Site simplifies text for students with disabilities

A new national online database is making it easier and quicker for college students with print-related disabilities, including blindness or dyslexia, to obtain the alternative textbooks they need for their academic courses. The AccessText Network contains more than 300,000 textbook and novel titles available in alternative formats. To date, more than 650 colleges and universities have enrolled. The Association of American Publishers (AAP) developed the database in conjunction with the Alternative Media Access Center (AMAC) at the University of Georgia. The membership-based online system provides quick access to information about publishers' course materials and expedites how institutions can request electronic versions of course materials for students with print disabilities or obtain permission to scan these course materials. The new system is fulfilling orders for students in about four days on average, said Christopher Lee, AMAC director.