Change Makers: A Podcast from APH
Change Makers: A Podcast from APH
All About Books
On this episode of Change Makers, we’re talking about all things books. From coloring books, Braille Tales, the Talking Book Studio, APH Press, to the process of brailling textbooks. We’ll also talk to PlayAbility Toys and hear their history, partnership with APH, and some of their bestselling toys.
In This Podcast (In Order of Appearance)
- Jack Fox, Narrator
- Sara Brown, APH Public Relations Manager
- Karen Poppe, APH Tactile Literacy Product Manager
- Christine Genovely, APH’s Prison Braille Coordinator and Braille Tales Administrator
- Maggie Davis, APH Studio Director
- Heather Spence, APH Press Director
- Michael Haynes, APH Accessible Tests and Textbooks Manager
- Joyce Lopez Product Developer for PlayAbliity Toys/Nurture Smart Products
Additional Links
Welcome to Change Makers, a podcast from APH. We're talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or have low vision. Here's your host.
Sara Brown:Hello and welcome to Change Makers. I'm APH's Public Relations Manager, Sara Brown. And today we're talking about all things books. That means coloring books, Braille Tales, APH press, and the process of braille textbooks. We'll also gonna talk to APH partner PlayAbility Toys, and we'll hear their history, larn more about the partnership with APH and hear about some of their best selling toys up. First we have APH's Tactile Literacy Product Manager, Karen Poppe. Hello, Karen, and welcome to Change Makers.
Karen Poppe:Hi, Sara.
Sara Brown:Can you talk to us about some of the benefits of coloring for students and adults who are blind or low vision?
Karen Poppe:Um, coloring is always a fun topic to talk about, and as one might expect. The benefits of coloring activities are many, and this probably won't be a complete list, but some of the obvious benefits to coloring are the following. So, coloring activities allow self-expression and creativity, and as we are all aware, there's not a right or wrong way to color. It's perfectly okay to color outside the lines as we've always heard.<laugh>. Um, additionally, a child's fine motor and hand skills are strengthened and developed during coloring activities. And so, for example, coloring requires the child to say, firmly grasp a small crayon or marker and hold the coloring page stationary as they color. Um, sensory efficiency skills such as discriminating between various textures are enhanced during coloring activities. And coloring is obviously a very inclusive activity and invites social interaction and engagement with site peers and family, family members. Uh, coloring also provides immediate visual and tactile feedback. So, so essentially the results of one's own design are instantly available and can be enjoyed immediately. Coloring activity, support, choice making, and independent thinking and in turn builds self confidence. And lastly, coloring is an activity that we enjoy regardless of age or visual acuity. And for example, my, my mom who's 85 years old, she still loves to color, so we're never too old to enjoy that, enjoy coloring.
Sara Brown:What's an example of an APH product that can be used for coloring activities?
Karen Poppe:Um, APH offers, um, it's titled Color-by-Texture Marking Mats, and we've had it available for several years now, and obviously you can search and learn more about it on our website. Um, the kit includes an assortment of textured mats and it encourages students to, um, I guess the operative word here is independently select texture embellishments for their own personal artwork and coloring pages. So the primary goal of this product is to invite technical learners to be active participants in art activities and to, to allow them and empower them with, um, making choices based on their own personal preference of texture and or color. So as a field evaluator, the, uh, kit clarified years ago, uh, they said students are giving greater control over their coloring by allowing them to pick a texture. So the kit is especially ideal for promoting shared art experiences within a variety of instructional settings with sighted peers, whether that's in a classroom or at a home setting.
Sara Brown:Now, there's the Color-by-Texture Marking Mats. What are those components and how do they make coloring tasks more accessible and fun?
Karen Poppe:Oh, good question. Um, okay, so the primary component of the kit, which if you see that on our website, is a very, um, interesting, cool assortment of eight blue translucent, and they're very rigid, durable vinyl mats. With very interesting textures, including, I believe there's a rough coarse texture, a wavy pattern, um, a bold, bumpy texture, a mat with diagonal stripes. There's a small bumpy pattern, a zigzag design and a crosshatch pattern, so a pretty eclectic assortment there. Um, the design of one of the eight mats was directly inspired by field evaluators who required, uh, or requested a single mat that we call fun shapes. And it includes, um, raised shapes such as, um, a star, a sun, a smiley face that can be transferred to a coloring page by rubbing on top of it and making more of an embossed relief on the coloring page. The kit also comes with a non-skid tray that provides a stable working platform during coloring and keeps the textured mat securely positioned under and aligned with the coloring page of the student is coloring. So this tray has a black border or a frame to assist students with low vision and field evaluators of the kit indicated that the tray was especially helpful for students with limited fine motor control. Other kit accessories include a set of raised line tactile coloring pages, a box of crayons with braille labels and instruction booklet, both in print and braille versions, and a convenient storage and carrying box. So an extra bonus to those texture mark mats is that they provide auditory feedback when the child rubs the crayon across the textured surface of the mat. And this auditory feedback is very motivating for some students during these coloring, coloring activities.
Sara Brown:What types of coloring pages are provided and can those coloring pages be purchased separately from the kit?
