Alternate Textbook Production Resources
The key to any document accessibility and usability is to design your documents using a logical structure that can be interpreted by conversion tools or used by instructional designers to provide easy navigation through a document. Alternate format textbooks and eBooks are evolving into a standard which will provide optimum accessibility and usability. No matter which tool you decide to use, ensure that accessibility is built in and that you retain your original documents so that they can be converted to the eBook standard when it is finalized.
This resource page is divided into country rather than device and standard. We can all learn from each other and work collaboratively. My personal goals would envision a global textbook repository which was supported by content from national and state/provincial repositories; and would include a tactile diagram repository. All parts of this endeavour would use standards developed in collaboration that would minimize duplication of work, cost effective solutions to providing educational material in accessible and usable formats for ALL students; and secure DRM [digital rights management] for publishers and authors. All course packs and pre-designed course material/publisher support web sites would be accessible and usable as well.......but this is just "my" dream!
Articles of Interest
- 50 State Accessible Curriculum Policy Survey [CAST] .
- Accessible Textbooks in Schools: A State and National Progress Report,Great lakes ADA and Accessible IT Center .
- Audiotactile Approach to Tactile Images, by the University of Wisconsin.
- Creating Tactile Diagrams for Science, Engineering and Mathematics.
- Digital Talking Books for Math and Science, CSUN 2005 Conference.
- Equal Access to Textbooks and Educational Material: Publishers and Blindness Field Join.
- New Technology Makes Textbooks Audible, Allows Students to Study Anywhere, The California Aggie.
- Together to Find Solutions [TSBVI] .
- Tactile Images Give Visually Impaired Access to Earth from the Air, 24 Hour Museum .
- Teaching Blind Students to use Tactile Graphics, by Cindy Mack .
- The Promise of Accessible Textbooks: Increased Achievement for All Students is an article from the national Center for Accessing the General Curriculum at CAST.
- Web-based Teaching: Communicating Technical Diagrams with the Visually Impaired , Swinburne University of Technology, Australia.
Discussion Groups
Canada
- Canadian Braille Authority eText examples as a Word Document and Canadian Braille Authority home page
- Canadian Braille Authority Report of Tactile Graphics sub-committee in Untagged PDF
- Canadian Braille Authority Report of Tactile Graphics sub-committee as a BRF Braille file
- Council on Access to Information for Print Disabled Students .
- NEADS [National Educational Association of Disabled Students] Access to Academic materials Project.
Canadian Textbook/Tactile Diagram Centres
International
The best hope we have for standards and guidelines for producing textbooks and their content in a more accessible and usable format, not only for students with disabilities, but for all students, are the international groups such as W3C [World Wide Web Consortium] , Daisy [Digital Accessible Information Systems] and NIMAS [National Instructional material Standards] . Although NIMAS is a US based standard,it is a step forward that we can all learn from and/or adopt and improve on. As with any standard, guideline or technological device, we are in the midst of evolution and our ability to create more accessible and usable information and environments increases exponentially with our understanding of what we need and what devices we create.
Note that we are moving toward an XML based model for digital environments and information in general and this is reflected in the developing technology for textbook production. This is true of textbook production for people without disabilities as well. Why not make one iteration of eText and let everyone access the tools they want or need to interact with the content more effectively?
- Daisy [Digital Accessible Information System] Home Page for DTB [Digital Talking Books].
- NIMAS - National Instructional Material Accessibility Standard. - This standard also appears under the United States heading as this is where it originated.It can, however, be seen as having potential for adoption internationally as a standard for textbook production.
- Scalable Vector Graphics Working Group [W3C] - This is the future of access to graphic information. Combined with NIMAS standards of the <imggroup> schema. This provides the flexibility for the student/end-user to determine what information they want from the image.
- Standards for Electronic Instructional Material XML.com.
International Textbook/Tactile Diagram Production Centres
Publisher Resources
- AEB - Art History Through Sight and Sound [Art History for the Blind] .
- Houghtin-Mifflin File Request web page .
United Kingdom
- Guidelines for Tactile Displays, Information Resources for People Working in the Field of Visual Disability .
- National Centre for Tactile Diagrams .
- Producing Tactile Images, RNIB .
- Students Accessing Course Material [RNIB] includes How to approach illustrative material.
UK Textbook/Tactile Diagram Production Centres
United State
- Accessible Textbooks: A Glossary of Terms [AFB]
- Accessible Textbook Initiative and Collaboration Project [APH] .
- Alternate Media Production Policy, Los Angeles City College .
- Charts, Diagrams and Tables - this is a beta site but there is no information on the host. There are some good links to other papers and information.
- Creating Accessible Library Material, ALA [American Library Association] .
- Information Technology Technical Assistance and Training Center (ITTATC).
- NCAM [National Centre for Accessible Multimedia] Beyond the Text Project .
- NIMAS - National Instructional Material Accessibility Standard.
- National File Format Working Group [out of CAST] .
- Words From Washington - IDEA 2004 Summary .
- Tactile Diagram Manual from Paths to Equal Opportunity [TAEVIS - Tactile Access to Education for Visually Impaired Students], Perdue University .
- Textbooks and Instructional Material Solutions Forum Partners[AFB .
US Textbook/Tactile Diagram Production Centres
Training - US
DAISY Software Tools
- eClipse Writer and eClipse Reader - from Innovative Rehabilitative Technology Inc. Easy to use DAISY book creator that produces books that can be used with free Daisy Daisy readers. Is also cost effective.
- EasePublisher from Dolphin for creating Daisy format eBooks Easy to use Daisy book creator but not terribly cost effective at the moment.
- gh Player home page.
- PlexTalk Recording Software for creating Daisy format eBooks .
- Victor Reader family of Daisy reading products from VisuAide . There is a Victor Soft version as well as three hardware DAISY players. VisuAide is the developer of the Victor reading system.
Tactile Embossers
The web pages referenced for information on these devices are not to be considered endorsements for the vendor. These are pages with useful information and you should check the vendor in your area for more information. If you know the developer's web page for this product information, please send it to karlen Communications so it can be included.
Accessible and Usable eLearning Resources
If you are interested or involved in the production of digital environments or information for any aspect of learning, visit our eLearning Accessibility Resources web page.
Copyright
This site was created by Karen McCall using Adobe/Macromedia Dreamweaver 8. It was last updated April 2008. Copyright by Karen McCall and Karlen Communications.