Nicole Marie Sartin
Ashford University
EDU620: Meeting Individual Student Needs with Technology (MRC1340B)
10/30/13
As a special educator for students who are vision or hearing impaired, I would recommend the Dolphin Publisher as an assistive technology solution for creating professional digital talking books with human narrated or synthetic voices. The total all-inclusive cost is $5,000 which contains license, lifetime technical support and training; online user guides and training webinars, software upgrades and maintenance (see attached brochure & price list).
Assistive technology enables students with disabilities to compensate for the impairments they experience. This specialized technology promotes independence and decreases the need for other educational supports.
Dolphin Publisher is the ideal solution for publishers of DAISY talking books, professional transcription services, DAISY talking book libraries and specialist DAISY talking book producers in education.
This audio e-book technology offers many features that allow people to enjoy books in a unique new way. After the simple installation of software-included in the package-on a personal computer, readers can display the text of the book on the screen, fully synchronized with the audio of a professional narrator. Switching back and forth, or "toggling," between print and audio versions of the same work, is also possible. Additionally, users can search both the entire text and audio for keywords and phrases. These features have a particularly broad appeal for travelers and commuters who may wish to read the text and listen to the audio independently or simultaneously, depending on their environment. Those who are blind, visually impaired, or dyslexic can access the text via audio or onscreen in large print.
People who are visually impaired also benefit by having more information made accessible to them easily and cheaply-from bank statements to exhibition guides to talking menus in restaurants. Plans are already underway at the U.S. Government Printing Office to publish certain documents in the DTB medium.
As well as in the classroom, publishers of educational reference materials need to take notice of the power of the DAISY format as an alternative to traditional print books. For example, Time Warner AudioBooks produced and released a prototype in association with Intellectual Properties Management, Inc., AFB Talking Books, and Dolphin Computer Access, of the famous "I Have a Dream" speech from “A Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” (2003). This audio e-book was demonstrated to former President Bill Clinton on September 21, 2000. As awareness from teachers and students increases, so will demand for such all-inclusive resources.
Recognizing the audio e-book's wide appeal and potential, Maja Thomas, vice president, Time Warner AudioBooks, commented, "the audio e-book is innovative and efficient, a perfect example of how universally designed technologies can benefit both companies and consumers. This format will be a unique resource not only for those who are blind or visually impaired, but also for the publishing community, the general reading public, and beyond." (2003)
Electronic hardware manufacturers are already responding to the innovation. In the near future, audio e-book technology will be integrated into hand-held Personal Data Assistants. Additionally, the Consumer Electronics Association is planning to integrate the DTB file format into CD player technology, allowing any CD player to access the audio portion of the audio e-book. This in itself would mark a significant advance, since an entire book's worth of text and audio can fit onto one CD with the DTB file format.
References:
Dolphin Publisher (2003); Case Study: Patterson's First Audio E-Book Release; Dolphin Computer Access Inc. 231 Clarksville Road, Suite 3, Princeton Junction, NJ; Retrieved from: http://www.yourdolphin.com/productdetail.asp?id=12&act=show&csid=32&z=5
Edyburn, D. L. (2013). Inclusive technologies: Tools for helping diverse learners achieve academic success. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
Gromisch, E. S. & Reinhart Neas, L. M. (Ed). (2012). Special education: A guide to technology options. Bright Hub Education. Retrieved from http://www.brighthubeducation.com/special-ed-inclusion-strategies/125659-a-teachers-guide-to-assistive-technologies-in-the-classroom/?cid=parsely_rec