Karen Poppe:There's quite a few coloring pages. There's a package of 25 coloring pages, and they all incorporate, um, pretty large blank areas or vacant areas that capture a rub texture or pattern. And the raised lines of each coloring page are both tactile and visual, so you, you can feel it. And, and then there's usually a black outline that complements the tactile part. So the types of coloring pages the service mattering and includes, um, simple raise line images of commonplace objects or animals such as an apple balloons, a butterfly fish, there's an ice cream cone, and a pumpkin, and a teddy bear, and different types of trees and, and much more. Um, the child can essentially, uh, for use purposes place one of the coloring pages on top of the selected texture mat. They might choose on their own and color with a crayon to transfer a desired texture, whether that's bumpy zag wavy to the coloring page. Now, some students even like to add a label or a short sentence or even a story they can build to their coloring pages using a braille writer. If additional coloring pages are needed, the replacement package of the 25 coloring page or starter kit can be purchased separately, and they too are available with federal quota of funds.
Sara Brown:Does the Color-by-Texture Marking Mats, do those come with crayons?
Karen Poppe:Yeah, we were very selective in the type we included, and it does include a box of triangular shaped crayon, Crayola brand crayons so that there's a flat area for applying. We include clear adhesive backed braille color name labels, and those are provided and can be applied directly to the flat side of the crayon. So we also include a print cheat sheet, um, for those who may not be a avail, uh, familiar with braille so they know which label to put on which crayon. And I just want to encourage you to please experiment with the use of other types of crayons. I know I tend to, I've encountered, uh, these twistable crayola crayons that I like a lot because they're less prone to breakage and it may be e easier for some students to actually hold. So those are commercially available and easily acquired at art stores or, um, drug stores and so forth that you might have in your area.
Sara Brown:And what are some of the coloring techniques used with these mats?
Karen Poppe:Um, well just keep in mind, you don't have to only use the textured mats in combination with provided coloring pages. Uh, certainly feel free to experiment with different types of paper for open-ended coloring activities. Uh, keep in mind too that there's not a right or wrong side of the textured coloring mat. Um, try using both sides of a textured mat, and what you'll find is it will generate different embossed effects, such as a large bumpy pattern versus a recessed honeycomb pattern that is accommodated by just a single textured mat. Um, you might also experiment with different rubbing techniques. For example, vigorously rub or rake a crown or the texture or glide or press the crayon within the grooves of the wavy or diagonal stripe texture, or just merely trace around the individual bumps of a given mat to have that transfer and become embossed on the coloring page.
Sara Brown:Now, this is really important. Talk about why textures captured in the coloring mats are so important for tactile<affirmative>.
Karen Poppe:Yeah, and it's probably not real obvious, but it is very important that tactile readers have lots of exposure to a lot of different types of textures and become familiar with the terminology and vocabulary related to these textures. So many of the texture plates included in Color-by-Texture Marking Mats mimic similar textures encountered, encountered in many displays. So textures are frequently used in obviously tactile maps, grAPH's, and many tactile diagrams because the texture marking maps provided upon context for early acquisition of important tactile discrimination skills. Specific goals of expanded core curriculum or BCC are supported, including recreation and leisure, sensory efficiency and social interaction.
Sara Brown:Can the coloring mats be used for other art activities and applications?
Karen Poppe:Oh, almost, Yeah. This, this is important to know because there's, they're very versatile and most definitely you can use it for other purposes. So, for example, consider using texture coloring mats to create tactile greeting cards, book covers, personal stationary or other things you might think of. Um, adapt commercial coloring books or pages by tracing important lines of a graphic with puff paint or glue. And once dry, the raised lines provided a discernible boundary for coloring using the textured mats. Another fun use is to place heavy gauge foil. Um, and we do include, um, we, we sell heavy gauge foil at aph, and it's also included with a tactical graphics kit. So you want to, um, place that foil on top of a selected textured mat and rub the toil later with just your finger or crayon to transfer that texture to the foil. Of course, consider using the texture plate in combination with other coloring pages provided by aph, as we include in, um, the lots of dots coloring series or the building on patterns, coloring pages. And another fun option is to press modeling clay or Playdoh onto the textured mats or transfer the textures to clay sculptures that they might be, um, designing in art, art classes.
Sara Brown:How can teachers and parents create their own coloring pages for their students and children?
Karen Poppe:Oh, and I'm sure a lot of people already do, but, um, just for some additional ideas, um, consider downloading, um, some free coloring pages from APH's Tactical Graphic Image Library. We call it, um, by the acronym TGIL. And many, uh, of those coloring pages are duplicates are both files. The coloring pages pages are duplicates of ones we've already included in Color-by-Texture Marking Mats Kit. And if you have access to a brown bosser, for example, you can emboss some of the coloring pages featured on that TGIL. Another idea is to possibly trace the black lines of any commercial coloring page with a serrated spur wheel, or probably more familiar to you as a sewing wheel, um, in combination with a rubber drawing pad to provide some tactile boundaries for coloring. And remember, you'll, you'll need to tool the coloring page from the reverse side of the sheet if you're using this method. And remember too, that you can create a tactile border with inexpensive glue or puff paint for that matter.
Sara Brown:Are there any other products that you would like to mention that accommodate coloring activities?
Karen Poppe:Okay, this, I'm probably not going to list all of them, but a few things you might consider. APH now offers another Color-by-Texture Coloring Packet with circus themed raise line coloring pages, um, an upcoming podcasts, um, you're likely to hear more about, um, some products like Lots of Dots Coloring Series and the Paint Pot Palette kits. So maybe stay tuned to some of those, um, offerings and descriptions. Also, consider using APH's other drawing materials such as Quick Draw Paper, which is pretty much like a, a compressed sponge paper that can be used with water based markers to facilitate a variety of coloring tasks. So if the child draws on that a paper, whatever they draw will raise instantly, which is kind of cool. And APH's TactileDoodle is also very easy for children to use to draw pictures of all kinds on tactile drilling film. And you can actually color the drawing film with crayons. So keep that in mind and experiment with placing one of the texture mats under the film. While coloring the drawing. Film can be sort of like a canvas for the teacher or student to create their own coloring sheets. Really, you know, in summary, really the options are just limited by one's creativity and in short, you know, just be creative and have fun coloring no matter what your age. Thanks, Sara.
