E-Text in Maryland is Back in the Spotlight

I tend to keep up with the goings on in Maryland because I grew up there and still have friends and family in the area. Last year a bill was filed that would require NIMAS files be provided for college students as well as K-12. It was vetoed by the Governor. Now a new push is on for similar legislation.

I like this article from the Baltimore Sun because it really lays out the difficulties faced by students in a matter of fact tone. For example, the intern interviewed for this story "had to drop a 17th-century British literature course two weeks before the first 10-page paper was due. His professor had selected a more than 1,000-page anthology as the textbook, but not indicated what sections were required." How well we feel his pain -- whether a visually impaired individual or a service provider.

What we are also familiar with are the misconceptions that one-size fits all language will convey the proper message. From the article: "People keep calling this 'the blind bill,'" [the sponsor]said. "Electronic and audio texts help students with dyslexia, learning disabilities and a whole host of other diseases that weaken eyesight. ... Coining this a Braille textbook bill narrows the scope and the population that it would help, and is a good strategy to try and kill it."