THE BRAILLE TRANSCRIPTION CENTER PROJECT

Jeffrey C. Senge, M.S
Office of Disabled Student Services
California State University, Fullerton
Phone: (714) 449-5397
Fax: (714) 773-2408
E-mail: jsenge@fullerton.edu

Jamie Dote-Kwan, Ph.D.
Division of Special Education
California State University, Los Angeles
Phone: (213) 343-4418
Fax: (213) 343-5605
E-mail: jdotekwan@fullerton.edu

Web Posted on: December 12, 1997

The Braille Transcription Center (BTC) project is a three year Model Demonstration Project established to study the feasibility of regionalizing braille transcription services for students in postsecondary education. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education and California State University, Fullerton (CSUF), the BTC provides timely access to instructional materials in braille for students enrolled in the California State University (CSU) System.

Located on the CSUF campus, the BTC networks the 22 campuses of the CSU System throughout the state. CSU campuses include: Bakersfield, Chico, Dominguez Hills, Fresno, Fullerton, Hayward, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Monterey Bay, Northridge, Pomona, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Luis Obispo, San Marcos, Sonoma, Stanislaus, and the Maritime Academy.

State-wide, the CSU has approximately 350,000 students and 16,000 faculty. Of this enrollment, a very small percentage require braille to effectively communicate. A recent survey of 18 CSU campuses revealed a total of 54 students who used braille, (Senge & Dote-Kwan, 1995). It is believed that this situation is not unique to the CSU and may proliferate throughout postsecondary education. The mission of the BTC project is to address this small but widely distributed need throughout the CSU and in doing so, develop a model for other postsecondary institutions to replicate.

The BTC project consists of two main components: The development of faculty and student awareness materials related to improving instructional strategies for students with visual impairments in postsecondary education; and, the establishment of a regional braille transcription facility to evaluate the effectiveness of a centralized service delivery model.

The project is co-directed by Dr. Jamie Dote-Kwan of California State University, Los Angeles (CSLA) and Jeffrey Senge of CSUF. Dr. Dote-Kwan directs the credentialing program for teachers of the visually impaired in the Division of Special Education at CSLA and brings a wealth of experience to this project both in terms of braille transcription and a faculty prospective of the braille accessibility problem in postsecondary education. With an advanced level of knowledge and understanding in these areas, she has assumed primary leadership of the faculty and student awareness component of the project.

As Information and Computer Access Program Coordinator for the Office of Disabled Student Services at CSUF, Mr. Senge's contribution to the BTC project focuses on technical aspects and accessibility compliance issues. With an extensive background in adaptive technology, he oversees the operation of the braille production facility.

Other key personnel include a BTC Coordinator, an Assistant Coordinator, a Braille Transcriber/Technical Consultant, a Usability Analyst, a project secretary, and the Student Assistants. Each of these individuals contributes specific talents toward the operation of the BTC.

The Faculty Student Advisory Board (FSAB) is comprised of seven members. Included are both project co-directors, two CSU students who use braille, two faculty members, and the BTC Braille Transcriber/Technical Consultant. Both student members and both faculty members represent different disciplines and campuses. Under the guidance of Co-Director Dote-Kwan, this body works to develop faculty and student awareness materials directed toward improving opportunities for students with visual impairments in postsecondary education. Specific areas under examination include modifications to classroom instructional strategies and alternative access to course materials and related information.

The day-to-day operation of the braille transcription facility is managed by the BTC Coordinator. It is his responsibility to supervise the staff and coordinate all aspects of the braille production process. Under his direction, the Assistant Coordinator and the Student Assistants perform the majority of the braille transcription. The BTC project utilizes the talents of a National Library Service Certified Braille Transcriber/Technical Consultant on a limited basis to transcribe special items such as maps and tactile graphics. The final member of the production staff is the Usability Analyst. It is her responsibility to proof read every job for accuracy and usability prior to completion.

The BTC is a state-of-the-art computer-based braille production facility. As the BTC Coordinator uses a wheelchair and Co- Director Senge and the Usability Analyst are visually impaired and blind respectively, both the facility and the technology have been designed to provide maximum accessibility. Braille production equipment includes: three IBM compatible computers, one Macintosh computer, an HP scanner, two HP fax machines, an HP laser printer, two Juliet braillers, and a tactile image enhancer. The center uses the Mega Dots braille translation program and a variety of DOS, Windows, and Macintosh applications for preparing documents for braille translation and recording project data. To provide screen access for the two visually impaired staff members, two of the IBM compatible computers are equipped with DecTalk speech synthesizers and the JAWS screen reading program.

