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PROFITT Curriculum Introductory Materials

This project was supported by Grant No. 2010-RV-BX-005 awarded by the Bureau of

Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of

Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National

Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the SMART

Office, and the Office for Victims of Crime. Points of view or opinions in this document are

those of the author and do not represent the official position or policies of the United

States Department of Justice.

PROFITT Curriculum Introductory Materials

DEDICATION

The Providing Real Opportunities for Income through Technology (PROFITT) curriculum

is dedicated to Ms. Angela Brewer. Ms. Brewer was the first offender to exit the

Mountain View Unit with advanced certifications in braille transcription, and also the

first employee of AMAC from a prison braille program. Without her support, knowledge

and expertise, this project would have never come to fruition.

PROFITT Curriculum Introductory Materials

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Alternative Media Access Center (AMAC) would like to acknowledge and

thank the following contributors to the Providing Real Opportunities for Income through

Technology (PROFITT) curriculum. Without the dedication of these individuals and

groups, this project would not have been possible.

PROFITT has been made possible through the generous funding of the U.S.

Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance’s 2010 Second Chance Act

Technology Careers Training Demonstration Program for Incarcerated Adults and

Juveniles. We greatly appreciate having had the opportunity to make PROFITT a reality.

The Alternative Media Access Center (AMAC) www.amacusg.org, has partnered

with The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) www.tdcj.state.tx.us, and the

National Braille Press (NBP) www.nbp.org to develop a comprehensive technology-

based curriculum which consists of five independent skills tracks. The tracks are

designed to provide a full range of technology skills as well as important life skills to be

implemented in correctional facilities of all types across the country. Each partner has

provided their time, resources and expertise to the development of the curriculum. The

Alternative Media Access Center thanks each of them for their hard work and

participation in the PROFITT Project.

The braille track of the PROFITT curriculum was primarily developed and

authored by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Mountain View Braille Facility in

consultation with AMAC and the National Braille Press. TDCJ employees’ Ms. Tammy

Nixon, Ms. Kathy Terry and Ms. Linda McGaugh assisted in the braille track

development within the facility, and lent extensive support to the PROFITT pilot project.

Special thanks goes to Ms. Delores Billman, Plant Manager for the Mountain View Braille

Facility and Lead Curriculum Developer.

AMAC also gratefully acknowledges contributions from the following offenders who provided significant expertise, knowledge and support to the development of the braille track: Ms. Christine Dodson, Ms. Conquista Ellison, Ms. Alexa Garza, Ms. Clara Harris, Ms. Monica Mayo, Ms. Norma Roberts, and Ms. Janice Vickers. The basic computer skills track was written and developed by Ms. Patryce Harvey, M.Ed. The soft skills track was written and developed by Nancie Payne, Ph.D.

PROFITT Curriculum Introductory Materials

The tactile and advanced computer graphics track was developed and written by

National Braille Press. The lead developers were Ms. Jackie Sheridan and Ms. Sara

Chmielewski.

The Cashing In on Business Opportunities track was developed by the Southern Rural

Development Center at Mississippi State University and is used with permission.

While there are too many additional contributors to this project to mention here, we

would like to thank the following individuals/groups for their dedication to the success

of the PROFITT project: The American Printing House for the Blind (APH), Ms. Marie

Amerson, Mr. Zak Beard, Ms. Alli Cox, Ms. Eileen Curran, Ms. Susan Debose, Mr. Patrick

Fraser, Mr. Bill Hinton, Mr. Carey Jackson, Ms. Natacia Jackson, Christopher Lee, Ph.D,

Mr. Jefferson Lyons, Mr. Brian MacDonald, Ms. Lauren Pessoa, Ms. Susan Roche, Ms.

Tamara Rorie, Ms. Norah Sinclair, Ms. Susan Spicknall, Mr. Kane Stanley, Mr. Joe

Tedesco, Mr. Guy Toles, Mr. John Toon, Mr. Kevin vonRosenberg, Ms. Desiree White,

Ms. Raminta Zebrauskas, and last but not least, the Georgia Braille Transcribers (GBT)

at Central State Prison in Macon, GA. All of those who contributed to the PROFITT

project should know that their efforts have been appreciated, and will have a lasting

impact for years to come.

