Training the Trainers: Teaching and Supporting Users of Access Technology
May 9-11, 2012
Registration is now closed.
@National Federation of the Blind
Jernigan Institute
200 E. Wells Street
Baltimore, MD 21230
Technology is in a constant state of flux. New devices, software, and services are being implemented by business and education on what seems like a daily basis. Blind and low vision users need access to these same technologies in order to compete with their sighted peers. Access technology vendors are constantly working to help consumers meet these needs. With the challenges come opportunities for users, and the people who train and support them. This two-and-a-half-day seminar is designed to provide trainers and content creators with the information they need about these powerful tools to ensure that their blind and low vision users can succeed in their endeavors. To meet this goal, the training will provide hands-on involvement with:
• Screen access software
• Braille
• DAISY eBooks
• Tactile graphics creation
• Apple’s iDevices
• Mac computers
• Notetakers
• Low vision solutions
• Other tools
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from experts in the access technology field, experience the latest in the industry, and visit the largest showcase of blindness technology in the United States.
The cost of registration is $300. Lunch will be provided.
Lodgings
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Tremont Plaza Hotel, at the rate of $119 per night. Reservations can be made by calling 1-800-TREMONT (1-800-873-6668), and mentioning that you are part of the National Federation of the Blind Training the Trainers group. A complimentary morning and evening shuttle to and from the National Federation of the Blind will provided.
For travel to and from the airport, you can use the NFB rate with Supershuttle - http://groups.supershuttle.com/nationalfederationoftheblind.html
Agenda
(subject to change)
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
8:30-9:00 a.m. - Introductory Remarks - Mark Riccobono, Executive Director, Jernigan Institute, & Dr. Marc Maurer, President, National Federation of the Blind
9:00-10:30 a.m. - Using the Duxbury Braille Translator - Jennifer Dunnam, Manager of Braille Programs, Jernigan Institute. (An overview of how to create well-formatted Braille from many different file formats, including HTML, Word, PDF, and scanned documents)
10:30-10:50 a.m. - Break
10:50 a.m.-12:30 p.m. - The State of Screen Access Software - Josh Boudreaux, Director of Technology, Louisiana Center for the Blind, & Anne Taylor, Director of Access Technology, Jernigan Institute. (Will discuss major screen access packages and the features each one offers -- including how much support each provides for popular productivity tools like Google Docs and Microsoft Office)
12:30-1:30 p.m. – Lunch
1:30-3:30 p.m. - An Overview of Tactile Graphics: How to Create the Right Graphic for the Task - Clara Van Gerven, Access Technology Content Specialist, Jernigan Institute & Robert Jaquiss, Access Technology Specialist, Jernigan Institute
3:30-3:50 p.m. - Break
3:50-5:00 p.m. - Low Vision Tools - Clara Van Gerven
Thursday, May 10, 2012
8:30-10:00 a.m. – Notetakers - Amy Mason, Access Technology Specialist, Jernigan Institute, & Anne Taylor
10:00-10:20 a.m. – Break
10:20 a.m.-12:00 p.m. - iOS Devices and Accessible Peripherals - Amy Mason & Anne Taylor
12:00-1:00 p.m. – Lunch
1:00-3:00 p.m. – An Introduction to VoiceOver on the Mac - Earl Harrison, President, HandyTech North America
3:00-3:30 p.m. – Break
3:30-4:15 p.m. - OCR Options – Robert Jaquiss & Josh Boudreaux
4:15-5:00 p.m. – DAISY Creation Software - Making Electronic Text More Navigable - Varju Luceno, Director of Communications, DAISY Consortium
Friday, May 11, 2012
8:00-9:00 a.m. - Intro to JAWS Scripting – John Martyn, JAWS Scripting expert (This session offers an overview of the resources available to learn scripting for the JAWS screen access software package.)
9:00-10:00 a.m. - Using Screen Access Software with an Enterprise-class Application - Peter Wallack, Accessibility Program Director, Oracle & Don Mauck, Accessibility Evangelist, Oracle (Discussion of how Oracle goes about making applications accessible to the broadest possible range of assistive technology, and demonstration of the completion of a common task in PeopleSoft with JAWS, highlighting some of the expected skillset for users in the operating system, browser, JAWS, and PeopleSoft-specific commands.)
10:00-10:20 a.m. - Break
10:20-11:50 a.m. – Training Techniques: A Discussion of Best Practices - Amy Mason (An opportunity to engage in discussion with colleagues at the event concerning a number of topics pertinent to trainers -- including the place of the Structured Discovery philosophy in technology training, further discussion of what students should be expected to master in a technology training venue, and some unorthodox training aids and ideas for consideration)
11:50 a.m. – Closing Remarks – Anne Taylor