Sara Brown:Is there anything else you'd like to say about coloring activities for children?
Karen Poppe:Um, just if anybody has any questions related to the information shared, certainly reach out to me. Um, my email address is Kpoppe@aph.org.
Sara Brown:Okay, Karen, thank you so much for joining me today on Change Makers.
Karen Poppe:Thanks, Sara.
Sara Brown:Now we're learning about Braille Tales, a really cool program that encourages literacy for everybody. We have APH's Prison Braille Coordinator and Braille Tales Administrator, Christine Genovely here to talk a bit more about this really cool program. Hello Christine, and welcome to Change Makers.
Christine Genovely:Thanks for having me.
Sara Brown:Can you remind listeners about the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and what it provides?
Christine Genovely:Yes. So the Dolly Parton Imagination Library is actually, um, a program run out of Tennessee that provides, um, free books to children all over the country from ages zero to six. Um, and then where we come in is that we have, um, a partnership with them to make those books more accessible to people that are blind or visually impaired. Um, so we have taken the books that Dolly Parton puts out. We put clear braille labels over the pages, um, so they are now accessible to both blind and sighted readers. And then we send those out to two families every other month, um, until the child turns six years old.
Sara Brown:And Braille Tales is part of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Describe the books a person will receive. It's really inclusive. And are there any new books to the lineup?
Christine Genovely:Yes. Um, so the books that, uh, are sent out through the Braille Tales programs are mass marketed children's books. They're current releases, um, new books that you could find anywhere at any, any bookstore. Um, they are taken in their printed state. Um, and then we will manually apply clear braille labels over each page so that the book is accessible for both, uh, blind and cited readers. So they are print/braille books. Um, and we do that in an attempt to be as inclusive as possible, um, as we do get a lot of people in the program who are, for example, they're, uh, the parent is cited, but the child is blind, So, uh, that's our, our most common dynamic. And the child can learn their alphabet, um, feeling the braille on each page, but the parent is still able to read along. But we also get quite a few participants in the program that have the opposite dynamic. It's it's parents who are blind or visually impaired, and children who are cited. And we want them to be able to have the exact same, um, experience reading these books with their children so the parents are able to read and then the children can follow along, um, on the, on the print print side of the book. So we, we include both still to make sure that we can reach as many types of families as possible.
Sara Brown:And talk to us about how often the books change and when there'll be some new ones coming out?
Christine Genovely:Yes, so we, um, we, we order our books for the coming year. So we order them basically an entire fiscal year at a time. Um, we haven't picked out next year's, next fiscal year's books yet, Excuse me. Um, tripping over those words. Um, but that'll be coming up in the next couple months, um, where we will get those chosen. The rest of the books for this year are pudgy, whereas Your Nose,"The Little Engine that Could" and"Play with Clay." We have three more books, um, in this fiscal year being sent out. Um, but like I said, we, we haven't chosen for next year yet.
Sara Brown:Books and Talking books are a part of the DPIL. Correct? Can you talk about the talking books and how they're a part of this Braille Tales and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library?
Christine Genovely:Um, so the audio books actually, um, are produced in higher numbers than the, um, the physical Braille Tales books. Uh, so as I've mentioned previously, the Braille Tales books go out, um, every other month. So they get six books a year to each family. Um, but the audio books, they will actually record, um, either older titles or titles from other publishings. So there are other stories on, um, or available through the Audio Books program. It's not inclusive of only the Braille Tales books.
Sara Brown:And how can someone sign up to receive Braille Tales for their child?
Christine Genovely:Yes, we would love to have you. That's first and foremost. Um, what you need to do is go to our website, and that is aph.org/ braille hyphen tales. Um, on that webpage, one of the first things you'll see is apply for, um, this program. Go ahead and fill out that application online, and we will get you submitted and approved and into the program. And then you'll receive a book, um, you know, at the next mailing, depending on, um, when you apply. It'll just come whenever the next mailing goes out, but it's, it's a very easy application. Shouldn't take more than a couple minutes, and we'd love to get you in the program.
Sara Brown:And is there anything else you would like to say about Braille Tales or the Dolly Parton Imagination Library?
Christine Genovely:Well, we are, um, hoping to actually expand a little bit more into bilingual books. That's kind of an exciting, um, uh, new thing happening. We want to be able to include a little bit more, uh, diversity there. So English and Spanish is, is gonna be our most likely, um, offering. Um, and it'll, it will be based on, you know, the books that we can acquire since we're still having supply chain issues. But we are hoping to add, um, a little more diversity and be a little more inclusive in that, um, department as well.
Sara Brown:All right. Thank you so much, Christine, for joining us today on Change Makers.
Christine Genovely:No problem. Thanks for having me.
Sara Brown:Now we're gonna learn more about the Talking Book Studio. We have APH's Studio Director, Maggie Davis, here to talk about its history, notable voices, and the Described and Caption Media Program. Hello Maggie, and welcome to Change Makers. Can you talk about the Talking Book Studio and its history? It's very, it's very, very rich.
