For the eighth consecutive year, through the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians (AEBC)/T-Base Communications Scholarship Program, T-Base has contributed $2,000 in support of accessibility in education. This year we have awarded two students who are blind, deaf-blind or partially sighted a $1,000 scholarship. Scholarships are awarded based on academic performance, community involvement and overcoming adversity.
Introducing Jocelyn Rogers & Sarah Hynes
We are thrilled to intro
duce our 2019 recipients: Jocelyn Rogers and Sarah Hynes. Jocelyn Rogers, from Edmonton, Alberta, attends Yorkville University, where she is pursuing a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology (MACP). In Jocelyn’s quest for accessibility in education, she has stressed that equality does not equal sameness, and accommodation does not equal advantage. On several occasions, Jocelyn has requested accommodations so that she, and ultimately other students with disabilities, have an equal opportunity to succeed. Jocelyn currently uses a closed-circuit television (CCTV) to magnify text and prefers to receive educational material in large print. Reading print is becoming increasingly challenging though, so she is learning to read braille and use a screen reader proficiently. Jocelyn’s dream is to become a school psychologist and counsel youth. Jocelyn is an adult volunteer with the Girl Guides of Canada and has been for over 30 years.
Sarah Hynes, from Paradise, Newfoundland and Labrador, is currently finishing high school. She will attend Memorial University in the fall to meet prerequisites for enrolling in the Computer Science program. Sarah wants to contribute to the advancement of assistive technology and improve not only her life, but the lives of other people who are blind or have low vision. Though assistive technology has improved significantly over the years, there is still room for improvement, Sarah said. She uses assistive technology and tactile graphics to access print instructional material. She prefers accessible PDF, but points out that not all PDFs are created with accessibility in mind and therefore can’t be read by a screen reader. Sarah has volunteered at a summer camp for children who have vision loss and advocates for people with disabilities in her community.
A word from our Co-CEO
“Having access to accessible formats is essential for academic success as learning styles and format needs vary by student,” said Bruce Moszcelt, T-Base’s Co-CEO. “Every year through this scholarship program, we enjoy helping ensure students who are blind or have low vision pursue an accessible education in their field of choice. On behalf of T-Base, we’d like to congratulate both Jocelyn Rogers and Sarah Hynes and wish them both continued success in their academic careers.”
Accessibility in education – the key to success
T-Base produces and delivers accessible instructional materials in several formats, including accessible PDF, MathML, ePUB3, audio, braille and reflowed large print. We combine cutting-edge technology and subject matter expertise to turn around instructional material in every format 2x faster. To learn more about our involvement in accessible education across North America, please visit our Education Overview page.
