid:image001.png@01DC8E9F.294DA190] [National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo] [cid:image003.png@01DC8E9F.294DA190] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY This message and any attached documents contain information that may be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to legal liability. Thank you. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 29156 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 64464 bytes Desc: image002.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.png Type: image/png Size: 26502 bytes Desc: image003.png URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Wed Jan 28 06:42:38 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Susan Kelmer via athen-list) Date: Wed Jan 28 06:42:46 2026 Subject: [Athen] Rec's for PDF remediation on a giant scale Message-ID: I hope everyone's semester has gotten off to a bang-up start! A department on my campus has a enormous stockpile of scientific/engineering-type PDFs that are publicly available, and that department wants to undertake turning them all into accessible documents. Yes, they really want to do this, and first they asked me if I wanted to take on the project. No thanks. So I'm looking for recommendations for any large-scale PDF remediation companies that could do this kind of work. Please and thanks. Susan Kelmer Alternate Format Production Program Manager Disability Services Division of Student Life T 303 735 4836 www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Wed Jan 28 07:42:33 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Karen McCall via athen-list) Date: Wed Jan 28 07:42:38 2026 Subject: [Athen] Rec's for PDF remediation on a giant scale In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Crawford Technologies Let me know if you need a contact. Cheers, Karen From: athen-list On Behalf Of Susan Kelmer via athen-list Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2026 9:43 AM To: Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: [Athen] Rec's for PDF remediation on a giant scale I hope everyone's semester has gotten off to a bang-up start! A department on my campus has a enormous stockpile of scientific/engineering-type PDFs that are publicly available, and that department wants to undertake turning them all into accessible documents. Yes, they really want to do this, and first they asked me if I wanted to take on the project. No thanks. So I'm looking for recommendations for any large-scale PDF remediation companies that could do this kind of work. Please and thanks. Susan Kelmer Alternate Format Production Program Manager Disability Services Division of Student Life T 303 735 4836 www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Wed Jan 28 08:15:29 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Wallace, Sagan via athen-list) Date: Wed Jan 28 08:15:33 2026 Subject: [Athen] Rec's for PDF remediation on a giant scale In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: So far everyone I've looked at will do large-scale projects, but not write alt text (though they'll include it if you write it). I used Allyant for outsourcing PDFs at the time. Since I'm feeling snarky....why not just dump them in an ABBYY hot folder and call it a day? They're not going to make accessible STEM PDFs anyway, so why waste time finding the best option? ? Sagan Wallace they/them ________________________________ From: athen-list on behalf of Susan Kelmer via athen-list Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2026 6:42 AM To: Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: [Athen] Rec's for PDF remediation on a giant scale [This email originated from outside of OSU. Use caution with links and attachments.] I hope everyone's semester has gotten off to a bang-up start! A department on my campus has a enormous stockpile of scientific/engineering-type PDFs that are publicly available, and that department wants to undertake turning them all into accessible documents. Yes, they really want to do this, and first they asked me if I wanted to take on the project. No thanks. So I'm looking for recommendations for any large-scale PDF remediation companies that could do this kind of work. Please and thanks. Susan Kelmer Alternate Format Production Program Manager Disability Services Division of Student Life T 303 735 4836 www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Wed Jan 28 08:31:26 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Deborah Armstrong via athen-list) Date: Wed Jan 28 08:31:34 2026 Subject: [Athen] Learning Ally Message-ID: Our college has an arrangement with our state chancellor's office to acquire learning ally accounts for any student needing them. Though I depended heavily on Recording For the Blind when I went to college in the 1970's, I rarely find they have the books I need. The student requires the 16th edition of something and Learning Ally only has the third edition. But lately, they have been heavily marketing to me. Our local rep emailed me to ask why I hadn't used the service in a while and what could they do for me. It seems like their model of having human volunteers record books just isn't going to work for the constant updating of textbooks that now occurs. But because they describe diagrams the books can still be useful for blind students, if only it wasn't an edition from the previous decade. They also heavily market their voiceText to the point my dean asked why I wasn't using that service. But in reality nearly all those books are for elementary school age pupils. Their focus on K12 also makes them less useful for higher ed. I feel sort of bad about