Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

General Principles for Students 

We guide you to first select formats for course materials that best fit your needs, then provide alternative formats when needed. Alternate formats are provided through an interactive process based on your specific eligibility. Our interactive process includes meeting with a practitioner and may also include conversations through email or video call.

• You may have more experience with some formats than others. We can provide training through our digital navigator program to help you practice using tools and techniques to learn from online course materials. There are many advantages to these types of resources since they can be magnified, read out loud, and are often more affordable than traditional hard copy.
• Get your accommodation request in as soon as possible! If you make accommodation requests as soon as you register, we can usually have the alternate formats prepared and ready when the term starts. 

General Principles for Instructors 

Accessibility is a shared responsibility.

• When adopting course materials, consult the guidelines for adopting digital courseware
• When creating instructional content, follow the instructional support guidance
• Use training and technical support as needed

Common Formats for Reading Materials

PDF

The pages of a PDF usually look just like the original printed pages, but the text can be magnified on-screen or accessed with software to read the text out loud. PDFs are sometimes provided as an alternate format for traditional hard copy textbooks.

Text or Document files

Word Documents, Google Docs, or other files are sometimes included directly in course materials, but can also be produced as an alternate format.  When they are provided as an Alternate Format, the images can be included, removed, or compiled into an associated document. The text itself is usually arranged in a logical flowing format. Page numbers are indicated as appropriate. These files can be accessed with a variety of devices and applications including software that can read aloud or convert to MP3.

HTML files

Many courses have D2L pages produced with HTML. There may also be standalone websites and webpages that instructors point to.

Human voice audio

Some books have been recorded by human readers – most of these are obtained through Learning Ally. If you have documentation of a print-based disability, you can sign up for your own account, or borrow through an Accessible Ed & Disability Resources account created for you. For materials that are not pre-recorded by humans, there are PCC tools to produce audio files with human-sounding voices. 

Large print

While magnification is often used with PDF, Text, or HTML files, there are some situations in which large print is needed in hard copy. Typically this is produced in 11 by 17 inch format, but there are other options. Formats can be customized to a limited extent depending on need.

• Large print is typically only generated for static files (not for interactive sites)
• Large print takes time to prepare and timelines for delivery may vary by course

Braille or Braille-ready files

We can provide hard-copy Braille and/or electronic braille ready files (BRF).

Tactile graphics

Raised line drawings can supplement descriptions of graphics. These graphics can be produced using a braille embosser, swell paper, or through collage methods.

Common uses of Audio and Video

We have a media captioning and audio description page . 

Some examples of the ways audio and video might be used include:

• Recordings of class lectures
• Videos that are embedded or linked from other sites
• Audio recordings or podcasts
• Presentation materials with audio or video clips

Processing Considerations for Different Kinds of Course Materials

The type of material and format can have an impact on how long it takes to provide an alternate format.

Textbooks

Textbooks may be in print or digital formats, but typically contain static pages (not interactive).

• Textbooks are often listed with the bookstore when registration opens. If you make your accommodation requests as soon as you register, we can usually have the text prepared and ready for download when the term starts. If a book was not listed with the bookstore, we can prepare materials as soon as we know what you need. 
• Copyright protected textbooks may require proof of ownership before Accessible Ed can provide an alternate format. 
• OER (textbooks that are free and openly licensed) are often available through the bookstore, your instructor, links in D2L, or on other public sites and these materials can typically be provided in an alternate format without proof of ownership. 

Digital Courseware 

Digital courseware is a broad category, and might be bundled with a textbook. Courseware might include online labs or homework assignments, and other learning activities and often requires a code. Digital courseware is often listed with the bookstore. We don’t usually have access or permission to access this type of content directly, therefore:

• We work with instructors to do accessibility reviews before adoption.
• If students experience a barrier it needs to be reported to us right away so we can find a solution.

Handouts, slide decks, recordings, etc.

There are many kinds of materials instructors may provide directly to students through the learning management system. These materials are checked for accessibility when they are added, and can be improved directly as needed. There are some self-serve options available, or our team can help. Self-serve options include but are not limited to:

• Panorama (a tool that is integrated in our D2L learning management system)
• AIRA (a service that is available for use in D2L)

There are limitations on what self-serve options can produce so please reach out for support if they don’t fit your needs. 

Library materials 

Many instructors use resources from our library collections. This can help reduce costs for students, and there are different accessibility features available for different collections.   This page from the library outlines audio options for popular databases. Please let us know right away if you have barriers to accessing any resources from the library.