Making Textbooks Accessible to Students With Disabilities

Presenter: Robert Martinengo, Publisher Outreach Specialist, CAMI project, AMAC Accessibility
 
As digital technology continues to redefine the market for instructional materials, one thing remains constant: students with disabilities must not be left out. While products evolve, the concepts of equal access, and the legal obligation of educational institutions not to discriminate, remain.

In this one-hour webinar, Robert covers three main topics:

1. What authors can do now to make their manuscripts more accessible, and how to plan for an accessible final product.
2. What can happen during the publishing process that can negatively impact accessibility, and what to do about it.
3. How to assess whether or not the final product is accessible, and what can be done to improve the situation if it is not.

Robert Martinengo has been helping students with disabilities access their textbooks since 1997. He has worked for Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D, now Learning Ally), the Alternate Text Production Center of the California Community Colleges (ATPC), and since 2006, AMAC Accessibility, a department of Georgia Tech. When he is not sipping acronym soup (SAS), he enjoys listening to music and trying to remember what life was like before smartphones.

Recommended Reading

Ensuring Digital Accessibility through Process and Policy
Making Online Teaching Accessible: Inclusive Course Design for Students with Disabilities
E-learning and Disability in Higher Education: Accessibility Research and Practice
Disability and Equity in Higher Education Accessibility (Advances in Educational Marketing, Admission, and Leadership)
Web Accessibility for People with Disabilities