this, because my students can get free accounts, but if it's a free useless account, does it matter? Your thoughts? --Debee -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Thu Jan 29 03:53:53 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Matthew Horspool via athen-list) Date: Thu Jan 29 03:54:04 2026 Subject: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi John, This is good to know. Thank you for the update. I will write you off list with my address. Best wishes, Matthew From: John Gardner Sent: 26 January 2026 16:54 To: Matthew Horspool ; Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: RE: Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Matthew, I am well aware of the limitations of the original Tiger dots. Interesting, the first models of our Tiger embossers deliberately made sharp-pointed dots, because those gave best tactile contrast and generally the best tactile graphics. Since those early days we have optimized Tiger dots to be smoother. Graphics are still great, and the braille feels lots better. But we also developed printers that emboss really good braille. The Columbia, Delta, and Embraille all use this newer (Tiger Plus) technology. Of course they also make excellent graphics, though with slightly coarser resolution (equivalent to about 17 dots/inch instead of the 20 dpi Tiger standard. And they are not confined to a square grid anymore so one can make much smoother curves, etc. Send me a mailing address and I'll ask that a sample box be sent to you. These boxes have examples of graphics made with the original Tiger technology, the Tiger Plus braille-optimized technology, and the newest (Rogue) graphics-optimized technology having the smaller dots but not restricted to square grid - the best tactile graphics you can imagine. So you are right Matthew, but out of date! Be well. John From: athen-list > On Behalf Of Matthew Horspool via athen-list Sent: Monday, January 26, 2026 4:35 AM To: Access Technology Higher Education Network > Subject: Re: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Hi John, I would be interested in reading the braille dots from the Columbia/PixBlaster (P.S. thanks for confirming my suspicion that these are one and the same). My experience of older ViewPlus embossers is that the graphics are absolutely amazing! I genuinely have never seen better embossed graphics. The close dot distance and variable dot height create graphics which are delightful to the touch. However, the braille quality has historically been pretty poor. I had to read twenty pages of text embossed on a ViewPlus once (can't remember the name) and I had achy fingers by the end because the dots were so spikey. I do not have this experience reading twenty pages from an Index. If you're in a well-funded department with a budget for multiple machines, I would absolutely advocate for a ViewPlus for graphics and an Index for text. However, in a budget with limited funding, I would settle for an Index with inferior graphics over a ViewPlus with inferior text, particularly if the graphics are not complex. For example, if you're mostly embossing line graphs, these should still be readable even without variable dot height. Best wishes, Matthew From: John Gardner > Sent: 24 January 2026 17:37 To: Geraldine Mendiola >; Access Technology Higher Education Network >; Andrea L. Dietrich >; Matthew Horspool > Subject: RE: Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Hi Geraldine, I haven't seen a suggestion you look at a ViewPlus embosser (I apologize if I missed it). In my (admittedely prejudiced) view, any embosser without the ability to create varying dot heights and without a true printer driver is just not acceptable if you intend to emboss graphics. Please have a look at the Columbia (or the ApH version called Pixblaster). I do not want to abuse this list with a long explanation of its advantages, but I'm happy to give you more details privately (john.gardner@viewplus.com). John From: athen-list > On Behalf Of Geraldine Mendiola via athen-list Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 8:41 AM To: Andrea L. Dietrich >; Access Technology Higher Education Network >; Matthew Horspool > Subject: Re: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Thank you all for all this helpful information. It is greatly appreciated. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. Thank you, Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT Coordinator, Testing Services Disability Resources Student Success Center Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 Jacksonville State University P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 The Friendliest Campus in the South WWW.JSU.EDU [cid:image001.png@01DC9115.EEDC0690] [National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo] [cid:image003.png@01DC9115.EEDC0690] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY This message and any attached documents contain information that may be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to legal liability. Thank you. ________________________________ From: Andrea L. Dietrich > Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 10:35 AM To: Geraldine Mendiola >; Access Technology Higher Education Network >; Matthew Horspool > Subject: RE: Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs You don't often get email from adietrich@cornell.edu. Learn why this is important If noise is a specific concern you might want to look into the PIAF https://store.humanware.com/hus/piaf-picture-in-a-flash-tactile-graphic-maker.html or similar embossers. They work by printing graphics on special heat-sensitive paper using