Tech: Dragon 12

Sometimes fingers feel as though they get in the way of our creative process. For some, it's easier to speak their thoughts than be tied to a keyboard. However, without a scribe, ones vocalized genius may never hit the page. However, Nuance software has a solution...Dragon 12.

For some, Dragon may be a familiar friend. If not, but you've been curious to take a look-see at what speech recognition software can do for you and your PC, take a look at Nuance's latest Dragon Release - Dragon 12.

Autism: First Autistic Contestant in Miss America Competition

You may have seen her in the news this week, Miss Montanna, Alexis Wineman is breaking new ground by becoming the first autistic contestant in the Miss America competition. Diagnosed at age 11 with autism, Wineman struggled during her early years, saying, "I felt like it came 11 years to late, but when it came right down to it, it really did help. I found ways to cope."

By the time Wineman had graduated from high school she'd been a cheerleader, was a cross-country runner, and participated in both the speech and drama team. Wineman continues to blaze paths as a speaker in schools, autism conventions, and doing work with other autism groups. What was her talent in the Miss America pageant you may wonder? Stand-up comedy. Congrats to Alexis Wineman, Miss Montana 2013!

For more information, read Lesley Young's article: Beauty Queen With Autism Makes Miss America History

Sports: Athletic Youths Blazing the Trail in Sports

Young athletes are raising questions to sports officials regarding accommodations in a push for inclusion into a wide variety of athletic programs in schools. This challenges coaches to think outside the box and find ways to make a sport inclusive in new and innovative ways. In other instances, legal cases ensue. The New York Times covers this story in their article entitled: Forging Path to Starting Line for Younger Disabled Athletes.

RCC Bookstore Update: Livescribe Notebooks

Got a Livescribe Smartpen? If so and you're running low on the special notebook paper that goes with it, RCC campus bookstores have you covered. Notebooks are available for purchase for $7.70.

Education: Online Accessibility

The education environment has changed as technology has danced onto the scene traditional classrooms now utilize the online world to promote a multi-media format of learning for students. However, in this drive to utilize new and available technologies, some students and staff have been left behind due to accessibility issues. David Raths article entitled Access Denied, featured in the November edition of Campus Technology gives an overview of the issues being experienced in the classroom and possible design solutions.

Save the Date: RCC Oregon Transfer Days

If the market to transfer? If so, check out RCC's Oregon Transfer Days being held on both RWC and RVC locations. Here's your chance to meet with admissions counselors from other colleges and universities around the state. 

Riverside Campus

Wednesday, January 16 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm in the lobby of the G Building.

Redwood Campus

Thursday, January 17 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm in the Student Center

For more information:

Call: 541-245-7589

E-mail: Darren Van Lehn at dvanlehn@roguecc.edu

Web: http://www.roguecc.edu/transfer/

Education: Digital Badges

Campus Technology's December Issue ran an article on digital badges. While not replacing the degree a student receives for completing a college program, digital badges may be a valuable means for students to showcase certain credentials they acquire over the course of program completion. As the learning environment changes where students may take longer to complete programs due to financial or life constraints, digital badges may be a way to mark skill sets acquired that potential employers can view if students need to pause and work between their degree programs.

For more information, read: Show me Your Badge, by Audrey Watters

USA.gov - Help for Difficult Financial Times

If you're looking for resources regarding financial challenges that you or your family may be experiencing, be sure to check USA.gov's site entitled: Help for Difficult Financial Times

The site offers links in the following:

• Unemployment, Jobs, and Training
• Family Support
• Housing
• Health Care and Insurance
• Debt and Credit

E-book: Six Easy Pieces

If you're looking for a book that introduces you to physics in a witty way, Six Easy Pieces, by Richard  P. Feynman  may be the book for you. In 1961-1963, at the California Institute of Technology,  Feynman  made a series of lectures, Six Easy Pieces, embodies these lectures in an enjoyable and approachable way.

For more information:

On iBooks: Six Easy Pieces, by Richard P. Feynman

On Google eBook: Six Easy Pieces by Richard  P. Feynman

On Amazon: Six Easy Pieces, by Richard  P. Feynman

Looking for other books or textbooks for mobile devices, search iBooks, Google eBook, and Amazon for other titles. Search by author, title, or ISBN numbers.

Enjoy!

Celebrities with Dyslexia

ABC News brings a list of 8 familiar faces you might recognize when reading their article: Celebrities with Dyslexia Who Made It Big - check it out.

Save the Date: Veteran's Appreciation Days @ RCC

Looking for a way to honor and thank the men and women who serve our country? Well, look no further, take out those red pens and mark your calendar folks. RCC's Diversity Programming Board invites everyone to come on down and participate in a letter writing campaign for those currently serving in the military.

Redwood Campus

Tuesday, November 13th from 11:00 am - 2:00 pm in the Student Center

Riverside Campus

Wednesday, November 14th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm in Room 127/129 in Higher Education Center

Table Rock Campus

Wednesday, November 14th from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm in the Student Commons

Writing supplies and refreshments will be provided!

Netflix: Subtitles coming to movies near you!

Netflix, an online video streaming giant who's service can be viewed over a multitude of devices, is looking to have 100% of their library captioned by 2014. Currently, the video streaming company has about 82% of their video collection captioned, by 2013 their goal is set for 90%. By 2014, the company hopes to caption all new content within 30 days, 14 days by 2015, and within 7 days by 2016. Their ultimate goal...to have captions provided simultaneously with new video launches.

