Access to Textbooks and Other Print Materials
Registered students with qualifying print disabilities can request the textbooks necessary for their classes in Alternate Format Text (AFT). AFT can either be played out loud using Text to Speech (TTS) software on a computer, or listened to using specialized audio book players. AFT files are provided to students on CD for use during the semester. Braille and large print books may be requested for courses such as advanced math and foreign language.
Students should request course books six weeks in advance of classes to allow for processing by the book publishers and/or Accessibility Resources staff. This may require contacting instructors before the class begins to ask for a reading list or syllabus.
Students who request AFT must still buy a hard copy of the book and present a receipt to Accessibility Resources as proof of purchase. Printed email receipts for online purchases are sufficient.
To request books, please fill out the Alternate Format Book Request Form and either email it using the button on the form, or print it out and bring it to Holly Johnson, the Auxiliary Aids and Services Coordinator.
When a publisher does not have a version of a textbook in AFT or Braille, Accessibility Resources gains permission to scan the book and create an accessible version. During this process, the binding of the book is removed. Accessibility Resources has the book spiral bound when the process is complete, however, the book usually can’t be resold afterwards.
Students who receive AFT must agree to certain conditions to protect copyrighted materials. They are asked to sign a form stating that they understand they cannot share, reproduce, or distribute the AFT, and that to do so would be copyright infringement under federal law. The CD cases are also clearly labeled with a similar statement.
Please contact the Auxiliary Aids and Services Coordinator, Holly Johnson, for more information on AFT at 645-2608.