a regular laser or inkjet printer, and then you run that paper through the heat embosser and the heat raises the lines of anything printed with black ink. If you will be primarily providing graphics rather than braille text it might be a good alternative, and the embosser is silent. Andrea Dietrich She / Her / Hers Accessible Media Specialist Student Disability Services | Student and Campus Life The Ceriale Center for Cornell Health 110 Ho Plaza Ithaca, NY 14853-3101 sds.cornell.edu From: athen-list > On Behalf Of Geraldine Mendiola via athen-list Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 10:25 AM To: Matthew Horspool >; Access Technology Higher Education Network > Subject: Re: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Good morning, Thank you for this information. It is very helpful and greatly appreciated. How about an acoustic cabinet? Would that keep the noise level at a minimum? Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. Thank you, Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT Coordinator, Testing Services Disability Resources Student Success Center Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 Jacksonville State University P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 The Friendliest Campus in the South WWW.JSU.EDU [cid:image001.png@01DC9115.EEDC0690] [National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo] [cid:image003.png@01DC9115.EEDC0690] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY This message and any attached documents contain information that may be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to legal liability. Thank you. ________________________________ From: Matthew Horspool > Sent: Monday, January 19, 2026 6:07 AM To: Geraldine Mendiola >; Access Technology Higher Education Network > Subject: RE: Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs You don't often get email from mhorspool@live.co.uk. Learn why this is important Hi Geraldine, I agree with David that more information would be ideal. However, as a generic finger in the wind, I would say that the Juliet 120 is a very good bet. It is sold by HumanWare and is virtually identical to the Index Basic D V5. My particular reason for recommending it is that it comes with a free license of Tactile View, which is usually a few hundred dollars in its own right, so it is good value for money compared to the Index and there is no loss of features. It takes tractor fed paper and is quite noisy, but the embossing speed is generous, the dot quality is good and it can do graphics as well as text. Admittedly, the embossers from ViewPlus do tend to produce better quality graphics than the Romeo/Juliet/Index range, but they are more expensive and the braille dots are not as good, and the graphics on the Juliet etc are still perfectly serviceable. HTH, Matthew From: athen-list > On Behalf Of Geraldine Mendiola via athen-list Sent: 15 January 2026 15:43 To: athen-list@u.washington.edu Subject: [Athen] Braille embosser and Tactile Graphs Good morning, I am seeking information on a Braille embosser and a tactile graphics machine to better support our students. We have two students who will need these resources this semester. Currently, we have one embosser, but it is very old and no longer operable. Any guidance or assistance in obtaining or repairing these devices would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your support. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need any additional information. Thank you, Geraldine Mendiola, MSIT Coordinator, Testing Services Disability Resources Student Success Center Houston Cole Library, Ground Floor, Room B22 Jacksonville State University P: 256-782-8378 (256-782-TEST) | F: 256-782-8383 The Friendliest Campus in the South WWW.JSU.EDU [cid:image001.png@01DC9115.EEDC0690] [National College Testing Association Certified Test Center Logo] [cid:image003.png@01DC9115.EEDC0690] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE PLEASE READ CAREFULLY This message and any attached documents contain information that may be confidential, subject to privilege, or exempt from disclosure under applicable state or federal law. These materials are intended solely for the use of Testing Services, the Office of Disability Resources, and the intended recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this transmission or their authorized agent, you are hereby notified that any distribution, disclosure, printing, copying, storage, modification, or the taking of any action in reliance upon this transmission is strictly prohibited. Delivery of this message to any person other than the intended recipient shall not compromise or waive such confidentiality, privilege, or exemption from disclosure as to this communication. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by reply email or by calling (256) 782-8378, permanently delete the message from your system and destroy any copies. Misuse or unauthorized distribution of this communication or republication of its contents may violate the law and subject a person doing so to legal liability. Thank you. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 29156 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 64464 bytes Desc: image002.