Accessible text is text that can accessed by the student. This might be a format such as Braille, digital text, large-format text, or audio.

If your student needs accessible text, ask the following questions as this accommodation is developed:

• What does the student need to access? All assessments? All classwork? All assignments?

• How will the student access it? Through printed Braille? Through digital text read by a screen reader? Through both? For screen readers, will the school need to provide the student a computer or a tablet? What about a program or application? Will the student need training to use the technology? Will the student’s parents need training to help the student at home?

• When will the student access the text? At home? In all classes? What about during P.E., on those occasions when paper assignments are provided?

Your answers to the above will determine the accommodation.

For example, one version of this accommodation might be the following:

Accessible text is defined as Braille and digital text that can be read by a screen reader. The accessible text will be provided to student for all classwork, assignments, and assessments. The accessible text will be provided to the student in advance of all classwork, assignments, and assessments. A computer and all extensions, applications, and/or programs necessary to access the digital text will be provided to the student at least a week before the start of the school year. At least a week before the start of the school year, the school will provide training to student to use all technology and extensions, applications, and/or programs necessary for the student to access the digital text.

Related Services

Related services can be provided in the form of training and transportation.

The related service might read as follows:

The school’s assistive technology specialist will provide the student training until the student is able to fully access the text on his or her own. This will start with 30 minutes of training two days a week, starting on X date. The specialist will monitor the student’s use of the application for the first month.

This training can be provided to parents so they can help their children at home.

If the specialist trains the student and/or parent after school, the school is responsible for transportation home for the student and to/from the school for the parent. Some parents don’t have cars. Lack of transportation can result in an inability to access services and must be addressed.