Athens, GA - Reading Rockets, a PBS series devoted to improving literacy, will be visiting the University of Georgia campus Wednesday, February 21 to interview two employees of the Alternative Media Access Center who have overcome significant reading challenges and have forged successful careers helping others access knowledge.
The Alternative Media Access Center (AMAC), an initiative of the Board of Regents, is committed to removing barriers and providing access to knowledge for individuals with physical, sensory, and learning print-related disabilities. AMAC's Director, Christopher Lee, and Compliance Manager/Braille Production Manager, Tamara Rorie, will be featured in the program
The episode, titled "A Chance to Read," will examine the role technology plays in the lives of people with print-related disabilities according to producer Christian Lindstrom. "We will be looking at how successful adults with a disability have used technology to succeed."
Christopher Lee, came to the University of Georgia on a swimming scholarship in 1985. At the time, his learning disabilities had not been supported and he was admitted through the Developmental Disabilities Program. Struggling with college coursework, Christopher was directed to the UGA Center for Learning Disorders where he was diagnosed with learning disabilities. It was technology coupled, with support from the Center that enabled him to earn his B.S. in 1990. This former captain of the UGA swim team went on to earn his PhD from the Union Institute and University (2005) and returned to UGA to head up AMAC in 2006.
Tamara Rorie, is new to the University System of Georgia, but no stranger to the cause of students struggling to access print. Tamara was born blind, but through the use of alternative media such as Braille books and books on tape, as well as assistive technology such as screen readers and e-texts, Tamara graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1984) and earned her JD from Wake Forest University (1991). Before joining AMAC, Tamara was in private legal practice in Atlanta.
According to Lee, AMAC's services, providing alternative media and assistive technology to post-secondary students across Georgia, will further the University System Chancellor's initiative to increase retention and graduation rates for students with disabilities. Lee hopes that the AMAC model of centralized services and support will be a model for other states seeking to improve access for students with disabilities.
Reading Rockets is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Programs and is produced by PBS affiliate WETA Washington, DC. "A Chance to Read" is scheduled to air on PBS stations nationwide in Fall 2007.
Athens, GA - The Alternative Media Access Center (AMAC), a new initiative of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents, has created a Braille Transcription Unit to serve post-secondary students who require textbooks transcribed into Braille. AMAC's Braille Unit specializes in upper level math, science and foreign language texts.
According to AMAC's Braille Transcription Unit Manager, Tamara Rorie, AMAC is seeking transcriptionists certified in NEMETH code who specialize in upper level math, science and foreign language texts.
The Alternative Media Access Center is committed to removing barriers and providing access to knowledge for individuals with physical, sensory, and learning print-related disabilities.
For more information about opportunities with AMAC, contact Tamara Rorie at tdrorie@uga.edu, 706-369-5830. Additional information about AMAC can be found at www.amac.uga.edu.