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.png Type: image/png Size: 26502 bytes Desc: image003.png URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Fri Jan 30 10:17:07 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Deborah Armstrong via athen-list) Date: Fri Jan 30 10:17:13 2026 Subject: [Athen] Accommodating blind students in math Message-ID: I'm always asked questions about this and I hardly have many answers. There are tons of websites on the subject but the target audience is teachers of the visually impaired in K-12. I know the Microsoft Word equation editor is accessible and I of course know about MathML and the tools for reading it. And I know a tiny bit of LaTEX and could learn more if needed. I know about the Nemeth Braille charts from NBP - they are wonderful! But what are folks doing in the following situations: * Student recently lost their sight and so doesn't know Braille. How are you helping them to learn how to show their work when they turn in assignments? * Student wants to do all their work in Nemeth Braille, but how will it get transcribed for the professor grading the assignment? * Student needs to be tutored but the tutor doesn't know Braille or the student doesn't know how to work problems because they did all their math education when sighted and they don't know Braille. * Student needs to take remedial math but cannot see the whiteboard so is lost in class. I can jabber all day about screen readers and Math-ML, Braille displays and such, but this is not the answer people need. We are a community college and get many students whose last math class was two decades ago when they had vision, or they "suck at math", need tutoring and failed most math in high school. And unlike other subjects, most instructors use highly visual methods to teach it. I have found Khan academy works wonders for low-vision students who can take their time, magnify the videos and don't feel pressured. But it doesn't work for blind students as without being able to see the video you cannot easily grasp the concepts. Also there are more and more publisher-supplied math labs without any real idea which ones are accessible and which are not. Is anyone grading these for accessibility? All are behind paywalls. I wish someone working towards a masters in education would create a fully online, fully accessible remedial math course under a creative commons license. Then we wouldn't have to try to accommodate every individual need for every course with its changing editions of textbooks and each teacher having a different pedagogy. I've played with the idea of writing a web-based "electric pencil" but maybe one exists already where you could enter equations with a simple interface allowing a blind student and sighted tutor to work easily together. That would be so cool and maybe I'll do it when I retire. Right now I'm often too tired after working and commuting all day to write much code. --Debee -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Fri Jan 30 10:23:18 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (ELIZABETH KILLINGER via athen-list) Date: Fri Jan 30 10:23:59 2026 Subject: [Athen] [EXT] Accommodating blind students in math In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: What about audio description services? There are a few that still offer these for in-person events and classes, and can do so remotely with a camera and/or computer device added into the mix. It's not perfect, but I've dealt with something adjacent to this with students who were Deaf, and english wasn't their first language and struggling with writing intensive courses. VR paid for tutors, we paid for interpreters. I'd assume a hands on tutor with someone trained to read braille OR an audio describer could work depending on the circumstance. *Elizabeth Killinger* *Associate Coordinator* *FIT-ABLE | Office of Disability ServicesFashion Institute of Technology* David Dubinsky Student Center, A570 Phone: 212.217.4090 Website: fitnyc.edu/fitable On Fri, Jan 30, 2026 at 1:17?PM Deborah Armstrong via athen-list < athen-list@u.washington.edu> wrote: > I?m always asked questions about this and I hardly have many answers. > There are tons of websites on the subject but the target audience is > teachers of the visually impaired in K-12. > > I know the Microsoft Word equation editor is accessible and I of course > know about MathML and the tools for reading it. > > And I know a tiny bit of LaTEX and could learn more if needed. I know > about the Nemeth Braille charts from NBP ? they are wonderful! > > But what are folks doing in the following situations: > > - Student recently lost their sight and so doesn?t know Braille. How > are you helping them to learn how to show their work when they turn in > assignments? > - Student wants to do all their work in Nemeth Braille, but how will > it get transcribed for the professor grading the assignment? > - Student needs to be tutored but the tutor doesn?t know Braille or > the student doesn?t know how to work problems because they did all their > math education when sighted and they don?t know Braille. > - Student needs to take remedial math but cannot see the whiteboard so > is lost in class. > > I can jabber all day about screen readers and Math-ML, Braille displays > and such, but this is not the answer people need. We are a community > college and get many students whose last math class was two decades ago > when they had vision, or they ?suck at math?, need tutoring and failed most > math in high school. And unlike other subjects, most instructors use highly > visual methods to teach it. > > I have found Khan academy works wonders for low-vision students who can > take their time, magnify the videos and don?t feel pressured. But it > doesn?t work for blind students as without being able to see the video you > cannot easily grasp the concepts. > > Also there are more and more publisher-supplied math labs without any real > idea which ones are accessible and which are not. Is anyone grading these > for