Through mainstream telecommunications capabilities, (i.e., voice mail, fax, and Internet) instructional materials can be provided to students located hundreds of miles away with the same level of timeliness as if they were on the local campus. By providing electronic access to the BTC's services, faculty, staff, or students on any of the CSU campuses can instantly transmit documents to be transcribed by fax or e-mail, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This powerful feature not only allows efficient utilization of resources in terms of trained personnel and specialized equipment, it greatly reduces scheduling conflicts for faculty, staff, and students on remote campuses.

The BTC process initially begins with faculty, staff, or students who need instructional materials transcribed into braille, completing a brief BTC Service Request Form (SRF) and mailing, faxing, or e-mailing it along with the instructional material to be brailled to the BTC. Instructional materials include, course syllabi, class handouts, and examinations; no textbooks or library research articles are being accepted for transcription at this time. After the documents have been transcribed, the brailled materials are returned directly to the individual designated on the SRF by first class or priority express mail. The turn-around time for most standard instructional materials is 3 to 5 days.

When materials to be brailled are received by the BTC, they follow a specific transcription path. Upon receipt, each job is assigned a number and prioritized by the BTC Coordinator based on the date needed as indicated on the SRF. From there, a Job Tracking Form (JTF) is completed for it. The JTF is an internal document used to record information related to each step in the transcription process. Next, the job is evaluated for input method. Input options include: scanning and editing, typing in the document, directing the job to the braille transcriber, or a combination of any of these three input options. With the input step completed, and the text file checked for accuracy, the job is translated into braille by the Mega Dots translation program. Once translated, the electronic document is checked again for accuracy and format. After any necessary adjustments have been made to the translated file, it is sent to the brailler for embossing.

During the embossing process, the brailled document is visually inspected for production quality and format accuracy. This allows errors related to such things as page breaks and page numbering to be caught and corrected early in the embossing process. This saves resources both in terms of time and materials. Once the job has been embossed, the brailled document and its electronic file are passed along to the Usability Analyst. She proof reads the document tactually and investigates any areas of concern by referring to the electronic file. Finally, she either approves the job for binding and shipping or generates a report documenting specific errors or areas of concern related to usability. From her report, corrections are made and pages containing errors are re-brailled and sent back for final inspection.

Throughout the braille transcription process, the time required to perform each step as outlined above is recorded on the JTF along with additional pertinent information such as, type of document, number of copies produced, and number of braille pages in the completed job. These data are then transferred to a computer database and reports generated for project analysis. Databases are also maintained for CSU campuses, faculty, staff, and students who have used the BTC. Forms for gathering user information for these databases have also been created by the project.

During the first year of operation, the BTC produced over 5,000 pages of braille for 16 students and 19 faculty on 11 campuses of the CSU. Of these 5,000 plus pages, nearly 4,000 were original transcription with the remainder being duplicate copies. In nearly every instance, the BTC was able to deliver the requested braille documents in a timely manner, (i.e., by the date needed or by the time print copies were distributed to sighted students).

As the above results indicate, there is a need to produce braille documents accurately and rapidly throughout the CSU System. For a university system as large and diversified as the CSU, the BTC project may hold the answer. Through a regional approach to braille service delivery, the small number of braille users who are distributed over several university campuses can all receive consistent and efficient braille transcription services. Another benefit of centralizing braille transcription services is effective utilization of resources in terms of personnel and equipment. Creating a single braille production facility like the BTC enables the development of a highly qualified staff and maximum utilization of specialized equipment. While it's premature to speculate on the final outcome of the BTC project as it is only now reaching its midpoint, it is clear that this model holds promise and may provide a viable alternative for braille service delivery in postsecondary education.

For further information please contact Co-Director Senge or the Braille Transcription Center (BTC) Project.

Braille Transcription Center, EC-379
California State University, Fullerton
P.O. Box 34080
Fullerton, CA 92634
Phone: (714) 449-7686
Fax: (714) 449-7687
E-mail: BTC@fullerton.edu Jeffrey C. Senge, M.S.
Information & Computer Access Program Coordinator
BTC Project Co-Director
Office of Disabled Student Services, (UH-101)
California State University, Fullerton
P.O. Box 34080
Fullerton, CA 92634
Phone: (714) 449-5397
Fax: (773) 2408
E-mail: jsenge@fullerton.edu

References

Senge, J. C. & Dote-Kwan, J. (1995). Information accessibility in alternative formats in postsecondary education. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 89, 120-128.