The Dolphin Inclusive Consortium rolls out over 100 electronic titles of school textbooks
6th Sep, 2010
The Accessible Resources Project in the UK has made available over 100 of the most commonly used school textbooks in an accessible electronic format for students aged 11 -14 who struggle to read the written word in print because of visual impairment or dyslexia.
Schools and local authorities should check the list of books that can be ordered through RNIB before producing textbooks themselves for the 2010/11 school year.
The textbook files are provided in Word 2003 format at the request of schools in the project. They have been deliberately designed to be appropriate and flexible for students with a print impairment. They can be read as they are by the learner using a computer to change the settings (for example the background colour and font size), with access technology, or can be converted by staff or learners into large print, braille or audio.
Many of the books also include descriptions of images including pictures, graphs and diagrams to help visually impaired learners.
These files were created by a year long pilot project funded by the DfE, led by the Dolphin Inclusive Consortium. The project delivered electronic versions of the textbooks needed by around 40 print-impaired learners aged 11-14 in nine schools. One legacy from this project is to make these files available to all print-impaired learners in the UK.
Which textbook titles will be available?
For a full list of all the textbooks available please visit www.rnib.org.uk/textbooks
Each CD will include a selection of converter and playback tools to help you and your learner use the electronic version.
How much will they cost?
Each textbook title will cost £2.99 (this price is to cover RNIB's distribution costs only) and includes postage.
When can I get them?
We expect all of these files to be ready by late September. However many of them will be available before then. If you urgently need a title before then please contact us and we will try to help.
How do I get hold of them?
From September teachers or support staff will need to complete a Purchase Order and Declaration which will be available to download shortly from www.rnib.org.uk/textbooks or you can contact RNIB on 0303 123 9999. The Declaration will ask for your details, confirmation that the learner has a print impairment and that a print copy of the book requested is already owned. Once we receive both the completed Purchase Order and Declaration we will send you the electronic version of the textbook(s) on a CD together with converter/reading tools.
Further info
For further information on the terms of using these electronic textbooks please visit www.rnib.org.uk/textbooks
For more information on the DfE Accessible Resources Pilot Project please see www.mytextbook.org
What's next?
The pilot project will come to an end in December and will not create any more electronic textbooks. Those involved in the project are very excited about what it has achieved and will be working on recommendations for the future provision of textbooks for print-impaired learners in discussion with the Department for Education.
The pilot project will be evaluated to inform future recommendations. We will get in touch with some schools in the autumn to find out how the files worked for you and your print -impaired learners.