Maggie Davis:Yes, it is. Um, I've only been around here for about eight years and, uh, the studio goes back much further, um, to the 1930s. Um, shortly after, um, the National Library Service established its, um, Talking Book Program. Um, the APH Studio has been producing audiobooks for the National Library since then. Um, through all of the changes in technology. Um, we started off, uh, recording on records, um, and switched to cassettes, um, a couple of decades in, and then we went fully digital in 2012. Um, we record all kinds of books, nonfiction, fiction, um, for the National Library Service. Um, and these are provided then free of charge to, um, those who aren't able to, uh, access print books. So, you know, blind, visually impaired, uh, but also, um, certain physical handicaps. Uh, if you can't hold a book, um, you know, all kinds of disabilities, it's the main point is to make books accessible and audio is the best way to do that. Um, so we've been producing those, uh, since the 30s, and it's a very rich history, as you said.
Sara Brown:And what does the Talking Book Studio do?
Maggie Davis:Um, well, we receive our, uh, book assignments from the National Library Service, and we cast them appropriately. We have a cast of about 15, um, voice talent, uh, variety of people from here in Louisville. Um, a few, um, news personalities, Um, some of our local Shakespearean actors, um, and all of our voice actors have been doing this for years and years and are incredibly talented. Um, I have some people who've been here 40 plus years, um, uh, recording books and, uh, they clearly love what they do, and they really, it's, it's an honor to work with such talented people. Um, so we receive those books from the National Library and these narrators, uh, record them. We then take them and edit them to create the audio books, and then they are made accessible through that, um, service from the National Library. Um, it's pretty straightforward,<laugh>. That's, that's, that's the gist of it. Um, Oh, go ahead. We also, um, just recently began, um, branching out from just doing the talking books for the National Library. Um, we also now are recording audio description for, uh, the Digital Caption Media Program. This is a, a new venture for us, um, and it's been a pretty seamless transition. Um, basically they send us videos, they send us scripts, we record them, and we make that, uh, audio accessible for viewers of educational video.
Sara Brown:And I just had a question pop into my mind. The narrators super popular, and some are almost at a, almost a cult status. And there's a few that come to mind when you're out there listening, and you can hear them in airports and even in the beginning of this podcast. And one notable narrator is Jack Fox. Can you talk about him or just some of the narrators?
Maggie Davis:Yes. He, he is a joy to work with, um, and an even bigger joy to listen to. His voice is like melting chocolate. Um, he, uh, in addition to recording books with us, which he's done for years and years and years, he has also, um, recorded, um, the Moving Sidewalk warning at the Louisville Airport, and I believe you can hear it in airports across the country as well. Um, he had a, a role in, um, Del Toro's, uh, what is it called,"The Shape of Water" film from a few years back. He is the, like, uh, voice of the facility, I think. Um, yeah, he, he is a man of many talents and his voice can be heard all over the place.
Sara Brown:Are talking books still being produced?
Maggie Davis:Yes, they are. Um, we produce about two to 300 titles a year, uh, just here at APH. And I know there are a handful of other studios producing those talking books throughout the country as well.
Sara Brown:How can someone get a talking book?
Maggie Davis:Um, so these are all recorded for the National Library Service, so if you need to access them, um, you go through them. Um, I think you can sign up online even. It's pretty straightforward. Um, a lot of people qualify, um, for this free service, um, I believe you need to just be like verified by either a health professional, um, maybe even a librarian. And then you have full access to this huge library of material.
Sara Brown:Now there's the Described and Captioned media program. Can you talk about APH's participation in that program?
Maggie Davis:Sure. Um, I briefly mentioned them a little bit earlier, but, um, this is a new venture for us. Um, it, it is a great service. They are producing educational videos with, uh, audio description, making it accessible for those who can't see what's going on in the video. Um, so it's describing, um, like the logo that pops up, it's describing the action that's going on that you wouldn't be able to be able to just hear. Um, they take the videos, they have script writers, and then they send that script to us. We produce the audio for them. Um, and it, you know, it's already nicely edited because our, uh, technicians are in the studio with our narrators. Um, so that nice clean audio is then sent off and edited into the videos, and that education material is made available in an accessible format.
Sara Brown:Is there anything else you would like to say about the Talking Book Studio or the Described and Captioned Media Program?
Maggie Davis:Um, just that it is a true honor, um, to be involved in the Talking Book Studio. It has such a rich history, um, which I've, I've only, you know, been around for a fraction of, um, on the hardest days when you're just recording a very dull book or maybe juggling a whole lot of dull meetings or anything like that. Uh, the big takeaway is that we are making accessibility possible. We are taking this material and producing it so that those who can't access it can. Um, the main point of the studio, I think now we're branching out from just doing talking books, is that audio is a huge avenue for accessibility. Um, if you are, you know, newly diagnosed with, um, vision loss or a visual impairment, um, audio is already there, already accessible. I mean, obviously braille has a huge value. Um, but for those who maybe come to visual impairment later in life, audio is, is there and it's, you can access it. It's not something you have to learn. Um, so it is a great opportunity to make many, many things accessible, um, beyond just talking books beyond these educational videos. Um, it's, you know, menus at restaurants, um, uh, instructional pamphlets, that sort of thing can all be made accessible through audio as well. Um, so it's, yeah, it's a, it's a huge honor to be involved in something that is so universally accessible and that the mission, you know, is, is, is really just to make all of this information, all of this material available to everyone.
Sara Brown:Thank you so much, Maggie, for joining us today on Change Makers.
Maggie Davis:Thank you for having me.
Sara Brown:Up next is APH's Press Director Heather Spence. She's here to talk about APH Press overall, what books are in the works, and who can access those books. Hello, Heather and welcome to Change Makers.
Heather Spence:Hi, Sara, Thanks for having me.
Sara Brown:So, talk to us about APH Press. What type of books are published?
