Accessibility Resources for K-12 BC Students with Print Disabilities

In this session we’ll discuss the multiple pathways that students with print disabilities access learning materials in digital and hard copy alternate formats in the K-12 education system. In K-12, digital alternate formats include PDF, EPUB, and e-Text while hard copy alternate formats include braille, and enlarged print. We’ll focus on the service constellation – how various agencies and organizations work together across K-12, post-secondary, and public libraries to ensure equitable access to learning for print disabled students.

Outcomes:

• Participants will learn about the agencies supporting print disabled students and their families in K-12, with an emphasis on how these resources/agencies fit together.
• Participants will be able to describe the key accessibility features and functions of digital accessible books produced for classroom use in K-12.
• Participants will learn about key resources for alternate format production and document accessibility.

Cost: We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Housing & Municipal Affairs, which enables us to offer this event free of charge.

Who should attend: Any library workers interested in accessibility, especially those who serve children and youth in BC. May be of particular interest for public libraries who provide space and support for homeschooled students.

Presenter:

Adam Wilton, PhD, is the Program Manager of the Provincial Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired (PRCVI) in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has been an educator for 18 years, working mostly as a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments and Orientation and Mobility Specialist. Adam has numerous connections to the accessible reading world – he is a Director for Braille Literacy Canada, the Coordinator of the BC Regional Braille Challenge, and is the Vice-Chair of the Canadian Association of Educational Resource Centres for Alternate Format Materials.

BCLA events are all Pacific Time, hosted online via Zoom, which includes closed captioning. If you have any accessibility needs to attend these sessions, please contact Natalie Porter, BCLA Professional Development Coordinator in advance and BCLA will do our best to support you.

BCLA expects anyone attending to honour the Online Community Guidelines, to help create a positive environment that values accountability, respect, and a willingness to learn from each other.