Alt Format Databases

Alternate Text Production Center

The Alternate Text Production Center (ATPC) supports California Community Colleges in meeting the alternate text needs of their students with print-related disabilities. Alternate text includes Braille, tactile graphics, and electronic text. All ATPC services are performed at no charge to California Community Colleges.

Bookshare

Bookshare offers hundreds of thousands of people with dyslexia, learning disabilities, visual impairments, physical disabilities, and other reading barriers a way to study for school, pursue careers, and read for fun. Read anytime, anywhere you want with devices like computers, Chromebooks, tablets, smartphones, assistive technology devices, and more.

Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg offers over 57,000 free eBooks. Choose among free epub books, free Kindle books, download them or read them online. You will find the world's great literature here, with focus on older works for which copyright has expired. Thousands of volunteers digitized and diligently proofread the eBooks, for enjoyment and education.

Learning Ally

Learning Ally has 80,000 human-read audiobooks. An extensive collection of K-12 books including popular fiction, classic literature, textbooks, test prep and study aids are a download away. Listen on mainstream devices using accessible technology with page-level navigation, text highlighting and speed adjustments.

 

Alternate Media

The term alternate media or alternate format is the provision of academic and instructional materials in a format that supports access for a student with a disability. Alternate media and alternative format are terms that are used interchangeably. Colleges should anticipate that most requests for materials in alternate formats will include electronic text, braille, tactile graphics, large print, or audio and are encouraged to develop in-house capacity to produce at least short and simple documents free from errors in each of these formats. The CCCAC offers training in the production of these formats at no cost to the college. 

Some campus best practices to streamlining the production of alternate formats include:

• Adopting accessible instructional materials that can be more easily converted into alternate formats.
• Identifying textbooks well in advance of campus bookstore deadlines
• Encouraging students to submit alternate format requests as early as possible.

Alternate Media Guidelines

These guidelines have been developed by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and in collaboration with various Alternate Media Workgroups to provide guidance and direction for producing documents in alternate formats for students with disabilities. The most recent update to the guidelines can be found within the Vision Resource Center's CCC | Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS) Community or dowloaded directly: Alternate Media Production Guidelines - 2024 Update (PDF)

Learn more

• Alternate Media Workflow
• Alternate Format Databases
• Recommended Hardware & Software
• The CCC Document Converter

 

Operating System Solutions

The Windows and macOS operating systems offer multiple keyboard solutions and tools that are built into your computer's operating system. While these may not offer the same level of functionality and customization available from commercial or open-source assistive technology solutions, they can provide a basic level of access that may be suitable for some students.

Narrator (Windows)

Windows Narrator is a screen-reading software provided as a part of the Windows operating system. Narrator’s features are more limited than features of JAWS and NVDA and, so far, it has a very limited number of users. Narrator, however, has one important feature: it allows blind users to install Windows operating system independent of sighted assistance.

• Get started with Narrator

VoiceOver (macOS)

VoiceOver is a computer and mobile screen-reader program for Mac and iOS. VoiceOver functions on Mac, iPhones, and iPads, and supports gestures, keyboards, and braille displays. It supports more than 35 languages, including multiple voice options. VoiceOver is built into Apple products, so there are no additional costs or downloads. VoiceOver supports Safari and Opera, email, PDFs, and all built-in Mac apps.

• VoiceOver Getting Started Guide

Magnifier (Windows)

Windows Magnifier allows for three different magnification methods: full screen (magnifying the entire screen); lens (superimposes a magnifying lens on the screen that the user can move around and resize); and docked (a set, docked portion of the screen is magnified). The program works with touch-screen and allows for a variety of keyboard shortcuts.

• Windows Magnifier Quick Start Guide from University of Washington

Zoom & Display Options (macOS)

Zoom for macOS allows for a magnified view of the desktop environment as well as applications. Zoom options include the ability to follow the keyboard focus, speak items under the pointer, and use gestures to increase or decrease the magnified viewport.

The macOS Display Options provides the capability to invert colors and modify contrast settings for the desktop environment. The Display Options also offer the option to switch the view to grayscale as well as reduce the screen transparency.

High-Contrast Mode (Windows)

Windows high-contrast mode is intended for use by individuals with low vision and/or color-blindness. It applies specific color schemes to on-screen content to make text easier to read.

• Microsoft article on High-contrast mode

On-Screen Keyboard

Windows On-Screen Keyboard (referred to as the Accessibility Keyboard for Mac) allows the individual to use a computer without an external keyboard. Using either a touch screen, pointer device (e.g. a mouse), or assistive device (e.g. a switch device), they can interact with a standard keyboard visually displayed on-screen, producing the same results as would an external keyboard. This can be very helpful for individuals with physical and/or cognitive impairments.

Sticky Keys

Sticky keys is available on both the Windows and Mac operating systems. It allows users with physical impairments to press a single key at a time, in sequence, to perform commands that otherwise require pressing multiple keys at once (e.g. CTRL+ALT+DEL to launch the Task Manager on Windows or Cmd+T to open a new tab on MacOS).

• Mac OS X: Sticky Keys
• Windows 7: Sticky Keys

Mouse Keys

Mouse Keys is available on both the Windows and Mac operating systems. It allows users to move their cursor with their keyboard number pad rather than a mouse.

FilterKeys & Slow Keys

Windows FilterKeys and Slow Keys for Mac allows users to customize the length of time a key must be pressed before the system reads the keyboard input. This function allows short or repeated keystrokes to be ignored, an accessibility function for users with hand tremors.

Accessibility Keyboard

The Accessibility Keyboard (referred to as the On-Screen Keyboard for Windows) allows an individual to use a computer without an external keyboard. Using either a touch screen, pointer device (e.g. a mouse), or assistive device (e.g. a switch device), they can interact with a standard keyboard visually displayed on-screen, producing the same results as would an external keyboard. This can be very helpful for individuals with physical and/or cognitive impairments.

• Switch Control and Accessibility Keyboard Guide

Switch Control

Switch Control for macOS allows users to interact with their computer using an adaptive external device, such as a joystick or sip-and-puff switch, or a keyboard key or mouse button. Users can customize the interaction with their device to enter text, communicate with on screen items and apps, and otherwise command their Mac.

• Switch Control and Accessibility Keyboard Guide

Windows Speech Recognition

Windows Speech Recognition  is a feature that gives access to most computer features with the use of voice. Users can set up a short voice profile to be used for dictation through various programs and applications. For more information view the resources below:

• Windows Speech Recognition
• Windows Speech Commands

macOS Voice Control

With Voice Control, you can navigate and interact with your Mac using only your voice instead of a traditional input device. Users can setup custom commands and vocabulary for dictation.

Voice Control uses the Siri speech-recognition engine to improve on the Enhanced Dictation feature available in earlier versions of macOS. For more information view the resources below:

• Use Voice Control on your Mac
• Dictate your messages and documents on Mac

Google Docs

Voice Typing in Google Docs is available for anyone who has a microphone and a drive account. This is only used for dictation and does not allow for control of the computer in general. Voice typing can be used on a computer or mobile device. For more information view the resources below:

• Type with your voice
• Voice Typing in Google Docs