Heather Spence:Sure. Um, a APH Press publishes educational content, um, including textbooks for teacher preparation programs in the field of blindness and low vision. And, you know, we really try to support teachers, families, and other professionals in the field. Um, so we are a scholarly press, and our mission is similar to APH's overall mission, and that is to empower people who are blind or low vision by publishing informative, well-researched and innovative texts, which allow people of all abilities to maximize their potential in society. So the audience of our books, um, includes people who are blind or low vision their families, and then the professionals who support them. So for the most part, our authors are practitioners, um, people who have, who have years of direct experience, um, working with clients or students or educating future professionals at colleges and universities. Um, so we are the leading publisher in the field of blindness and low vision. So we, we publish top educational materials on topics ranging from anywhere from books on CVI and Orientation and Mobility, to aging and access technology. So we really have a little bit of everything. Um, the press is really widely known or widely recognized as the publisher of the Award-Winning Foundation series, which is the leading university textbooks, um, on blindness and low vision used by special education and vision rehabilitation programs in the United States and abroad.
Sara Brown:And what books have been published this year?
Heather Spence:So this year we published the second edition of"Guidelines and Games for Teaching Efficient Braille Reading." So this is a fun smaller book that offers unique ideas for adapting a general reading program, um, to the needs of braille readers. So, um, Sally Mangold was one of the original authors of the original book. Um, so the book does emphasize the Mangold reading program, and it was updated to reflect advances in technology, um, that have made braille more accessible in a digital format. So things such as refreshable, braille devices, digital note takers, and translation software. So the authors have also incorporated new re research on teaching braille literacy as well as current best practices for teachers. So the activities and games in this book, um, are designed to enhance the traditional teaching of braille. Um, so, you know, really working on reading skills from preschool level through grade three. And if you're familiar with the original book, um, chapter six was a full of all kinds of games and activities, and we did keep those. Um, all of the original games that were from the first book are still in the book, but we have added some new ones. Um, so, and the exciting thing about this book is it is available for purchase with federal quota funds. So this is the first APH Press book that's available on quota. So that was really exciting.
Sara Brown:And what books are in the works for next year? Can you give a, a tease or a brief description?
Heather Spence:Sure. We have two books, um, planned to be released in 2023, and the first one will be the fourth edition of, um, Foundations of Orientation and Mobility. And, you know, this is the classic reference in textbooks for O&M professionals and students in O&M programs. Um, so it's a a two volume text, um, and it contains contributions from over 50 of the leading scholars, teachers, and practitioners in the field. Um, so this new addition is gonna address topics such as teaching methodologies, sensory motor functioning, um, working with both children and adults, and then navigating complex intersections. Um, also with this new addition, there's gonna be an emphasis on the many new technologies and apps that are available to children and adults, um, who are blind or low vision to help them just navigate their world. And then the other, um, book that we're working on is, it's a brand new guide for itinerate teachers. Um, so this will be a smaller book, not as comprehensive as itinerate teaching Tick Tricks of the Trade. Um, so an"Itinerate Teacher's Guide to an Effective and Efficient School Year" will be a guidebook geared more towards beginning itinerate teachers, and it's based on the author's years of experience refining her systems and practices for efficient and effective teaching. So in the book, the book will establish guiding principles and cover topics such as organization, the expanded core curriculum, and then also working with students with multiple disabilities. So we're excited for both of these books to be out next year.
Sara Brown:Can anyone access APH Press books or is it just for specific individuals?
Heather Spence:Anyone can access them.
Sara Brown:And my last question, is there anything else about APH Press you want to share?
Heather Spence:Sure. Um, I would just like to say that we're always looking for ideas for new books or recommendations from the field on existing books that might need to be updated. Um, so I encourage anyone to reach out to us at press@aph.org, and that is press@aph.org to share your ideas. Um, and we're also, um, trying to recruit new peer reviewers. So if you're interested in being a peer reviewer for any of our books, um, just email me and let me know, you know, what your experience is and your area of expertise. We would be happy to add you to our list of peer reviewers.
Sara Brown:Thank you so much for joining me today on Changemakers Heather.
Heather Spence:Um, thanks so much for having me, Sara.
Michael Haynes:Up next, we're talking to APH's Accessible Texts and Textbooks Manager Michael Haynes. Hello Michael, and welcome to Change Makers. Thanks so much. Glad to be here with you.
Sara Brown:So talk about the process to make a textbook accessible?
Michael Haynes:Sure. Well, our department, uh, I can say we make textbooks, textbooks accessible in basically three different ways, large print braille and digital and efiles for braille. Uh, you know, we're basically taking prepared book edit files based on the original book, whatever they're requesting. We send it to an outsource. Uh, oftentimes we use publisher provided files through the NIMAC, which are called NIS files. These are good clean files that we use. Uh, we send that to transcribers. They'll carefully prepare, proofread the braille text using the appropriate codes, uh, UAV or NEMIS music code, you know, and in case for music books, um, alongside, they'll also prepare the necessary tactical graphics. Uh, some can be collage still, which is more of a graphic process, but a lot of them are done electronically Now. Um, the finished files, graphics and braille, they're returned to APH, qc, by our in-house editors and graphic designers. And they're set to production for embossing and graphic production finding, and then they're shipped. We try to get the first set of three volumes out to production within about 30 days, uh, which is pretty impressive concern that a, uh, full, a large braille book could take upwards of 18 months to produce, you know, larger, you know, pre-calculus or large math or science books. Uh, 60 volume books are not unheard of for a hard copy large print. We sent similar edit files from, based on the original book to our outsource for a first proof. They apply styles and formatting, uh, using low vision readability guidelines when they return to us here in our department at APH QC in-house by editors, and then sets production for printing and binding. And we, again, we also offer electronic versions of both braille and large print. We offer fully formatted braille files as a ebrf at the small cost$25 downloadable through the Louis catalog, which can then be embossed by the user on their end. They can also get basically non formatted braille for free, uh, requested from us through the NIMAC. We just take it, we convert it into a quick braille file and they can request it and use it on their end as well. And finally, large print e-files. Uh, we use the same files that we create for the print version of the book, and enhancements are added that can be used by screen reader to access the info. Those are currently available is PDFs, uh, helping to move into pubs also in the near future. So quite a few, you know, an array of possibilities.
