Alternate Format Material Request Form

Many students with disabilities encounter barriers with traditional print materials. Textbooks and other materials may be provided in alternate formats as an academic accommodation. Students seeking alternate format texts must present documentation that clearly supports the need for the request.

The same format is not right for everyone, some of the options that exist today include:

• eText from an online source (see listing in eText section below)
• eText from the publisher (usually Word or PDF)
• Image files created from scanned text for viewing on screen (usually PDF)
• eText from scanned/converted text for reading out loud (usually Word)
• MP3 created from eText with computer voice
• MP3 created from human voice recording
• Tape created from human voice recording
• Digital Talking Books in DAISY format
• Braille and/or Tactile
• Large Print

Several of these formats require the use of specialized hardware or software in order to access the materials. Depending upon the needs of individual, these may include:

• 4 track player for human voice recording
• MP3 player for computer or human voice recording
• DAISY player or computer with software for DAISY files
• Computer with software for listening to eText
• Computer with software for viewing image files

The Recordings for the Blind and Visually Impaired (RFBD) provides audio recordings for individuals with documented disabilities through a member-based lending system. DSS has an institutional membership and recommends that students who benefit from the materials join as individuals. The RFBD materials are audio plus, which means that there are structural tags to allow users to navigate the human voice recording. Special players or software are required.

Students are encouraged to search the online catalog for books. Without an account, books can't be ordered, but pertinent ordering information can be obtained and passed along to DSS Staff.

Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic
http://www.rfbd.org  

Electronic text can take many forms. Word documents, text files, image files, sound files, webpages, all are electronic formats. As such, they can be accessed with adaptive software. It is possible to magnify diagrams and small print, search documents and embed notes, have material printed out in large format, converted to Braille, or have words read out loud.

Partial Listing of Online Sources for eText

At DSS, when materials are not available in an accessible format, we may use an in-house production system. Students who are using digital materials that have been created in-house are required to sign an agreement form indicating they understand their rights and responsibilities as related to copyright law.

One of the formats we produce is e-text, but we also encourage students to learn to learn to make their own e-text. The process involves the following steps:

1) Text books are debound and scanned. Each page is now an image. These images can be viewed on screen and magnified or printed in large format, but not read out loud or edited. The original book is rebound with coil.

2) Image files can be loaded into an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) program that recognizes the characters and turns pictures of words into text that can be edited, reformatted, translated, or read out loud.

3) Text or Word files can be searched with ease, read by a text-to-speech program, converted to Braille, reformatted in large bold font, or read to file creating a digital sound file.