WORK GROUPS' STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The following appears on web pages of the AFB Solutions Forum and is used with permission.

The AFB Textbooks and Instructional Materials Solutions Forum, a collaborative national effort on the part of agencies and organizations that produce and distribute textbooks and other instructional materials, works to ensure equal access to instructional materials for students who are blind or visually impaired. AFB Solutions Forum participants include textbook publishers; educators; access technology specialists; producers of braille, large-print and recorded textbooks; parents of children who are blind or visually impaired; and adults who are blind or visually impaired.

Electronic Files and Research and Development:

The Electronic Files and Research and Development Work Group is primarily concerned with exploring and defining the following critical issues: The creation, production, and distribution of electronic files provided by textbook publishers for the production of textbooks in braille and other special media and identifying new trends, technologies and research that will positively affect production, accessibility and delivery of textbooks to students with visual impairments.

Legislative and Policy-Making:

The Legislative and Policy-Making Work Group is primarily concerned with the analysis and development of public policies impacting upon the Solutions Forum's goal of ensuring equal access to the printed word, and more specifically, to the full range of educational materials. This work group is the Forum's point of contact for ongoing efforts among representatives of the publishing industry, blindness advocacy organizations and the National Library Service to determine the appropriate electronic file format and markup language to efficiently produce braille, large-print and audio textbooks. Additionally, this work group will serve as a mechanism to package, present and disseminate the Solutions Forum's outcomes for future advocacy efforts.

Production Process:

The focus of the Production Work Group is to identify the processes involved in the production and dissemination of textbooks and instructional materials in specialized media needed by students who are blind or visually impaired. This work group will recommend guidelines and strategies for acceptable quality braille transcriptions; appropriate adaptations of materials for producing textbooks to ensure they are educationally sound for students with visual impairments; and eliminating duplication of efforts.

Training and Other Needs:

The Training Work Group focuses on the training needs of those who create and use textbooks and instructional materials for students who are blind or visually impaired. The work group will identify the necessary steps required to increase the number of qualified braille transcribers and identify the skill sets needed in training people associated with the creation and use of textbooks and instructional materials for students with visual impairments. The target audiences include, among others: braille transcribers, textbook publishers, producers of specialized materials, parents, and educators.

Communication and Collaboration:

The Communication and Collaboration Work Group serves as a clearinghouse for sharing information related to the activities of the five Solutions Forum work groups. The primary focus is to inform and educate the field of blindness, publishers and the general public regarding issues and strategies for ensuring equal access to textbooks and instructional materials in accessible formats.