Sara Brown:Wow. They sure are. So talk about some of the books that you are making accessible. Is it just strictly textbooks or is it all types of books?
Michael Haynes:Okay. Basically the only books that our department, uh, Accessible Tests and Textbooks is permitted to produce an accessible format are, um, core curriculum materials for students grades and grades K through 12. So that would be textbooks, which would also include workbooks and consumables and like, and also trade books and paperbacks, you know, novels, you know, used in a, a, you know, literary setting and classroom. A few digital textbooks. We've done a few that were customized, you know, sent over online, you know, as electronic versions. Uh, we do not accept, uh, teachers additions and, um, college level materials are accepted, provided that a high school student is using them, you know, like for an AP course. But we do not take on things like just your standard magazines and, and newspapers or things like that.
Sara Brown:Okay. And about how many textbooks do, do you do a year?
Michael Haynes:Well, uh, in a given year, it's, it's kinda unpredictable how many we might end up receiving. Um, it's influenced by many factors, you know, adoption years and budgets and new books series coming online and whatnot. Um, just as an example, the last five years for our large print, we've averaged about 138 new title requests per year. Uh, but say last year, for example, alone, 2022, we had 2 25 new title requests. So you can see that the, the variance from one year to another can be quite big, but the average is, is kind of consistent. Uh, incidentally for braille last five years, we averaged about 136 new requests per year, which I didn't even realize was as close to the, the large print count, uh, on average. But this year specifically, we had 101. So, you know, there's some definitely peaks and valleys, but let's say just, you know, between a hundred, 150 is a good ballpark.
Sara Brown:And, uh, recently at the Annual Meeting, uh, APH President, Dr. Craig Meador shared some really cool stats about the Accessible Texts and Textbooks. And it said you all had, what, 101 new braille textbooks with a total of braille pages. What is that 1,036,235? Can you talk about that? Just those numbers and those figures?
Michael Haynes:Sure, I'll do the best I can. Uh, sometimes even they're not, uh, totally clear to us, you know, without seeing'em in, uh, all the context. But I could tell you that, uh, excuse me. Uh, yes, the 101, So like I just mentioned, that's the total of new requests that we got in for that particular year, uh, versus 58 in the previous year. So that's pretty straightforward. Now it says total braille pages, it's over a million, uh, just like under total large type pages, that's also over a million. Um, that doesn't include just the, um, new pages that we, uh, transcribed or that we converted in large print. Those also, as I understand it, they include reprints and multiple copies of, say, new titles that we've got. So that's more of an all inclusive number, those total pages that you see.
Sara Brown:Okay, well that's still really, that's, I mean, what 101 new braille textbooks compared to 58 last year. That's, that's a huge increase. So that's awesome to hear. Now, to do all of that, I, I'm gonna expect you have a pretty big team. How many people are on the team for accessible textbooks?
Michael Haynes:All right, Well, uh, besides myself and Jane, our director and Terri, uh, Brutscher our administrative assistant, we have one coordinator each for our braille and large print processes who, uh, kinda oversee the daily, um, underpinnings of those processes. And then we have two in-house braille editors and one contracted on the outside to do QC work. Uh, three typographics editors that work in house. And we have an additional editor who QCs the work of invoicing and taking care of volumes, page counts, make sure those tally up correctly. Uh, with large print, we simply have one in-house editor, uh, providing most of QC work. Uh, a couple of us, including the coordinator, uh, for large print will also help out as needed. Uh, of course, that said, we cannot go on without mentioning our large amount of help on the outside. We have a large team of, we have a team of what, four, four large print editors proofing textbooks at, uh, KCIW, Kentucky Correctional Institute for Women. Uh, we also utilize a number of correctional facilities, uh, I think seven over the last year. We hope to increase that again, this current year for transcription of braille and graphics creation. In addition to many other individual transcriber contractors that we hire, um, you know, in house ideally we provide primarily the QC work for all the process. We let most of the large print conversion and braille trans, we let that happen on the, the outside with our outsources as much as possible. But all in all, in house we've got about, uh, about 13 our inhouse team.
Sara Brown:And one last question that I always like to ask, is there anything else you wanna share about accessible textbooks?