PROFITT Curriculum Introductory Materials

PERMISSIONS

The authors of the Providing Real Opportunities for Income through Technology

(PROFITT) curriculum have made every effort to receive appropriate permission for the

use of any material that has been mentioned in these written materials. In most cases,

permission for use is documented at the site of use. However, the entire Cashing In on

Business Opportunities small business track is graciously provided by Mississippi State

University and is a copyrighted product of the Southern Rural Development Center

(SRDC), Mississippi State University. These resources are available at no cost if used for

educational purposes. Individuals and organizations employing these materials are

asked to inform the SRDC of how these materials are being used and to share, if

appropriate, any evaluation activities that document the impact and effectiveness of the

Cashing In modules. Please contact the SRDC at [email protected] or at 662-325-

3207 for more information about the Cashing In on Business Opportunities content.

The Instruction Manual for Braille Transcribing, 5th Edition, 2009, is incorporated

into the braille track and is used with express permission of the Library of Congress.

Several of the videos used in the PROFITT Curriculum are from

www.youtube.com. These videos are part of the Creative Commons Attribution license

(reuse allowed).

Many of the graphics modules use clip art copyrighted by the Microsoft Corporation.

All of the following products and company names are trademarks or registered

trademarks of their respective trademark holders. Use of them does not imply any

affiliation with or endorsement by them:

Adobe ® and all of its components are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems, Inc.

All rights reserved.

Braille 2000 ® is a registered trademark of Braille 2000, Inc. All rights reserved.

Duxbury ® is a registered trademark of Duxbury Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Microsoft ® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

PROFITT Curriculum Introductory Materials

PROFITT GRANT PARTNERS

Alternative Media Access Center (AMAC)

AMAC is an initiative of the Board of Regents University System of Georgia and is committed to removing barriers for individuals with disabilities by improving the human condition through technology in academic and workplace environments.

The AMAC team is charged with research and development of products and services to support individuals with disabilities and their circle of support to become more independent and productive in their academic and workplace environments.

Through grass roots advocacy and the support of the disability community which the Governors Council Development Disabilities and the Georgia Board of Regents, Noel Gregg, Ph.D., Director of the Regents Center on Learning Disorders (1993-2009) and Christopher Lee, Ph.D. co-founded The Alternative Media Access Center. On July 1, 2005, AMAC opened their door at the University of Georgia in Athens to serve students with print-related disabilities under the 35 Georgia BOR institutions. Since the conception of AMAC services, products have expanded to include: promoting publisher accessibility through national initiatives, accessible document conversion to electronic, audio or braille format, specialized assistive technology software, captioning and remote transcription and software development and deployment of office management, tracking and reporting. AMAC now operates grants, contracts, memberships and fee for services throughout the United States. On July 1, 2010, AMAC transitioned their operations under the Georgia Institute of Technology | Enterprise Innovation Institute in downtown Atlanta, relocating to the Means Street Historic District in the 1900's Block Candy Company converted warehouse lofts.

National Braille Press

National Braille Press supports a lifetime of opportunity for blind children through braille literacy, and provides access to information that empowers blind people to actively engage in work, family, and community affairs.

National Braille Press is a Boston-based nonprofit braille printing and publishing house founded in 1927 to ensure that blind people have the same access to information as sighted people in a medium they can read-braille.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) manages offenders in state prisons,

state jails and private correctional facilities that contract with TDCJ. The agency also

provides funding and certain oversight of community supervision (previously known as

PROFITT Curriculum Introductory Materials

adult probation) and is responsible for the supervision of offenders released from prison

on parole or mandatory supervision.

The mission of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice is to provide public safety,

promote positive change in offender behavior, reintegrate offenders into society, and

assist victims of crime.