accessibility? All are behind paywalls. > > I wish someone working towards a masters in education would create a fully > online, fully accessible remedial math course under a creative commons > license. Then we wouldn?t have to try to accommodate every individual need > for every course with its changing editions of textbooks and each teacher > having a different pedagogy. > > I?ve played with the idea of writing a web-based ?electric pencil? but > maybe one exists already where you could enter equations with a simple > interface allowing a blind student and sighted tutor to work easily > together. That would be so cool and maybe I?ll do it when I retire. Right > now I?m often too tired after working and commuting all day to write much > code. > > --Debee > > > _______________________________________________ > athen-list mailing list > athen-list@mailman22.u.washington.edu > > https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://mailman22.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/athen-list__;!!H8WCONMI!dUsqoDsRVxV7boad4oT1qY4xJA5UEjWoOTsbMhSVHjLo0vmxHEPmjSxEpHpZRyXgJRjPBR0A1dBijty4f1TVFIo2yr6f3SeR8JvmIvvf$ > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Fri Jan 30 10:40:14 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Will Pines via athen-list) Date: Fri Jan 30 10:40:31 2026 Subject: [Athen] Accommodating blind students in math In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Regarding: - Student wants to do all their work in Nemeth Braille, but how will it get transcribed for the professor grading the assignment? Presently, we have a student who completes Math using Braille display, saves to a USB drive plugged into braille display, in empty root folder as Word docx, and then print that out to give to instructor for grading. The exported document is in standard Word text with math equations. We have to do some workarounds sometimes. After the last braille note update, student has to copy and paste braille work into document as he goes. This seems to fix the issue of some math being translated and some math not being translated. On Fri, Jan 30, 2026 at 10:19?AM Deborah Armstrong via athen-list < athen-list@u.washington.edu> wrote: > I?m always asked questions about this and I hardly have many answers. > There are tons of websites on the subject but the target audience is > teachers of the visually impaired in K-12. > > I know the Microsoft Word equation editor is accessible and I of course > know about MathML and the tools for reading it. > > And I know a tiny bit of LaTEX and could learn more if needed. I know > about the Nemeth Braille charts from NBP ? they are wonderful! > > But what are folks doing in the following situations: > > - Student recently lost their sight and so doesn?t know Braille. How > are you helping them to learn how to show their work when they turn in > assignments? > - Student wants to do all their work in Nemeth Braille, but how will > it get transcribed for the professor grading the assignment? > - Student needs to be tutored but the tutor doesn?t know Braille or > the student doesn?t know how to work problems because they did all their > math education when sighted and they don?t know Braille. > - Student needs to take remedial math but cannot see the whiteboard so > is lost in class. > > I can jabber all day about screen readers and Math-ML, Braille displays > and such, but this is not the answer people need. We are a community > college and get many students whose last math class was two decades ago > when they had vision, or they ?suck at math?, need tutoring and failed most > math in high school. And unlike other subjects, most instructors use highly > visual methods to teach it. > > I have found Khan academy works wonders for low-vision students who can > take their time, magnify the videos and don?t feel pressured. But it > doesn?t work for blind students as without being able to see the video you > cannot easily grasp the concepts. > > Also there are more and more publisher-supplied math labs without any real > idea which ones are accessible and which are not. Is anyone grading these > for accessibility? All are behind paywalls. > > I wish someone working towards a masters in education would create a fully > online, fully accessible remedial math course under a creative commons > license. Then we wouldn?t have to try to accommodate every individual need > for every course with its changing editions of textbooks and each teacher > having a different pedagogy. > > I?ve played with the idea of writing a web-based ?electric pencil? but > maybe one exists already where you could enter equations with a simple > interface allowing a blind student and sighted tutor to work easily > together. That would be so cool and maybe I?ll do it when I retire. Right > now I?m often too tired after working and commuting all day to write much > code. > > --Debee > > > _______________________________________________ > athen-list mailing list > athen-list@mailman22.u.washington.edu > http://mailman22.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/athen-list > -- Best, *WILL PINES*, *Disability Specialist* Accessible Technology Specialist Student Disability Resource Center *he/him/his* University of California, Riverside 900 University Avenue 1228 Student Services Building Riverside, CA 92521 Phone: 951-827-3861 | Email: wilbert.pines@ucr.edu Schedule an Appointment SDRC Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter ?A mind stretched by new experiences will never go back to its original dimensions.? