Formats

RFB&D

RFB&D is usually the first format that we attempt to fill requests with. The RFB&D AudioPlus CD’s require a special player to be able to listen to them. This format is based on a DAISY format so it gives users the option of tracking through the book in many ways. The ODS has a limited number of Victor Players that we loan to students on a first come first serve basis. Victor Reader Soft is also available in the Adaptive Technology Lab on all of our workstations and on the testing room computers. To learn more about RFB&D visit www.rfbd.org.

Scanned Texts (RTF)

For scanning textbooks and other course related documents we use Kurzweil 3000. From K3000 we edit the text in the documents and then export it to Rich Text Format (.rtf). We give the files to you on a CD. These files open in nearly all word processors (including Word, Works, WordPad, Word Perfect, and OpenOffice) making them accessible by all screen readers for no additional cost. There are many free and low cost applications that people can download and use to read these documents if they do not have a screen reader.

Braille

In some cases we will fill requests for Braille. These requests take a lot of advanced notice. If you want to request a textbook in Braille the request should be made no less than 2 months before you need the text. To request the book in Braille Please speak with Jerry or Kate for approval of these requests.

PDF

Many publishers distribute the alternative text in a PDF file. The accessibility of the PDF depends on the publisher. The nice thing about this is that Adobe Acrobat Reader has a text to speech engine built into it. You can improve accessibility for screen readers by using the Accessibility Setup Assistant under the Documents menu. After this is setup the program will ask you when you open if you want to tag untagged documents. The text tag is what screen readers are able to read. Default settings in this wizard should be fine but you can customize many of the accessibility options if you feel it is necessary.

To have Adobe Acrobat Reader read text to you go to the View menu and select an option from the Read Outloud submenu. You can read the current page, read to the end of the document, pause, and stop reading.

Word

Publishers often provide files in the .doc format which are Word Documents. These can be opened in most word processors and read by nearly all screen readers. Natural Reader, WordTalk, and VoiceOver will work in word processors that display Word Documents.

HTML/XHTML

Some publishers provide their documents in an HTML format. This will open in all browsers but may have a preferred browser to use with specific publishers books. All full function screen readers will read these files. Of the free programs included on our web site only Natural Reader and VoiceOver will read text in web browsers.

DAISY

DAISY is an international format that can provide an audio track linked up to text and navigation options. It is a nice format but we rarely see publishers offer it. The RFB&D and National Library Services books use the DAISY format for navigation in their Audio Books. In the event that a student receives a DAISY book it can be read with a Victor Reader or read with a free program called AMIS.