PROFITT Curriculum Introductory Materials

INTRODUCTION

Inclusive of all tracks and subject matters within this curriculum, the following

introductory material outlines details related to all five tracks of the PROFITT

curriculum. If instructors at a particular institution are not implementing all of the

subject matter tracks, or only using some components of the PROFITT curriculum to

supplement another vocational training, then some of this material will not be relevant

to you. If an institution is not implementing all tracks of the curriculum, then one

should only refer to sections that specifically address the tracks that are of interest.

Note that the general sections may have suggestions and guidelines that are applicable

to any of the tracks. We hope that you will aid us in continuing to improve this material

by providing us with feedback based on your experiences as you utilize the curriculum.

The following is general information which is designed to assist anyone implementing

any or all of the tracks of the PROFITT curriculum. The suggestions and guidance

provided here has been gleaned from the numerous people who have so generously

given their time, insight, knowledge and experience.

PROFITT Curriculum Introductory Materials

GENERAL GUIDELINES

Qualifications for Participation: In general, any currently incarcerated or

recently released offender can benefit from the information taught in this

curriculum. For the specialized technology skills, it is best for the offender to

have a good command of the English language. Also, in some instances, the

offender will be best equipped to advance in the technology if s/he has not less

than a high school diploma or equivalent GED.

Class size: Generally, the tracks in this curriculum are designed for student-

teacher interaction. This means that the information is designed to be presented

in a classroom setting with students being given an opportunity to provide

interactive feedback. Therefore, small class sizes of between 12 and 20 students

are most optimal.

Instructors: The instructors should be individuals who will be able to interact

with the students and provide feedback and guidance regarding the subject

matter of the track being taught. The instructor will need to have the ability to

modify, supplement, remove or change individual exercises or sections to fit the

needs of the specific population of students in the program. For the specialized

technology skills trainings, it would be best practice to use instructors who have

a good working knowledge of the technology or skills being taught. Further,

instructors should have access to professionals or experts in the field of

technology that is being taught to assist them in providing the most current and

accurate information.

PROFITT Curriculum Introductory Materials

LITERARY BRAILLE TRACK

In order to successfully implement a training program for braille transcribers, the

unit must provide the students with the necessary materials and equipment to learn the

trade and perform the tasks. The following is an appropriate list of equipment that is

used in the teaching and transcribing of braille. Note that the most optimal situation

would be for there to be enough equipment so that each student has access to an

individual set. However, in most cases, at the very least there should be no more than

three students to each set of equipment.

The braille transcriber’s certification track is based on and built around the

National Library Service (NLS) instructional course. This is the course that all students

must complete in order to receive their literary braille certification. Each student should

have his/her own NLS instructional manual which can be obtained free from the NLS.

Each student must be registered as a student seeking to become a certified literary

braille transcriber in order to receive a certificate at the end of the course. Also, each

student will need to submit and have each of the required lessons graded by a

designated NLS grader. Initially, if your program is new and you have never trained

braille transcribers, if a recognized grader can be located in the local area and

designated to be the grader for the program, this will greatly expedite the receipt of

timely responses/feedback for each lesson. This is important since NLS recommends

that a student receive and review the feedback for each lesson before continuing to the

next lesson.

EQUIPMENT LIST

The following is the minimal recommended equipment to be utilized by

instructors and students when starting a training program for instruction in braille. The

best practice is for each student to have his/her own workstation and equipment.

However, at a minimum the equipment should not be shared among more than three

participants:

PROFITT Curriculum Introductory Materials

PROPOSED EQUIPMENT LIST

REQUIRED EQUIPMENT

Perkins Braille Writers

Slates and styluses

Computer station with monitor

and keyboard

Braille embosser

Flash drives/CD’s

Braille translation software

Microsoft Office (or equivalent)

Adobe Acrobat (or just reader)

APH Graphics Kit (to include spur

wheels, tracing wheels,

protractors, etc.)

Light box

Tape measure

Ruler

Drawing Tools (to include pens,

pencils, sharpies, erasers)

Burster

Binder

Printer

Braille paper

OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT

Thermoform machine

Graphics capable embosser

Electronic braille displays

Tablet

Graphics software (Corel Draw,

Adobe Creative Suite)

Thermoform paper

PROFITT Curriculum Introductory Materials

Note that some of the equipment on this list is used for the production of tactile

and/or computerized graphics. This is because the braille track is closely aligned with

the tactile and computerized graphics track. If you are not implementing both the

braille and graphics tracks, then you will need to modify the equipment list for your

students accordingly.

