Products and Services

TechAdapt offers the following services:

• Braille transcription, using the latest software and techniques for both transcription and tactile graphic production.
• NIMAS and e-text development , with unparalleled accuracy and an ability to meet the tightest deadlines and cost constraints.
• DAISY production services, supporting the creation of DAISY books using any supported combination of text and audio.
• Audio production, either in conjunction with DAISY book development or as a standalone service.
• Production of other types of alternate media, including large print, accessible PDF and accessible HTML.

Braille Transcription Services

TechAdapt offers full transcription services for literary, Nemeth (mathematics) and computer Braille. All of our transcribers are certified by the Library of Congress, ensuring that your braille is the best that it can be.

No job is too large or too small - we can translate and/or emboss a wide range of materials, including:

• Literary works
• Textbooks
• Children's books
• Foreign language materials
• Specialized educational materials
• Custom tactile graphics
• Personal and professional correspondence
• Business cards
• Flyers and promotional materials
• Bus schedules
• Forms
• Menus
• Custom corporate projects

We can scan and convert any bound or unbound print format, including large textbooks and spiral-bound materials. We also accept a wide range of electronic file formats, including PostScript, QuarkXPress, Adobe PDF, Adobe InDesign/PageMaker/FrameMaker, Microsoft Publisher, XML, Microsoft Word, Rich Text Format, HTML, WordPerfect and others. The finished product can be produced in either Grade 1 or Grade 2 braille; for your convenience, we can return the work as either electronic Braille files in Duxbury Braille Translation (DBT) or MegaDots format or as embossed and bound volumes.

NIMAS and e-Text Development

Blind or visually impaired students, as well as alternate media producers, can often make use of files that contain the content of a printed work without the visual layout information required for print book production. Creation of NIMAS file sets and e-text files eliminates the need for publishers to make their core assets available to outside parties (which potentially introduces intellectual property or copyright challenges), and aids media production by eliminating the need for producers to know many different and dissimilar publishing tools.

TechAdapt is a leading producer of files in the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) and other electronic formats, and is registered with the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Center (NIMAC) as an Accessible Media Producer (AMP). As a registered AMP, TechAdapt can download and convert NIMAS files from the NIMAC and convert those files into a range of accessible media formats. In addition to extracting and formatting the content of a printed work, TechAdapt also develops "alternate text" and/or "long description" text equivalents for the printed work's graphical elements, which can greatly facilitate student understanding of the material.

DAISY Production Services

DAISY (also known as Z39.86-2005) is an exciting accessible media standard which enables dynamic, fully navigable e-books to be produced using text, audio, or a combination of the two. TechAdapt can convert your print or electronic source material into DAISY format and, if appropriate, provide alternate-format copies of the book in HTML, braille or other accessible media.

Our services include:

• Conversion from electronic text, QuarkXPress, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Word or other desktop publishing or word processing formats;
• Scanning and OCR conversion of print materials;
• Addition of document metadata using the popular Dublin Core format or your own metadata vocabulary;
• Text layout and creation or conversion of graphics and thumbnail images;
• Production of DAISY books using any version of the standard required for use with your hardware or software players;
• Development of XSLT stylesheets to convert XML documents into HTML, another XML vocabulary, or any format.
• Development of "alternate text" and/or "long description" text equivalents for the printed work's graphical elements.

Audio Production Services

With the advent of small, portable commercial audio players such as the iPod, the use of audio as an instructional medium has expanded significantly. Using any source medium as input, TechAdapt can produce files in MP3, WMP (Windows Media Player), RA (Real Audio) and many other audio formats.

Other Alternate Media Formats

TechAdapt can also produce other forms of alternate media, including large print, accessible PDF (including both tags and image descriptions) and accessible HTML.

For more information, please fill out our request for information form or contact us via e-mail.