Services for Students with Print Disabilities

Harpur, Paul, and Rebecca Loudoun. "The Barrier Of The Written Word: Analysing Universities' Policies To Students With Print Disabilities." Journal Of Higher Education Policy & Management 33.2 (2011): 153-167. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 May 2013.

I moderated a talk at the Texas Library Association conference this year called "Thinking Outside the Book: Providing Library Service to the Blind and Visually Impaired". We had the librarian at Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, a patron of our Talking Book Program and a librarian involved with disability services at the University of Texas all come and speak about things that their libraries are doing to make the library more accessible or things that they could do to improve. 

The article I read today goes into detail the steps that colleges in Australia are taking to make textbooks more accessible to those with print disabilities. I liked that these authors called it "print disabilities" to include blindness, dyslexia and some motor disabilities. These are the same criteria that would qualify someone for the library where I work. The research focus was to include students in 1-3 year of their university studies. (I'm wondering if this is 1-3 year credit wise, since I know that credits vs. year at school are sometimes different). The researchers were trying to see if there was availability of support for students with print disabilities and then if there was a substantial difference in when materials were received compared to non disabled students. Their study looked at the websites of 39 universities and had survey responses from 22 universities in Australia. 

It talked about a court case that I was not familiar with Hinchcliffe v University of Sydney. The girl sued the school for not providing reasonable accommodations, but then there was some disagreement between what was considered reasonable. The court decided in favor of the school, but it raised some questions for me regarding 1) where do preferences come into play? A student may be able to use both Braille and audio format but may have a preference for one over the other. Or in this case there was a preference in the format of audio (cassette vs. CD)? What is the student's responsibility when it comes to requesting a preference? There is different complexity when it comes to some formats over others. This case did help decide though that universities have the responsibility to act reasonably to support students and universities need to prove that they acted reasonably. One point that came up several times in the article is that students need to communicate with those who are working with them to discuss what are reasonable options. 

The article also talked about what texts might be considered reasonable, such as different options for scanning  (hand scanning vs. digital scanning and the amount of editing involved). With scanned texts there may be a need to add footnotes, or page numbers or to make sure that images are described, but those things are necessary especially if one is trying to cite sources. I have run into trouble with helping patrons cite sources when they are using nontraditional formats (the page number on the Braille book is not the same as in the print edition, or audiobooks don't have page numbers and what is considered reasonable when citing for academic purposes? -- Apparently some Braille texts give both the print page number and the "regular" print page number. Follow standard rules when citing audiobooks as you would for other audio texts.) 

To gather data about information provided the researchers gathered data from a survey and viewed university websites and university library websites. The survey asked such questions as if there was a policy for prodding assistance to students with print disabilities, who provides assistance, what assistance. They searched websites for keywords related to print disabilities (didn't state those key words) to test to see if the websites informed students that those services were available. They also asked how many students were served. With that information they came up with a number stating that there were anywhere between 548 - 1250 students with print disabilities in Australia universities each year. The most common type of help provided to students was retrieval of texts from the shelf and assistance with photocopying. They found that 50% of first year students got materials before the semester starts and there appears to be improvement between first year and second year students in getting material earlier. Reasons listed for the delay include no finalized reading list from the instructor, students don't report that assistance is needed, and waiting on a response from the publisher. Some suggestions for things to do to improve the situation for students include advertising services and policies to students, and sending requests to publishers for material with a statement of intent that you will only use the material with print disabled students. Also making sure that there is a formalized policy at the university level for assisting these students. 

The article also mentioned services in other countries including BookShare in the United States which is one service for textbooks. Depending on situation and current grant funding there may be a cost associated with using BookShare. Also, the books are read with a computerized voice and some are text to speech and may have player compatibility issues. I was wondering about the cost associated with these textbooks. If it is a membership like through BookShare or the similar Learning Ally or if it is similar to the costs of an e-book? I would be interested in seeing if this study's results would be different now two years later, or maybe in five years. I also wonder what the study would be like if it was replicated in other countries and I would have liked it if it mentioned the National Library Service as well. 

Book Club prep -- Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg

Rather than read journal articles this week, I've been on a nonfiction kick with my book reading. I just finished Sheryl Sandberg's book Lean In. I am attending a book club meeting next month with another mom from kiddo's daycare and her friends. Most of the moms will be other state employees. Some will be lawyers.

These are my notes for book club discussion:

34 pages of footnotes. Lots of research, quotations, references to studies, discussion with other professionals. 