Michael Haynes:Yeah, I'd just like to say we produce some of the highest quality accessible textbooks available across, you know, all the formats that I mentioned in the beginning, uh, really as I understand it, even lower cost and through many other providers making similar type, uh, articles for students. You know, um, all of our editors are certified in braille and or accessibility competencies, so that definitely gives us a leg up. Um, you know, with the new Louis site in place, it's really easy than ever to order our books quickly and easily, You know, especially books we've already produced, um, at your cart, done, you can get it shipped as quickly as you want. Uh, you know, file downloads are, uh, uh, more readily available, easier to download as I understand. Uh, of course, the file download means instant access. You don't have to wait for the hard copy to be print and or in embossed and bound and, you know, you get it in, you know, really short amount of time. And, uh, Jane Thompson, who started this department over 22 years ago, uh, you know, the goal was, uh, used to be called accessible textbook, uh, or textbook initiative and collaboration. And again, it was to develop something that was superior to the textbooks and how they were up to that time. And it has been extremely successful. We see nothing but improvements over time, you know, applications that we use, software, the materials used to create, to make the books in the back, you know, production tools, uh, production lead time is improved, Uh, you know, nice in part to some, you know, savvy on the production department. But, uh, of course we also have one of our graphics editors here in our department that matche, or that matches the Graphic Information Library Database. Uh, so yeah, that's an enormously popular resource. So we just, uh, we keep moving forward, you know, we've had to adapt times, you know, and, you know, with the, uh, the on slot of, you know, the digital era and, you know, we're trying to make the do best we can, you know, between trying to juggle between, you know, stuff that's hard media and embossed and print versus digital. It's not the easiest thing to mesh and to make everything accessible, you know, it's just all the more challenging. But we think we're, uh, we, we still think, still think we're in a good spot, you know, they're ups and downs, but we're, uh, we're moving forward.
Sara Brown:All right, Michael, thank you so much for joining me today on Change Makers.
Michael Haynes:Absolutely.
Sara Brown:Now we're talking to product developer for PlayAbility Toys/Nurture Smart Products. Joyce Lopez. Hello Joyce, and welcome to Change Makers.
Joyce Lopez:Thank you very much. It's my pleasure to be here.
Sara Brown:Can you talk about PlayAbility Toys and what the company is?
Joyce Lopez:Okay. PlayAbility Toys is a company that specializes in toys for kids with special needs. It didn't start off that way, but um, when I joined the company way back in 2003, um, these two men came to the toy company where I was working and pitched an idea, two ideas, which were not mainstream enough for the company I worked for, but soon after I joined them because one of the items was this interesting fabric ball with six ribs on it. And it was extremely lightweight. I think we were putting a balloon in it. And, but phrase, one of the men, one of the two men actually created the ball for a child that was born without eyes. And this woman contacted him and requested a ball that would not roll away from her child that would make noise so he could track it, and was extremely lightweight and had absolutely no batteries or electrical anything. And this was really an amazing ingenious ball that he created and came up with. And soon after, I ended up joining these two men and we went from just a couple of ideas that they had to a company, and Bud and I had connections with the special needs world. I was, my mom was d and he used to cycle for the blind. And within months, I would say the toys that we talked about were all for kids with special needs. And that's how that came about. In fact, the first time we went to toys there, I had to request in their catalog that they add a new category that was Toys for Kids. It was special needs. There wasn't a category. We were the first company to be listed under that category. So I can tell you more about that first Toy Fair Cheat Lifter, but that's how the company got started.
Sara Brown:And talk about that first Toy Fair.
Joyce Lopez:We had contacted, by the way the ball Bud Fraze had taken this ball. He was invited to the Helen Keller Institute in New York, and he entered a room with, you know, a bunch of kids in there and he threw the ball and the kids were able to track this ball simply because it had wrinkle material in the ribs. And that was enough for them to track it, ball it, and keep rolling away from them. And that's when we knew there was something really special about this ball. We contacted APH and my contact was Tristan. And the first time we went to toys, we didn't have a lot of items, but we did have some really cool toys for kids with special needs. And there was a speaker and they were talking specifically, I'm not sure if it was Tristan or it could have been someone else about our company. And here's this little tiny company amongst these huge companies with these, you know, elaborate display of toys. And we had these quirky toys that really people wouldn't understand unless they knew about them. After one of the, after that conference or um, after the conference where someone showed our ball and a couple of other items, our booth was flooded. I'm telling you, it was flooded with people and we did so well with just a few items. It was so funny. But we knew there was something special about this company at Toy. Mm-hmm.<affirmative>
Sara Brown:PlayAbility Toys has always had a focus on special needs toys. Can you talk a little bit more about that?
Joyce Lopez:Yes. We knew that with just a, it was mainly Bud and I developing these toys, and we knew we, we weren't gonna be able to compete with the mass market with, um, standard mainstream toys. And that's when we started focusing just on special needs. I came out with a game called See It and Sign it, teaching Kids Sign Language. And we were, Bud and I were invited to the Marvin, I believe it is, School for, for Severely Handicapped Children in, um, Nevada. And that was such just a, after we were there, we knew this is all we wanted to do. It's just come up with toys or items that would help kids with special needs. And after that visit, we came out with such a simple toy called the Buddy Dog. And people would look at this dog and think, Hmm, you know, it's not like their standard plush toy, but it was a fabric dog with these enormous black and white eyes. It had crinkle material, it had, um, a tail you could pull, you know, get your finger in there and pull and it would vibrate. It had different textures and sensations on this dog. It was, it's great for a typical child, but for a kid with special needs, it was just so amazing to see them play with this dog. And, um, soon after that, we came out with a few other items, but then I started working a little bit more with Tristan. And um, actually Bud Fraze had moved to Arizona, where I'm in California. So he moved to Arizona and he met a woman who taught Art to the Blind, and she wanted a tray to keep all her paints and paint brushes all in one place. And she wanted braille tiles, so the kids knew what colors they were using. And we came out with the Paint Pot Palette, which is a, a item for American Printing House. And, uh, we have a few more items for APH, but most of them focus on toys for APH or just, um, kids, kids with special needs. And now we've moved into a different category, which you can talk about either.
Sara Brown:And APH and PlayAbility Toys are partners. So talk about your partnership with APH. It sounds like it began really early.