Full article can be viewed and read here: Netflix agrees to subtitle all films by 2014

Documentaries: The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia

Have an interest in dyslexia? Have HBO? On Monday, October 29th at 7pm, HBO will be showing James Redford's film The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia.

The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia world premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and takes a look at the developmental reading disorder in a way that hopes to provide a clearer view of the minds of people who live with it. This topic is close to the director's heart, as James Redford's own son, Dylan, was diagnosed at an early age. Among those filmed, interviews with Charles Schwab, Richard Branson, David Boles, and California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, which gives insight into how some individuals develop their own unique strategies for coping that helped lead them to paths of success.

Tune in or jot down for viewing at a later date - enjoy!

Partners in Education: Service Dogs on Campus

On March 15, 2011, the Department of Justice’s revisions to the Regulation Implementing Title II of the ADA took effect. Part of these amendments and revisions regarded the definition of a service animal which is now defined as a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform a task for the benefit of an individual with a disability. The rule states that other animals, whether wild or domestic, do not qualify as service animals. Dogs that are not trained to perform tasks that mitigate the effects of a disability, including dogs that are used purely for emotional support, are not service animals.

At Rogue Community College a service animal is considered an accommodation issue and requires an individual to have a valid accommodation plan in place if they expect to have their service animal on campus on a regular basis. The first step in implementing this plan is to contact the Disability Services office and setup an appointment to meet with the Disability Services Coordinator. Examples of work or tasks that a service dog may be seen providing, but not limited to: assisting individuals who are blind or have low vision with navigation and other tasks, alerting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to the presence of people or sounds, pulling a wheelchair, assisting an individual with a seizure, retrieving items, assist with balance and stability, and alerting an individual to the presence of allergens to name a few.

When you meet a person on campus with a service dog please remember that the dog is working. The Delta Society has five rules of interaction:

1) Speak to the person first. Do not aim distracting or rude noises at the dog.

2) Do not touch the service dog without asking for, and receiving permission.

3) Do not offer food to the service dog.

4) Do not ask personal questions about the handler’s disability, or otherwise intrude on his or her privacy.

5) Don’t be offended if the handler does not wish to chat about the service dog.

Rogue Community College’s current ADA policy for service animals can be found here . If you have any questions regarding service dogs on campus, please direct them to the Disability Services staff on either campus.

Back Pain, Conditions, and Treatments—Oh my!

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), back pain is the second most common neurological ailment in the U.S.  Almost every man and woman will suffer from some kind of back pain during their life.

As the body ages, our bone strength, muscle elasticity and tone begins to decrease. The duration of this pain will vary. For some, acute pain may last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. For others, the condition may become chronic, which is measured when pain persists for more than 3 months.

Some conditions commonly associated with back pain are: bulging disc, sciatica, spinal degeneration, spinal stenosis, osteoporosis, skeletal irregularities, fibromyalgia and spondylitis. These conditions can be uncovered in a variety of methods such as: X-ray, discography, computerized tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electrodiagnostic procedures, bone scans, thermography, and ultrasound imaging.

Treatments that aren’t surgically related are used to restore proper function and strength to ones back and prevent recurrence of the injury. Some treatments may include the use of cold and hot compresses, bed rest, exercise, medications, chiropractic care, acupuncture, biofeedback and traction.

Fonts: Free Download for Open-Dyslexic Font

Open-Dyslexic is a font created by Abelardo Gonzales to help dyslexic readers. To download this font for your computer, it can be found here on dafont.com

Online Communities: Friends of Quinn

If you're a person living with learning differences or a family/friend of someone and looking for resources and support, Quinn Bradlee, author of, A Different Life has founded a great site online. What you'll find:

• Blog
• Place to ask questions,
• LD Facts
• Life with LDs
• Forums 
• Videos

There's a little bit of something for everyone, visit Friends of Quinn online today.

Adaptive Tech: Text to Speech & Zoom in iPad

Own an iPad? Or looking to invest in one? Students who benefit from having things read aloud can go into settings and access the Text to Speech feature under Accessibility. There's also a handy Zoom feature on iPad that allows users to get a closer look at something that otherwise may be too difficult to see.

Want to learn how to access these features on your iPad? Check out the youtube.com video below.

Webinars: PTSD 101

The Defense Centers of Excellence (DCoE) will be holding a webinar on August 23, 2012 from 1-2:30 p.m. (EDT) on PTSD 101: Education for the Civilian Health Care Providers Treating Service Members.

Presenters will include:


Terence Keane, Ph.D.
Associate Chief of Staff for Research and Development, VA Boston Healthcare System Director, Behavioral Science Division, National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Maj. Jeff Hall
Operations Training Officer, First Army Headquarters, Rock Island, Ill.

An overview, registration, and education credit information can be found on DCoE's Monthly Webinar Page

Mobility: Mobility Unlimited

Mobility Unlimited is an organization founded in April of 2001 that helps fund mobility equipment for working Oregonians. Their mission, as stated on their site:

We exist to provide a "hand-up" to employment success for physically disabled adults. Mobility Unlimited breaks down the financial obstacles to gaining mobility, thus opening the doors to career success.

For more information regarding client criteria, contact information, and examples of the kinds of mobility equipment please visit their Apply Page.