Daily Archives: February 21, 2022

Adaptive Technology and Services Lab serves a record number in fall 2021

By: Jamilyn Houser & Anne Behler

The Adaptive Technology and Services Lab (ATS), based in the Pattee Library, had a record-breaking Fall 2021 semester. Jamilyn Houser, Adaptive Technologies Coordinator, explains,
“We provide alternative formats of academic materials to persons with disabilities. We need to provide these services because it is very rare that a textbook or article is fully accessible as is.” Complicated textbooks and readings often require that a level of description is provided that will help a visually impaired student understand the content.

ATS staff process material into many different formats, making them able to be read and used by students who are visually impaired, as well as those who are challenged by learning disabilities such as dyslexia.

During the Fall semester, ATS served five visually impaired students – more than any semester before. This required converting 40 textbooks and nearly 500 class readings to accessible formats. About a quarter of these readings were also converted into electronic Braille, and ten exams were printed out in physical Braille.

Many textbooks are processed in Kurzweil, which is a type of screen reader. ATS staff have to download every chapter into the software and zone every page to ensure that all text featured on the page will be read aloud and in the correct order. They process around five chapters at a time and completed chapters are then sent to the student. Novels can be processed more quickly than a textbook that contains heavy technical content.

During the fall semester, there were a total of 34 students who required this format, and ATS processed over 60 books in Kurzweil. In addition, 25 books from ATS archives of previously
scanned material were requested.

ATS staff also process material in Microsoft Word for the visually impaired students. This includes not only textbooks, but any readings/articles, handouts, syllabi and sometimes
PowerPoints that are needed throughout the course. Each file starts as a raw text document. Staff then have to add page numbers, headings, insert tables and equations, and describe any
images or graphics. If the student requests Braille documents, we have access to Duxbury software which translates the converted Word documents into electronic Braille. Of the work that ATS does, Houser says, “It is rewarding work that contributes toward the students’ academic achievements.” Thank you, ATS, for all that you do!

Tech Tip: Reopen a closed tab in Google Chrome easily

By Ryan Johnson

Google Chrome is always adding new features to its browser.

A recent update (Available in Self Service to download) allows you to quickly reopen a tab you may have accidentally closed.

Google Chrome screenshot for tech tip

To reopen a tab, simply follow the steps below:

  1. Right-click on an empty space of your Chrome tab strip.
  2. Click Reopen closed tab.

You can also use a keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + T

Customer Service Tip: What is internal customer service and why is it important?

By: Jeff Toister (submitted by Carmen Gass)

“It just takes a lot of effort to get things done.”

A friend recently shared these frustrations. She had worked in sales at her company for the past six years. It had a good product and she was successful, but something was gnawing at
her.

My friend explained that it was becoming increasingly difficult to hit her sales targets. The challenge wasn’t a new competitor, shifting market conditions, or even the pandemic.

The biggest issue was a lack of internal customer service.

My friend increasingly spent time and effort navigating corporate bureaucracy, waiting for results, and following-up with other departments to make sure they didn’t drop the ball. Continue reading here.

Tech Tip: Tax season – avoid phishing emails

By: Ryan Johnson

avoiding tax season phishing scams graphic

Tax season is prime season for Cybercriminals.  If the IRS is going to contact you, they’ll initiate contact with a paper letter in the mail. The IRS will only call you in rare circumstances. Scam emails targeting consumers are not only from people pretending to be the IRS, but also from scammers impersonating TurboTax and other tax preparation companies. Never open an email supposedly from the IRS. And if you do, never download any attachments, or click on any links.

Here are some tips to prevent tax-related scams:

Check the True Sender
If you receive a suspicious email, check for more specific details about the sender of a message, including the sender’s email address. Often, emails from scammers use an address that’s just slightly different than a valid one. Always check whether the domain next to the sender’s address really maps to the sending company. Attackers often use typo squatting like TurboTax spelled like ‘turb0tax’ or ‘tarbotax’ to send fraudulent messages.

File Early to Avoid Scammers
File taxes today to prevent scams and keep an eye out for your return. Many of these scams rely on you not having filed your tax return yet, so if you get an email asking to file your taxes after you’ve done so, you can be sure it’s a hoax.

Report Any Suspicious Emails
Suspicious emails can be forwarded directly to phishing@psu.edu.  To view Phishing Security Alerts at Penn State, please visit the Penn State Security Website.

Don’t Click on Tax Emails
Refrain from clicking on emails that purport to contain sensitive information. If you see an email advertising news from TurboTax or another tax program, or from the IRS, go directly to the website to check your account. Remember, these entities will generally not ask for sensitive information like a Social Security number via email.

To read more about recent Tax Scams and Consumer Alerts from the IRS, please visit the IRS Consumer Alerts website.