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Fri Jan 30 11:30:33 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Ali Steenis via athen-list) Date: Fri Jan 30 11:30:40 2026 Subject: [Athen] Accommodating blind students in math In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi all, Some overarching thoughts on these questions. For context, I am a blind disability services professional working in alternative formats at a community college. If a blind or low vision student is struggling with learning how to do math without sight or with less sight than before, we may talk about a homework scribe hired to write work and answers as the student dictates out loud. Alternatively, if the student is comfortable using a screen reader, doing math in Word with the equation editor may work. When we encounter a barrier based on lack of skill or training when it comes to learning braille, Nemeth, doing math in Word, or general screen reader knowledge, I sometimes have to have real conversations with my students around what they are ready for compared to what they want to be able to do now. Often this involves referring to other resources such as DVR or state services for the blind. This is often not the answer students want to hear because it means their degree or goal will take longer to reach. However, I think it is important to be realistic with our students and set them up for success as best we can. This obviously doesn't mean we would deny services if the student chose to continue despite our suggestions. It does mean that we have boundaries on what we can provide and what is outside our scope. For transcribing nemeth braille work back into print, we have had a few third party transcribers agree to receive nemeth braille and transcribe back into print for us. This works best for exams that may have fewer instances throughout the academic term compared to daily or weekly homework. However, if you could arrange overnight shipping to the transcriber, this could work for homework as well. For taking notes in class, we often have staff scribes taking notes for students for math. Our scribes write the notes using LaTex so the student can read with their screen reader. Alternatively, using a student volunteer notetaker who could submit their notes to be converted to LaTeX could work too. I dream of a world decades from now when these new ADA Title II changes have thoroughly integrated in higher education and math classes are largely accessible for blind students with a screen reader. So much work to do to get there but what a better experience it will be! In solidarity, Ali Steenis Pronouns: she/hers Alternative Formats Access Specialist, Disability Resource Center (DRC) 3000 Landerholm Circle SE, Room U001 Bellevue, WA 98007 Phone: (425)-564-2605 TTY: (425)-564-6189 drc@bellevuecollege.edu www.bellevuecollege.edu/drc This email and any files transmitted may contain confidential information as protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 USC ? 1232g and/or Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. ? 2510-2521. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, or distribution is prohibited. Furthermore, if you are not the intended recipient, please notify me immediately by telephone or return e-mail and completely delete this message from your system. From: athen-list On Behalf Of Deborah Armstrong via athen-list Sent: Friday, January 30, 2026 10:17 AM To: Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: [Athen] Accommodating blind students in math CAUTION: This email originated from outside Bellevue College. Do not click links or open attachments unless you validate the sender and know the content is safe. If you are unsure, contact the Service Desk at x4357 (425-564-4357) or email servicedesk@bellevuecollege.edu. I'm always asked questions about this and I hardly have many answers. There are tons of websites on the subject but the target audience is teachers of the visually impaired in K-12. I know the Microsoft Word equation editor is accessible and I of course know about MathML and the tools for reading it. And I know a tiny bit of LaTEX and could learn more if needed. I know about the Nemeth Braille charts from NBP - they are wonderful! But what are folks doing in the following situations: * Student recently lost their sight and so doesn't know Braille. How are you helping them to learn how to show their work when they turn in assignments? * Student wants to do all their work in Nemeth Braille, but how will it get transcribed for the professor grading the assignment? * Student needs to be tutored but the tutor doesn't know Braille or the student doesn't know how to work problems because they did all their math education when sighted and they don't know Braille. * Student needs to take remedial math but cannot see the whiteboard so is lost in class. I can jabber all day about screen readers and Math-ML, Braille displays and such, but this is not the answer people need. We are a community college and get many students whose last math class was two decades ago when they had vision, or they "suck at math", need tutoring and failed most math in high school. And unlike other subjects, most instructors use highly visual methods to teach it. I have found Khan academy works wonders for low-vision students who can take their time, magnify the videos and don't feel pressured. But it doesn't work for blind students as without being able to see the video you cannot easily grasp the concepts. Also there are more and more publisher-supplied math labs without any real idea which ones are accessible and which are not. Is anyone grading these for accessibility? All are behind paywalls. I wish someone working towards a masters in education would