Accessible module materials

OU study materials are delivered in a variety of formats that may already be accessible to you, such as print, online or audio-visual.

It is very important that you check the module description first, to find out what formats are provided as standard. Look for the heading ‘If you have a disability’.

In addition to what is listed in the module description, other formats are also available that might suit you better: audio, Adobe PDF, comb-bound books, transcripts. If you require any of these for your study, type in your module code below to find out what is available.

Audio recordings

Printed study texts may also be available in the DAISY Talking Book (DTB) audio format, and if you ask for this service you'll automatically get access to them when your module starts.

A mobile DAISY player

DAISY Talking Books are audio representations of print publications with built-in additional features such as a navigational structure that makes it easy to move or skip to different parts of the book. They are produced to the internationally recognised DAISY recording standard. DAISY Talking Books may be audio-only recordings with a navigation structure, or an audio recording synchronised with electronic text plus a navigation structure. The audio can be a human or a synthesised voice.

The DAISY Talking Books are provided with software for use with a computer. Please note that this software will not work on Mac based systems. DAISY Talking Books can also be played on specialised hardware players and the MP3 audio files can be used on other mobile devices but some of the functionality of the DTB is lost. DAISY hardware players could be paid for by your Disabled Students' Allowance award if you are eligible (try our eligibility quiz), or you may be able to borrow one from the OU equipment loan scheme.

Where available, DAISY Talking Books can be downloaded directly from the module website. For a guide to downloading Daisy Talking Books and installing the AMIS software to play them, refer to the Downloading and playing DAISY Talking Books document.

Adobe PDF

Adobe PDF (Portable Document Format) files, provided on CD-ROM together with a copy of the latest Adobe Reader, allow you to adjust the text size and background colours.

You can also use software known as a 'screen reader' to convert text into speech in some study materials, although not all PDF files are as accessible to screen readers as we would like them to be. This is mainly because of requirements of the subject, for example showing mathematical or scientific symbols. Additionally the files that we do have are not all equally accessible, due to some documents being produced when accessibility in printing technologies was still evolving.

If you want to check which documents are available in PDF, contact Student Recruitment.

Comb-bound

Comb-bound module materials

Comb-bound books have a spiral binding to make them easier to handle and able to lie flat on a table or other surface. This makes the material easier to use with a scanner, or other equipment such as a magnifier.

Many printed study materials are also available in comb-bound versions, but there may be instances when a book is not available because it is too thin for this kind of binding.

Please note that if you ask for a comb-bound version of your materials, you will not be sent a standard version of the books as well - just the comb-bound version.

Transcripts

Example of printed transcript

Printed transcripts are available for material that is not usually produced in printed form, such as television programmes or audio-visual material on study DVDs. Transcripts may be provided via the module website or on a DVD.

Info

Want to use a format that is not listed as available for your module? Note that not all formats are relevant: for example, transcripts would not be made available if PDFs are already provided, or if there is no audio material.

Warning

Delivery of your accessible materials: We aim to send your additional materials to you at least four weeks before your study starts. If there's a problem with the delivery as a student you can discuss with an adviser how we can meet your requirements.

Note that if you request additional materials you will still receive the main study materials (unless you have requested a comb-bound version).

Action

We recognise that for some students other alternatives such as Braille or Large Print materials may be more suitable. As a student you can discuss with an adviser how we can meet your requirements - please note that some of these services require several months' notice.