<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
</head>
<body>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
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/.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<br>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
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.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<br>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
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.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<br>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
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.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<br>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
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. </div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<br>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
Best, </div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
<br>
</div>
<div id="ms-outlook-mobile-signature" style="color: inherit; background-color: inherit;">
<p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">
Joshua Hori</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">
Accessible Technology Coordinator</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">
Information Educational Technology</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">
Academic Technology Services</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">
50 Hutchison Dr.</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">
Davis, CA 95616</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">
530-752-2439 </p>
<p dir="ltr" style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">
<span style="color: rgb(5, 99, 193);"><u><a href="https://calendly.com/d/ytt-hsj-vbn" data-outlook-id="0d92c3a6-6fe4-4126-ba22-906a184b36b9" style="color: rgb(5, 99, 193); margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Schedule a meeting via Calendly</a></u></span></p>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">
<br>
</div>
</div>
<div id="mail-editor-reference-message-container" style="color: inherit; background-color: inherit;">
<div dir="ltr" class="ms-outlook-mobile-reference-message skipProofing">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)" style="color: inherit; background-color: inherit;">
</div>
<div class="ms-outlook-mobile-reference-message skipProofing" style="text-align: left; padding: 3pt 0in 0in; border-width: 1pt medium medium; border-style: solid none none; border-color: rgb(181, 196, 223) currentcolor currentcolor; font-family: Aptos; font-size: 12pt; color: black;">
<b>From: </b>athen-list <athen-list-bounces@mailman22.u.washington.edu> on behalf of Deborah Armstrong via athen-list <athen-list@u.washington.edu><br>
<b>Date: </b>Monday, January 12, 2026 at 9:13 AM<br>
<b>To: </b>Access Technology Higher Education Network <athen-list@u.washington.edu><br>
<b>Subject: </b>[Athen] Notebook LM<br>
<br>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">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.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">It’s completely accessible to the screen reader user, and Freedom Scientific just did a webinar demonstrating tasks using it with JAWS:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(70, 120, 134);"><u><a href="https://www.freedomscientific.com/webinars/research-reimagined-mastering-googles-notebooklm-with-jaws/" data-outlook-id="ec432628-0141-435d-9fb6-f667335ce222" style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134); margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Research
Reimagined: Mastering Google’s NotebookLM with JAWS – Freedom Scientific</a></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">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.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Students with good vision can also surf YouTube for tons of more visually-oriented training, some amateur and some professional.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">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?”.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">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.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">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.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Though the free version is limited, google has adoption programs for many colleges that allow students to freely use the professional version.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">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.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">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.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">--Debee</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>