Girls growing up today are not the first generation to have equal opportunity, but they are the first to know that all that opportunity does not necessarily translate into professional achievement. Many of these girl watched their mothers try to "do it all" and then decided that something had to give. That something was usually their careers. 15 -- what about smaller family size and women starting a family later in life what if that's the something that has to give? 

quoting Judith Rodin-- "My generation fought so hard to give all of you choices. We believe in choices. But choosing to leave the workforce was not the choice we thought so many of you would make." 14 -- what choices do we want for our daughters? How would we react to our daughters making different choices than we did? 

Another 23 percent of mothers are co-breadwinners, contributing at least a quarter of the family's earnings. 23 -- why is a quarter considered co-? Is it because quarter more represents real life than half? 

"Tiara Syndrome", where "women expect that if they keep doing their job well someone will notice them and place a tiara on their head"... And anyway, who wears a tiara on a jungle gym? -- (jungle gym metaphor instead of career ladder) -- Disney princesses and toddlers wear tiaras on playground. Tiaras for toddlers, see Cinderella Ate My Daughter but that is another discussion.  -- pg 63

Child care is a huge expense, and it's frustrating to work hard to just break even. But professional women need to measure the cost of child care against their future salary rather than their current salary. -- 102

The Lit Lover's Guide for this book http://www.litlovers.com/reading-guides/14-non-fiction/9147-lean-in-sandberg?start=3  has a question about this section of the book asking how this changes / effects your attitude towards money and employment after having a child. This is something my husband and I have discussed quite a bit as we anticipate a move and anticipate adding to our family in the coming years. Sandburg also talks about how women need to "lean in" and take advantage of opportunities and challenges and work hard right up until they have kids, not back off in anticipation of having kids or other familial changes. 

Something Sandburg didn't discuss but maybe I wish she did is that in addition to family life and work life she has to make time for herself. She also didn't address the pressures of women in business to look a certain way. I assume that as a former aerobics instructor there's a certain amount of athleticism she holds herself to? 

There was another question on the Lit Lover's Guide that I thought pretty interesting, but didn't catch when I was reading the book. It asked about the attitude difference between Sheryl and her hubby when it comes to the kids. She worries she isn't spending enough time with them. He focuses on being grateful and proud of the time they are able to spend together. I had a friend comment on some pictures I posted on Facebook of my family. She said that it was great that even though I worked all week I still had the energy to go have adventures with my kid on the weekend. She said I make good use of the time I have with my kid when I'm not at work.

This was a fast read with lots of research and statistics that didn't feel bogged down by its research. I don't know that I got a lot of new information from it that I hadn't heard bits and pieces of it otherwise, but I think reading this book in the analytical way I read when I read for book clubs and discussing this book will give me an opportunity to gain some new perspective from mothers on varying steps of the career jungle gym. Will comment more after book club. 

new Nook at our house

Oakley, GraceJay, Jenny. "Making Time" For Reading: Factors That Influence The Success Of Multimedia Reading In The Home." Reading Teacher 62.3 (2008): 246. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 8 May 2013.

I have a toddler at my house and a new Nook Color HD. Part of hubby’s justification for buying the new Nook was that kiddo really likes reading The Monster at the End of This Book on the IPhone. In Oakley’s article about “Making Time: for Reading, she is specifically discussing electronic talking books much like my kiddo’s Grover book. It talks to her, it lights up the word as it reads, it makes “boing” and “crash” noises and animated illustrations as appropriate. This study looks at kids that are a little older than my daughter and gages their interest in reading based on using electronic talking books at home. These kids are in upper elementary school to middle school. My daughter is two. 

Like I said, I work for the library for the blind in Texas, but we also serve patrons with some learning disabilities too. We frequently encounter parents and teachers who don’t understand why we don’t provide the text and the audio to books that we send (part cost, part not getting people the book in the format we need, etc..) so I know that people read and follow along, but I guess I didn’t think of it in terms of these interactive books. Oakley writes, “Because of the benefits of being read aloud to, we reasoned that having students simply listen to the ETBs would be preferable to them not engaging with written texts at all in the home context, although we hoped that they would read along too.” The kids Oakley was studying were not learning disabled kids though, they were just not particularly interested in reading. Oakley’s study was short in time frame so there were things that they just didn’t get to find out (was there an attitude change toward reading?) but in general the kids did read more and found the reading they did enjoyable, especially when they were able to engage their families into reading with them. 

