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Disabilities:
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E-Text at Messiah . . . In the Fall of 2001, Messiah College entered a new era in providing alternate-form textbooks for students with low-vision or text-related reading impairments. By replacing audio-taped versions of textbooks with electronic text (e-text), Disability Services has reduced the time needed for converting texts from 150-200 hours for reading one book to 2-10 hours (depending on the size of the text) for scanning, converting to computer-readable text, and "burning" to a CD. We currently are able to offer about 75 required texts each semester to our students in alternate formats, almost exclusively on CD-ROM. Time saved is immense, but the benefits extend to the student as well. This new format allows students to search for key words or phrases within the text, while still offering an audio version of content. Audio-tapes have no simple method of indexing, thus making this form rather limited for review and studying for an exam. It is best listened to straight through. E-text allows students to use the search function to locate keywords or a specific chapter or page number. It allows students to view an exact image (although in black & white) of all the pages in a book while also listening to the text being read by the computer. Audio-tapes purposely ignored foot-notes, marginal notes, glossaries, etc. E-text can be set up to include this content. So how does the computer read the text? A simple screen-reader is recommended for students to use with the new format. Some are available for free download over the Internet, while there is a charge for others or enhanced features.. Messiah College Text Conversion Process Specific procedures for students using E-text
E-Text on the Web Below are listed a few of our frequently referenced resources for finding E-text on the web, some with notes:
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