Better Access to Content in Classrooms and Beyond
Students with print disabilities have difficulty accessing printed books and learning materials. Collaborative efforts have helped to improve traditional textbook accessibility, but there is still a lot of work ahead.
With the advent of digital publishing epublications can now provide access to information for students who were not able to access course materials previously. Adaptive reading systems enable a rich reading experience for them.
Digital-First Learning Materials
The widest adoption of the EPUB 3 format is in the educational publishing space. EPUB 3 offers the most opportunity for mainstream accessible publishing and the free open source EPUB checking tool Ace by DAISY has been developed to assist content providers in their efforts to provide accessible learning content. By developing learning materials that include mainstream accessibility you will greatly decrease the cost of specialist instructional materials and offer access to learning at the same time, the same price and in the same format
Guidance
Recently published, A Practical Guide for Using EPUB in K-12 Teaching and Learning, provides a detailed overview and recommendations for adapting materials in EPUB format for students at all levels. These guidelines provide a basic understanding of EPUB and how this format can benefit learners.
Further reading:
- EPUBs for Education by Greg Alchin
- Inclusive Design for iBooks Author by Greg Alchin
- IMS Global Accessibility Key Principles
- MassIT: Document Accessibility
- PhET: Creating Accessible Interactive Science Simulations
What about Legal Requirements?
Colleges and universities are required to ensure equal access to educational benefits and opportunities. All members of the campus communities are encouraged to follow best practices and accessibility standards. In doing so, they ensure that their content can be viewed by all. Review legal obligations for accessibility on campus.