Another topic that I hadn’t considered is that some parents and classroom teachers don’t consider these electronic (and interactive) books to be “real” reading. For my own kiddo, if that’s the only way she was reading perhaps I’d think that too, it’s hard to say since she isn't old enough to read alone and she has other book experiences. Right now she only has one ebook, and she is a pre-reader.  My kiddo enjoys going to the library, calls the library staff “Mommy’s friends” and has access to books in print and now electronically. She’s not always super interested in having us read to her (very mood dependent) but she likes to say “I read it myself” and sit with her books by herself. 

The article also talked about using book selection to increase the reader’s interest in reading (to include subject matter, the amount of book interaction, highlighting available and narrator’s style). Presently with my kiddo I try to balance her picking books that she wants to read (books about characters she sees on TV and books that I know have quality reviews in some of the trusted library reviewing sources). 

I hope that she can continue to find enjoyment of books whether reading with me or without me, and whether reading in print or in an e-format. 

race cars

I am leading a book club tonight at work on The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.  In The Art of Racing in the Rain, the main character, Denny, is a racecar driver and I believe he races in a sort of F1 kind of style (It is my understanding that is the more popular style in Europe.) Denny’s specialty is racing in the rain and that attracts the attention of some of the racecar sponsors because Denny is at the start of our book still training and trying to make it. Some of the book focuses on how Denny has to have a day job and Denny has money troubles.  I wanted to read more about racecars (I was sort of thinking about what I was going to do if someone who was a real racecar fan came to my book club and started to tell me how the book was wrong on some of the technical details and I have no idea).   

I read an article about racing electric cars in the September 2011 issue of New Scientist. Presently I live in Austin, TX and there was a big hubbub when Austin built an F1 track about the damage it would do to the environment and weighing the environmental costs vs. income for the city. They were building on land a ways out of town, but complaints were that it was dirty and noisy. I work for the library for the blind and I’ve heard commentary about electric cars being more dangerous for blind people who walk places and use their ears to tell what the traffic is doing, so those were issues that interested me. Another fact that caught my attention was that innovation happens on the racetrack that makes its way to general commercial cars. Some of the aerodynamics issues were interesting because things that typically make a commercially produced car heavier also make it safer (material it is made of, heavier doors, airbags, etc.) and racecar manufacturers have to balance that with safety and your general car owner wants a safe, affordable car and doesn’t care as much about how fast it goes.

There is an international governing body of motoracing based in Paris and they care about road relevance. With greater interest in electric cars from the general public that has produced greater interest in electric cars for racers too. There is some talk of creating major races that include electric cars (racing each other not your standard gas cars). In an article in Environmental Engineering from February 2013, I learned that many changes in cars over the years started on the racetrack like some of the more advanced braking systems and changes in aerodynamics. The article in Environmental Engineering mentioned that while car manufacturers for the general public and motor racing companies sometimes work together one thing to acknowledge is their different goals. The general public want cars that are not as risky technology wise and that can be easily mass produced. Cars for racers are often more individualized for a person or performance.  

I also read an article by Paul Marks called "Dawn of Motorsport’s Electric Dream". This article seemed to indicate that for some racing fans the loud noise is a plus and will be missed if auto racing moves to a quieter car. As a parent, I’m wondering if it might make it even more of a family event because you can take kids to it without the added trouble of making sure the kiddos are wearing their ear protection. In the meantime, Marks states that some car makers are researching sound panels and futuristic hums to come up with new sorts of car noises.

I drive a safe, affordable car and as long as I have enough "umph" to keep up on the highway I don't care about how fast it goes. In my lifetime I would like to own a hybrid or electric car last I checked the prices were still a little high for those vehicles, so I hope smart people are looking at these issues and coming up with new ideas on the subject.

Articles read: Dawn of motorsport’s electric dream. By: Marks, Paul, New Scientist, 02624079, 9.24.2011, Vol. 211, Issue 2831

Pullin, John. “Leading the Charge.” Environmental Engineering 26.1 (2013): 33 – 35. Academic Search Complete. Web. 7 May 2013.

"What Makes A Good YA Love Story?"

Hedeen, Katrina, and Rachel L. Smith. "What Makes A Good YA Love Story?." Horn Book Magazine 89.3 (2013): 48-54. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 May 2013.

I picked this article to start off my blog because it is a recently published article about one of my favorite topics: young adult fiction and it discussed one of my favorite books from 2012, The Fault In Our Stars by John Green.  

I liked that this article included examples of books written by men and women, and books about straight, questioning and homosexual relationships. While the books discussed in this article weren't all happy books, they weren't all sad depressing breakup stories either (even Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler isn't all a sad depressing story and does include both a love story and a break up story). The book also made a point to discuss the awkwardness of first time sexual experience and make that a realistic awkwardness that sometimes is missing in young adult literature. 

