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Overview 

This report on the Accessibility of Information in Electronic Textbooks for Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired was written in response to a mandate from the 74th Texas Legislature to conduct a study for the purpose of determining ways in which information contained in electronic textbooks may be made available to students who are blind or visually impaired. The report is based on the findings of an agency task force organized for the specific purpose of generating ideas and recommendations that reflect the interests of several communities including students who are blind or visually impaired, textbook publishers, media accessibility researchers, software and hardware developers and teachers of the visually impaired. Task force members are listed in Appendix A.

The report discusses the recent changes in the state textbook adoption program in Texas, and the move from reliance solely on traditional, print-based textbooks with comparable braille, large type or audiotape textbook copies provided to students who are blind or visually impaired to a wide variety of instructional media. These recently available formats include but are not limited to computer software, compact disks (CD-ROM), videotapes, interactive videodiscs, and instructional materials downloaded from the Internet or the various on-line services. These formats are not easily accessible to students who are blind or visually impaired in that they require additional adaptation beyond the braille, large type and audiotape versions currently supplied by the agency.

The most common components of electronic textbooks which should be made accessible to students and teachers who are blind or visually impaired are described in the report. The report also summarizes the types of information and delivery modes which must be made accessible and analyzes how these electronic textbooks can be made accessible to blind and visually impaired students as well as to students and teachers with other disabilities.

Specific recommendations are included in the report. These encompass design and implementation of demonstration projects to analyze potential costs, processes, and timelines for developing accessible electronic textbooks; and collaboration with experts in media accessibility research, textbook publishers, software and hardware developers and educators to develop minimum standards for new electronic textbook submissions in Texas.

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Last Revision: July 30, 2002