Alternate Format
Course Materials
The LAS office produces accessible format course materials. This includes textbooks, custom courseware, and class readings. Here's how to do that.
- First, register through Student Accessibility Services (SAS).
- After that, fill in the Transcription Request Form. It is recommended that students contact the LAS office as soon as possible with their course information, as it can take 4 - 6 weeks to obtain course material.
- You must purchase a copy of the textbook and/or courseware and email the original receipt to LAS or upload it to the request form.
- Students requiring transcription of class readings need to provide the course outline and any readings needed for the class.
- We will share the completed files using OneDrive (we'll need to see receipts before a text can be shared).
- Note: You will be required to complete an agreement, each term stating that the texts are necessary for the courses they are taking, the files won't be shared with anyone else, and the files will be deleted at the end of the term. We work on requests on a first-come, first-served principle, with those that have purchased their books being given a higher priority than those that have not. OneDrive links are active for the term; links will be terminated after that time. If you have difficulties using OneDrive, please contact the office; we will work with you to find other options.
Library Books
ACE
All library material can be requested in an alternate format, except items too fragile for the scanning process.
Requesting a book is easy. Look for the book in the catalogue. When you have found the item you are looking for, click on the "Request Accessible Copy" link in the record. Some of the fields will be filled in automatically for you. The remainder, your name, email address and ACE token are required. Once you have submitted your request, we will process it and contact you as soon as the material is ready.
All students registered through LAS have an ACE token issued at the beginning of the year. The token is sent in the LAS Info email. If you have lost your token, please contact the office, and we can send it out to you. Faculty and staff who qualify may contact the office to request access. ACE is a collaborative approach to creating accessible material through the Ontario Council of University Libraries. You can find out more about ACE here.
You are welcome to search the ACE repository for books; you may access any books you find of interest without requesting additional permission. Your token is your permission. ACE supports 5 different formats: PDF, B&W PDF, DAISY, TXT, and ePub. If you need a different format, please contact the office.
If the item you need is not held at McMaster, please contact the office with the following information Title, Author, Publication Date, ISBN (if possible) and library, and we will work to get an accessible copy to you.
HathiTrust
The Library is a member of HathiTrust. The HathiTrust digital library includes more than 17 million volumes digitized from libraries around the world. The collection is primarily books and includes journals and other published materials, and includes both in-copyright materials and public domain titles. Over 100 universities around the world curate the collection. All items in HathiTrust can be provided in accessible formats. If you would like to request one of these items, please contact the LAS office. We will place a request on your behalf for an accessible version of that material.
Internet Archive
We also have access to alternate formats of content available through the Internet Archive. For more information on accessing this content, please contact the LAS office.
Requesting an Accessible Book Not in our Catalogue
You may find that you need additional research materials that are not available in an accessible format during your studies. Please fill out this form, and we will review your request and attempt to accommodate you in a timely manner.
SensusAccess
As students, staff, or faculty, you have access to an online document conversion system that automates text and image-based file types into different accessible formats. By uploading files through a web interface, one can select from various output options, including audio, Braille, or e-text formats. Try it out HERE.