Joyce Lopez:It started early on with the, the ball. And Tristan wanted it to be exclusive to American Printing House in, in their exclusive colors. So we came out with three sizes, a 14 inch, which I believe is the red and yellow, red body of the ball with yellow, um, yellow ribs. And then the next one up is an 18 inch, I believe that one is the blue with the yellow ribs, and then the 30 inch, which is black with yellow ribs. So we created these exclusively for American Printing House. And after that, um, we came up with another item, the one I mentioned, the Paint Pot Palette. And that is also sold exclusively through American Printing House. And it's a great item because it does, like I said, it has braille tiles that you can switch out. It has little paint pots that you can keep all your paint in. Um, it has a place for all your paint brushes, and it also has, um, grail instructions as well as printed instructions. So that item is fantastic. And then another item that I came up with from a friend of mine who was blind, I used to babysit his, um, his dogs when they went on vacation, but he had mentioned real world, real, real world colors and how blind kids don't really learn that early on. So I thought about that for actually a couple of years. And then I contacted Tristan and told her about it. And I came up with the, um, the Paint by Number Safari. That's what we ended up calling it. And our first book, which includes raised artwork line, raised line artwork, and it has fun facts for each animal and included 10 animals, fun facts, and also braille and printed. And we, we ended up doing a series of five bucks. So there's, uh, let me see here. So we have the rainforest, which was first under the sea, backyard creatures, desert creatures, and endangered speech species is the last one. And you can use the paints from the Paint Pot Palette. You can use crayons, you can use markers. And they're just amazing books that describe each animal. And we include just fun facts that make it not just a painting, um, activity, but also a learning activity.
Sara Brown:And PlayAbility Toys has partnered with APH for many products. Can you talk about some of the best selling products?
Joyce Lopez:Well, I think that the best selling products, we don't have a lot with APH, but it's, um, Paint Pot Palette, the Pant By Number series, and the, um, balls, the Rib-It-Balls. We call'em the Jacob Balls.
Sara Brown:And is there anything else you'd like to add?
Joyce Lopez:In addition to the Toys for Kids with special needs, Martin Fox, who's the president of the company, um, we have another company called Nurture Smart, and we work closely with Child Life Specialists for, for every item that we create, um, we get their input. What they wanted were toys that were up to hospital standards for NICU rooms and for kids who are, you know, have long hospital stays. And they needed items that were sturdy, easy to remove if there's an emergency, easy to disinfect. Cause a lot of these mainstream items are, for example, our first item was a grid mobile. A lot of the mobiles in the market just do not meet hospital standards. You can't clean them. They'll have some fabric on there, they're difficult to attach to the crib and remove an emergency. So the crib mobile that the first one we came out with can actually pivot that out of the way from the crib. So if needed, the nurses or doctors can get right to the baby and it's 100% cleanable. There's no fabric. It attaches to the crib really easily. It has, um, a mirror so the baby can see. It has all the, the bells and whistles that the hospital child life specialists want. And the second one was a junior version of that. And we get so much input, again from parents and hospital, um, child life specialists, they wanted the ability to record a voice or music. So we call it the recording play, and you can report the parents or grandparents can record their voices. They can read a book, and then the baby gets to hear their parents' voices. Um, and it's a slightly smaller, but it's, um, also packed with just wonderful features, cleanability, disinfect. Um, and then the next item we came out with, for example, is a lightweight collapsible crib gym, which again, is 100%, uh, this disinfect lightweight and you can actually put it in the crib. I don't think there's another mobile that you can just put in the crib with the baby. And our newest side we're coming out with is a crib mirror. And of course, there's, or a baby mirror, there's tons of mirrors out there, but ours, again, meets hospital standards. Um, yeah, so that is a really exciting part of the, the company and that's where we focus a lot of our attention on these days.
Sara Brown:Wow, that's so interesting to think about because, you know, it does make sense if I hear that they wanna mobile, but there are standards, this, the, the, this infection standards and very strict standards. Yeah, and that's the thing, and it's, when you were talking, I'm thinking, Okay, well, most mobiles I've seen are plus, and they've got a stuff bear or something hanging from it. And I'm like,"ok, I don't think that could" now that like, just making me think. I know that wouldn't be allowed in there. So Yeah, right. It's Just those little things, you know,
Joyce Lopez:And we take the time, for example, when we get a prototype or we have an idea, I go right to Stanford Children's Hospital and I have contacts there and Marty Fox and um, Matt Barber who are in Arizona, they have contacts at their end and we get input and we just spend so much time perfecting our ideas, our prototypes, our samples to meet exactly their, um, requirements. So it's very different from any other mainstream toy company. Yeah. By the way, I was telling you about New York Toy Fair, and we were the first company who requested a listing of, um, Toys for Kids with Special Needs. Well, now the last time, I haven't been in a long time because our items are more specialized, so we go to Child Life Specialist concert, uh, conventions and things like that. But after people saw how popular we were, anyone who had any toy that rattled or did anything or had textures was listed under there. So it's almost like it got washed out that category. So yeah, I thought that was interesting.
Sara Brown:That is interesting. And I guess anybody that's like,"well, mine has, you know, mine makes noise though, right? It could be, this could be special needs. It, it rattles or it chimes." Or Right, exactly. Crinkles. So I guess you could put that on day. It covers all of them. Yeah.
Joyce Lopez:I didn't even know if that category is in there anymore, but I, I just thought that was pretty
Sara Brown:Interesting. Wow. Okay. Well, Joyce, thank you so very much for joining. You're very welcome. Joining today on Change Makers
Joyce Lopez:<laugh>. Thank you.
Sara Brown:Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Change Makers. I've put links to all the products and services mentioned in the show notes. As always, be sure to look for ways you can be a change maker this week.