Here is a copy of the book review I posted on my library's blog and my GoodReads page for the book The Fault in Our Stars.


Book review for library blog --
My favorite book of 2012 was easily The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I am primarily a print reader and I bought it when it came out, I then listened to it when it appeared on BARD, then went back to my print copy to look for a specific quote after listening to it and ended up reading it again. That’s three times in a period of six months I read this book!! You know I’m a busy reader, I don’t have time to re-read that much but these characters and this story sucked me in.

 The Fault in Our Stars is a book about two snarky cancer patients who meet and fall in love at a cancer support group, and go on an adventure to Amsterdam to hunt down the author Peter Van Houten to find out how his book An Imperial Affliction ends and what happens to the characters after the story is over.

 Van Houten’s book also happens to be a book about cancer, but Hazel (our female lead) explains why it isn’t really a cancer book because as Hazel explains about An Imperial Affliction, “But it is not a cancer book, because cancer books suck. Like, in cancer books, the cancer person starts a charity that raises money to fight cancer, right? And this commitment to charity reminds the cancer person of the essential goodness of humanity and makes him / her feel loved and encouraged because s/he will leave a cancer curing legacy. But in AIA, Anna decides that being a person with cancer who starts a cancer charity is a bit narcissistic, so she starts a charity called The Anna Foundation for People with Cancer Who Want to Cure Cholera.”(38) I feel that in The Fault in Our Stars, John Green gave a lot of thought into giving us real characters with strong personalities. Shortly after Augustus and Hazel meet, he asks her what’s her story. She starts to tell him her diagnosis. He replies, “Don’t tell me you’re one of those people who becomes their disease. I know so many people like that. It’s disheartening. Like, cancer is in the growth business, right? The taking-people-over business. But surely you haven’t let it succeed prematurely.”  (27) Later in the book, they are discussing the trope of the cancer patient, “Right, but really, I mean aside from us obviously, cancer kids are not statistically more likely to be awesome or compassionate or perseverant or whatever.” (110)

This book could have easily been just a smooshy, over sentimental book, but it’s not. The book also goes into points about how those left behind heal or how you hope they will heal and choosing love. Augustus is describing his love of Hazel to Van Houten and he says, “I love her. I am so lucky to love her, Van Houten. You don’t get to choose if you get hurt in this world, old man, but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices. I hope she likes hers.” (194)

This book has received positive reviews in such publications as: Booklist, Entertainment Weekly, Kirkus, New York Times Book Review, NPR, USA Today, Washington Post and others.

This is another book where the author’s personal experience plays a role in the story. John Green knows what he’s writing about when he’s talking about the cancer ward in a hospital. Before becoming a writer he worked as a chaplain in a hospital children’s oncology ward. There is a forward in the book about a young woman he met there and a foundation in her honor.

The love story of Gus and Hazel is definitely a love story I recommend. It has full drawn out characters that you want to love, and people you want to root for, snarky humor, and tears. Hazel uses these words to describe her favorite book, “An Imperial Affliction”, “Sometimes you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living human’s read the book. And then there are books like An Imperial Affliction, which you can’t tell people about, books so special and rare and yours that advertising your affection feels like a betrayal.” (28) I have that weird evangelical zeal about this book but it’s taken me six months to be able to put my love for this book into words.  I’m highly recommending The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

The fault in our stars DB 74112
Green, John; Rudd, Kate. Reading time: 7 hours, 16 minutes.
Read by Kate Rudd.

Human Relations
Young Adult

A miracle drug may have given sixteen-year-old cancer patient Hazel a few more years, but she is still depressed. Then Hazel meets cute Augustus during a support-group meeting and her world shifts in unexpected and inspiring ways. Some strong language. For senior high and older readers. Commercial audiobook. 2012.

Why blog?

I just finished reading Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future by Dorie Clark. I have a background in librarianship and have worked for the library for the blind in Texas for 5 years. I am planning a cross country move soon and know that the city we are moving to has expensive childcare costs and a library school in town which makes the already tight librarian market even tighter.

I am going to use this blog to read articles from academic journals and other publications that interest me and provide commentary on what I read and learn. I hope that in the course of my research I will gain knowledge in new fields or notice patterns in the type of articles that interest me that might guide my next steps professionally.

I like the energy that authors like Mary Roach and Sarah Vowell bring to their writing because they are exploring topics that interest them. I hope to commit to writing in this blog and to practice my writing skills.

(I am currently audiobooking Vowell's Unfamiliar Fishes and recently finished Roach's newest book Gulp.)