Alternate Format FAQs for Post Secondary Licensees
A number of students at our institution are classified as having perceptual disabilities. Some of the students have requested that we provide large print versions of textbooks for them and other students have requested textbooks converted into a machine readable format that can be used with Jaws or Kurzweil readers. Under the licence, alternate format is defined as "audio, Braille, large print and machine readable format." What exactly are we able to provide to our perceptually disabled students?
Provided the work is not commercially available in the appropriate form, the exceptions in the Copyright Act combined with your institution's licence with Access Copyright allow you to address all of the needs of your students with perceptual disabilities, including reproduction in Braille, as an audio book, as a large print book, or machine readable text.
Some publishers and creators may provide you with the electronic files to facilitate these uses. You may wish to contact them directly.
What if there is a problem concerning copyright infringement?
In the event that the institution becomes involved in a claim of copyright infringement and was compliant with the licence terms and conditions, indemnity is provided by Access Copyright. See your licence for specific terms and conditions regarding the indemnity provision.