A student who successfully completes this track will have completed all of the

requirements to be certified as a literary braille transcriber. This student will be ready

to submit or will have already submitted the required manuscript to the National

Federation of the Blind (NFB) to qualify for certification. Note that some students may

require more practice exercises in order to qualify for certification. The instructor

should have enough familiarity with braille and the available resources to provide the

students with supplemental materials for extra practice. Further, the track provides

many supplemental exercises that can be used for this purpose.

BASIC COMPUTER SKILLS TRACK

The basic computer skills track is designed to introduce students who may have

minimal familiarity with technology to the everyday use of computers and the use of

computers in the business setting, especially relating to the production of braille and

computerized graphics. If the students already have computer skills or are familiar with

computers, then some of the introductory material should be skipped. Each instructor

will need to assess the knowledge of their group of students and determine which

lesson to begin the trainings. Since four of the five tracks in this curriculum assume

and or require that students have computer skills and/or access to the use of a

computer, this track is considered supplemental to all of the other tracks. If a student

completes all of the modules/lessons in this track, they will have a working knowledge

of the computer and the use of software that will allow them to produce documents,

create PowerPoint presentations, manipulate images, etc. They will also have an

understanding of the inner workings of the unit and will be able to install software and

understand how to set up the hardware. This track will be particularly useful for

offenders who have been in the system for a long period of time and have not had

much exposure to current computer systems and software.

PROFITT Curriculum Introductory Materials

TACTILE AND ADVANCED COMPUTER GRAPHICS TRACK

The tactile and advanced computer graphics portion of this track is specifically

designed to be used in conjunction with the braille track in the curriculum. The

equipment and software used to implement this track is included on the equipment list

under the discussion of the braille track. If the program is not teaching braille, then

many of these lessons could be eliminated. This track also includes basic instruction in

image document and image manipulation, and has a focus on utilizing the Adobe

Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign). Through repeated practice and

mastering of these modules, participants can gain a host of highly useful, transferable

technological skills that may be utilized in many types of employment.

A student who completes this track will be able to produce computerized

graphics for any purpose as well as enhance or embellish the computerized graphics

that have been produced for braille text. The instructor for this track should be familiar

with the use of the Adobe Creative Suite products. Also, since computerized graphic

production is a rapidly changing field with the advent of software upgrades and new

software and hardware almost monthly, the instructor should also be able to

supplement the track and provide the most current information to the students.

SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT TRACK

This track was produced by the Southern Rural Development Center (SRDC)

through Mississippi State University and is used with express permission. We have also

added supplemental material that may assist instructors in catering the content to the

participants’ needs. The information provided in this track will prepare a student for

working in a small business environment as well as preparing a student who is

interested in working as a sole proprietor or an independent contractor as a braille

transcriber or graphic designer.

Students who complete this track will have a working knowledge of business

structures, how to start a small business, what the differences are in the types of

businesses that are available based on what the vocational objectives are. They will

also receive information about business licenses, finances, and the like.

PROFITT Curriculum Introductory Materials

SOFT SKILLS TRACK

The soft skills track focuses on general life skills that can be helpful for any

offender. The exercises and lessons cover topics such as learning to work as a team,

discovering one’s individual learning style, job interviewing skills, etc. Since this track is

designed to be used with the other tracks, when it is being implemented independently,

then the instructor may occasionally need to modify or adapt the exercise or lesson so

that the application is more general rather than being specific to braille or graphics.

This track does not require that the student have access to any specific

equipment. However, there is some assumption that students have computer skills and

have some access to computers and word processing software.

FINAL NOTES

As the tracks in this curriculum are implemented, we will be continually updating

the material based on the feedback received from those using the documentation.

Please assist us by accessing our website at www.profitt.gatech.edu where updated

materials will be posted and forms will be provided to receive your input.

Thank you.