We provide adaptation of learning materials to alternative formats for students and employees whose disabilities prevent them from using materials in standard paper printouts or graphic formats. This form of support is dedicated mostly for people with visual impairments and blind, but also others needing the specific form of the material or use of assistive technologies to proper and independent working with the texts.
Students with disabilities who have applied for and been granted this type of support are entitled to order adaptations of materials. Contact the BON Consultanst to apply for this service .
How is it done?
Adaptation of materials means processing formats that are inaccessible to text, along with all elements of the text structure. Usually, this requires scanning and OCR (optical character recognition) process. The next stage of the work is correcting the received text and arranging the structure of the entire content: dividing it into paragraphs, marking headings, arranging tables, adding alternative descriptions for graphics, marking cross-references, page numbers, etc. Material prepared in this way can be saved into an accessible electronic document or further processed, for example, into a Braille printout. The material can also be prepared in the form of an audio recording.
Examples of possible adaptations
The following examples do not cover all possible solutions. Please contact us to further explore possible adaptations.
- Printed books, photocopies of materials for students – scanning and processing into DOCX format. Allow blind people to read, immersive readers for reading aloud to people with ADHD, autism spectrum, visually impaired, elderly.
- PDF or Word file with questions, or exam tests – processing and converting to an accessible DOCX file for the blind. Printing the content in Braille form for the blind. Processing with setting appropriate font size and spacing for people with visual impairments.
- The file with the presentation or illustrations being the exam material – preparation of a DOCX version with descriptions of the included illustrations and, when possible, additional printouts of braille graphics – for the blind. Preparation of enlarged printouts of illustrations for visually impaired people.
- Illustrations depicting culturally specific objects, building plans, architectural orders – the possibility of making tactile models using 3D printing technology. We welcome academics to cooperate with us.
How long does it take?
Adapting is a tedious and time-consuming process. Keep this in mind to order materials ahead of time:
- a minimum at least 1 month for whole books
- at least 3 days for individual materials for classes.
Ordering the adaptation
Eligible people can place orders for adaptations in the following ways:
- Orders for making adaptations of book collections submitted through the “Orders” module available after logging in the Academic Digital Library system: www.abc.uw.edu.pl.
- Orders for making adaptations of photocopies, presentations and other materials should be submitted to: adaptacje.bon@uw.edu.pl.
Ordering in Academic Digital Library
When placing an order for the adaptation of a book collection, verify that the ordered item has not been previously prepared and made available in the ABC system. When ordering material, please provide the data needed fo identifying the ordered collection (authors’ names, full title, edition, ISBN number, if any). If you have a paper copy, you can deliver it to the BON and indicate this option in the order form, or select the option of obtaining the collection by the BON.
Ordering in adaptation department at BON
When sending materials to adaptacje.bon@uw.edu.pl, especially when the you are doing it for the first time, please specify all the following information:
- when the material will be needed, or specify a schedule for the adaptation of subsequent fragments;
- which format do you need (electronic version for screen readers, Braille, augmented Braille, etc.).
Teachers
Materials for adaptation can also be sent by lecturers, for example, who have students in their groups who need these kinds of adapted resources. When sending materials for adaptation, it is necessary to indicate:
- who they are to be prepared for,
- when the materials will be needed,
- who the completed materials are to be forwarded to.
Identifying the person who the materials are to be adapted for will make it possible to consider the guidelines established in advance with the student on how to prepare the adaptation. Specifying a deadline or schedule defining, for example, the classes for which the materials will be needed will enable us to distribute the work in a way that reconciles the needs of adapting materials for all our beneficiaries. Specifying how the finished materials will be handed over is important when the lecturer himself wants to decide when making them available for the student.
Do you have questions? Contact us!
You can email us or visit our department on the Office in the working hours.