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Accessible Publishing for Higher Education

Challenges with E-Text at the California Community Colleges Alternate Text Production Center

Robert Martinengo, Supervisor
ATPC
71-A Day Road
Ventura CA 93003
www.atpcnet.net

In the United States, college students who have a disability that prevents them from reading standard print face significant challenges. In order to keep up with their studies, they require access to accessible versions of their instructional materials, such as textbooks, course packs, and tests. While there has been some progress, there is still no comprehensive solution ensuring equal access to information for all students. An accessible textbook might be Braille, audio, or electronic text.

A new way to address the issue was implemented by the state of California in 1999. A law was passed that required publishers to provide electronic files of the textbooks that disabled students are required to use in their school work. This has opened the door to other states passing similar laws, and many publishers are now responding to requests regardless of the state they originate from.

While this is a positive development, there are many challenges in the process. The first challenge is the amount of time it takes to receive an electronic file. Since publishers are responding to requests as they come in, there is no fixed amount of time in which to expect a file. This makes it difficult for the student to plan their studies. The next consideration is the file format. There are many variations in the technology used to create electronic files, and also many types of assistive technology used by the student. Also, there are some subjects, such as mathematics, which are difficult to represent in electronic format.

Given all of these problems, it is significant to note that the California Community College system has created a resource center so that all of the 109 colleges in the system have access to resources in creating accessible materials. The Alternate Text Production Center, ATPC, will contact publishers on behalf of the colleges, and keeps an inventory of files that can be distributed quickly as the need arises. The ATPC also arranges the transcription of textbooks in to Braille code for students that request that format. The ATPC has over 4,000 textbooks in its inventory.

Textbook publishers have begun to take notice of this activity, and are looking for solutions that will work on a national level. One of the problems with the current legislation is that it can only react to the students need after the fact. What is needed is a proactive solution that will ensure that students with and without disabilities have equal access to their instructional materials. One possibility is for publishers to deposit an accessible electronic copy of every newly published textbook with a repository.

Whatever the approach, students will continue to request that their needs are met in a timely, accurate, and appropriate fashion. The ATPC is one example of how a large college system is addressing the needs of its students.