create a fully online, fully accessible remedial math course under a creative commons license. Then we wouldn't have to try to accommodate every individual need for every course with its changing editions of textbooks and each teacher having a different pedagogy. I've played with the idea of writing a web-based "electric pencil" but maybe one exists already where you could enter equations with a simple interface allowing a blind student and sighted tutor to work easily together. That would be so cool and maybe I'll do it when I retire. Right now I'm often too tired after working and commuting all day to write much code. --Debee -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From athen-list at u.washington.edu Fri Jan 30 12:18:06 2026 From: athen-list at u.washington.edu (Joshua Hori via athen-list) Date: Fri Jan 30 12:18:11 2026 Subject: [Athen] Accommodating blind students in math In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: ShareTheBoard.com will convert whiteboard math into accessible content. There is LakePinesBraille Equation Editor which works to display math in the browser and refreshable braille displays at the same time. Meant for blind students and instructors to work on math problems together. Best, Joshua From: athen-list on behalf of Will Pines via athen-list Date: Friday, January 30, 2026 at 10:41?AM To: Deborah Armstrong , Access Technology Higher Education Network Subject: Re: [Athen] Accommodating blind students in math Regarding: * Student wants to do all their work in Nemeth Braille, but how will it get transcribed for the professor grading the assignment? Presently, we have a student who completes Math using Braille display, saves to a USB drive plugged into braille display, in empty root folder as Word docx, and then print that out to give to instructor for grading. The exported document is in standard Word text with math equations. We have to do some workarounds sometimes. After the last braille note update, student has to copy and paste braille work into document as he goes. This seems to fix the issue of some math being translated and some math not being translated. On Fri, Jan 30, 2026 at 10:19?AM Deborah Armstrong via athen-list > wrote: I?m always asked questions about this and I hardly have many answers. There are tons of websites on the subject but the target audience is teachers of the visually impaired in K-12. I know the Microsoft Word equation editor is accessible and I of course know about MathML and the tools for reading it. And I know a tiny bit of LaTEX and could learn more if needed. I know about the Nemeth Braille charts from NBP ? they are wonderful! But what are folks doing in the following situations: * Student recently lost their sight and so doesn?t know Braille. How are you helping them to learn how to show their work when they turn in assignments? * Student wants to do all their work in Nemeth Braille, but how will it get transcribed for the professor grading the assignment? * Student needs to be tutored but the tutor doesn?t know Braille or the student doesn?t know how to work problems because they did all their math education when sighted and they don?t know Braille. * Student needs to take remedial math but cannot see the whiteboard so is lost in class. I can jabber all day about screen readers and Math-ML, Braille displays and such, but this is not the answer people need. We are a community college and get many students whose last math class was two decades ago when they had vision, or they ?suck at math?, need tutoring and failed most math in high school. And unlike other subjects, most instructors use highly visual methods to teach it. I have found Khan academy works wonders for low-vision students who can take their time, magnify the videos and don?t feel pressured. But it doesn?t work for blind students as without being able to see the video you cannot easily grasp the concepts. Also there are more and more publisher-supplied math labs without any real idea which ones are accessible and which are not. Is anyone grading these for accessibility? All are behind paywalls. I wish someone working towards a masters in education would create a fully online, fully accessible remedial math course under a creative commons license. Then we wouldn?t have to try to accommodate every individual need for every course with its changing editions of textbooks and each teacher having a different pedagogy. I?ve played with the idea of writing a web-based ?electric pencil? but maybe one exists already where you could enter equations with a simple interface allowing a blind student and sighted tutor to work easily together. That would be so cool and maybe I?ll do it when I retire. Right now I?m often too tired after working and commuting all day to write much code. --Debee _______________________________________________ athen-list mailing list athen-list@mailman22.u.washington.edu http://mailman22.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/athen-list -- Best, WILL PINES, Disability Specialist Accessible Technology Specialist Student Disability Resource Center he/him/his University of California, Riverside 900 University Avenue 1228 Student Services Building Riverside, CA 92521 Phone: 951-827-3861 | Email: wilbert.pines@ucr.edu Schedule an Appointment SDRC Web | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter ?A mind stretched by new experiences will never go back to its original dimensions.? [https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/mail-sig/AIorK4xQkUPdyj4ARXT4TlxZCK5gtxDaiRPTyPCmYa30RanDUHhobc4beMmCjvNZM7_Au3jFky6p3QfM_VFY] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: