Document Conversion and Requesting Alternative Formats: Information for Students

Alternative Format Textbook Resources

Alternative Format Textbook Request Process

Alternative Format Request Process for Other Course Materials (non-textbook requests)

Request Turnaround Time

Copyright Statement

New Portal Announcement May 2025

This page has been recently updated to include information about the DRC’s new accommodation management system, AIM, which will launch at the end of May. This webpage now includes steps for submitting textbook requests through our AIM portal. For more general information about AIM, please check out the student guide.

Document Conversion is an accommodation for receiving alternative formats of course materials. 

Alternative formats may include paper Braille, electronic Braille, paper large print, or digital formats (e.g.,examples: Word, PDF, etc.).

If you are registered with the DRC and are approved to receive Document Conversion as an accommodation, please review the following information about alternative formats for course materials.

Alternative Format Textbook Resources

We support you having timely access to materials, and you purchasing or obtaining textbooks that are already accessible may help achieve this goal. Some examples of textbook resources include the following:

Alternative Format Textbook Request Process

If you are unable to locate an accessible version or if you have another format that is not accessible to you, we will continue to work on ensuring access to printed materials. 

There are two ways to request an alternative format of your textbook. 

You can either use the new student portal in AIM or you can email [email protected]. The conversion process can take time, please submit your textbook requests at least two weeks before the start of the semester or as soon as you have the textbook information

Requesting an Alternative Format Textbook in AIM:

After selecting “Accessible Digital Format for Course Materials”  and submitting the request for the accommodation you’ll be able to submit specific textbook requests.

  1. Under the Accommodations heading in the left side menu (beneath “My Dashboard”), click on “Alternative Formats”.
  2. In the main section of the page, click on “Alternative Formats Preference”, which will drop down a box to set your format preference. Select your preferred format from the dropdown menu and then click “Update Preference”.
  3. Click “Review Requests or Add Books” (under the “My Requests” tile).
  4. If your instructor has posted the book information to the bookstore, books will be listed under the “Request Alternative Formats” section. Click “Select” for each of the books you would like to request.
  5. If you do not see your book listed, but have all the book information, please submit a custom request below under the “Reading Materials” section. Please enter as much information as possible (Title, Author, ISBN, Edition).

 

For each textbook request, we will need you to upload proof of ownership as well as a reading schedule. Please follow the steps below to do so:

 

Accepted forms of Proof of Ownership:

  • If your textbooks are provided/offered through CourseWorks, please submit a screenshot of the book in your “My Shelf” CourseWorks Bookshelf in Canvas as proof of ownership.
  • Upload a copy of your receipt.
  • A photo of the book with post-it listing your name or the date on it.

 

Uploading Proof of Ownership:

  1. Under Alternative Formats, in the tile titled “Receipts Needed”, click on “Upload Receipt” (OR click on the “Upload Receipt” button in the top right hand corner section of your AIM page).
  2. On the main section of the page, under the “Receipt Detail” section, click on “Choose File”, select file to upload.
  3. Select the course the receipt is for (If you need a reminder of which course the receipt/book is for, you can reference the “Books Without Receipt” section, directly above, to see your requested books listed along with their course).
  4. Optional: Copy and paste the name of the book/s the receipt is for into the “Note:” section (this can aid with your tracking of actions completed in the future).
  5. Click “Upload Receipt” under the “Form Submission” section (immediately below “Receipt Detail”).
  6. Please note that your records will not reflect that you have uploaded your receipts immediately. When you see “Success! Your action has been completed” know that you have done everything you need to do!

 

Uploading Syllabi or Reading Schedule:

Note: To check which syllabi you have already uploaded you can reference the “List Syllabi” section at the bottom of the page

  1. Under the “Accommodations” heading in the left hand side menu, Click on “Course Syllabus” .
  2. Under the “File Information” section, select your course from the “Class” drop down menu.
  3. Add a title for the syllabus (i.e ‘Syllabus’ or ‘Reading Schedule’).
  4. Choose file and then click “Upload File” under the “Form Submission” section (immediately below the “File Information”).

 

If you need to cancel an alternative format request, please follow the steps below or email us at [email protected]:

 

Cancelling a Book Request:

  1. From the Alternative formats, navigate to the “My Requests” tile
  2. Click on “Review Requests or Add Books”
  3. Select “Cancel” next the book listed, select cancellation reason (book accessible online, no longer needed), click “Cancel My Book”

Requesting an Alternative Format Textbook by Email:

If you are emailing [email protected] to request an alternative format of your textbook, we will need the following five pieces of information to be considered a complete request:

  1. Textbook title and ISBN
  2. Course and course # for each book requested
  3. Reading schedule (Most syllabi will include a reading schedule. We can contact your instructor for a schedule of assigned readings if you were unable to obtain one. It is University policy that instructors provide complete syllabi on the first day of class.)
  4. Proof of ownership such as a copy or photo of your receipt
  5. Format needed (ie: PDF, Word (.docx), Braille, other)

 

Once we receive your textbook request either through the AIM portal or by emailing [email protected] the above five pieces of information your request will be complete and we will begin our conversion process. It can take up to two weeks for Document Conversion to convert materials to the requested alternative format and deliver them electronically to you. 

Alternative Format Request Process for Other Course Materials (non-textbook requests)

If you would like your non-textbook materials to be converted to a specific format, please email [email protected] at least two weeks before the start of the semester. We will then email your instructors to gather materials.  

To submit individual requests for an alternative format of course material other than textbooks, email [email protected] at least two weeks in advance of the due date, in order to receive it by that date. If you need the material earlier, please submit your request more than two weeks in advance.

Each request will need the following information:

  1. Course title/number
  2. Document(s) attached to the email or a direct link to the material in Canvas
  3. Date material is needed by
  4. Format needed (i.e. PDF, Word (.docx), Braille, other)

Request Turnaround Time

For textbook requests submitted at least two weeks before the start of the semester, converted textbook materials will be delivered throughout the semester two weeks prior to the date listed in the course syllabus/reading schedule for the assigned reading of the textbook. Delivery time will depend on the format requested and when we receive the complete request. You should submit your textbook requests early, at least two weeks before the semester starts, to be able to start receiving converted materials at the start of the semester. Please know that if a request is submitted with less notice, we will do our best to provide an accessible format but materials may be initially delayed. 

For non-textbook requests, production of alternative formats may take up to two weeks to complete. In order to provide you with your materials in advance of the due date, please submit your requests four weeks before you need to have read the material to ensure that the converted materials are delivered to you at least two weeks before you need to have read them, or as soon as you can. 

Prioritization of Request

Requests are processed in the order they are received, but timing may also depend on various factors including publisher authorization time, and shipment delivery times if we need to create files from a paper version. We prioritize required course readings over optional readings. Please email [email protected] if you would like to request any readings labeled as optional in your syllabus or reading schedule.

Feedback, Errors, or Corrections

If there are any errors or if corrections need to be made to the converted materials provided by Document Conversion, please notify [email protected] as soon as possible. Document Conversion will work to make corrections as quickly as possible. We will respond within 1 or 2 business days with a plan about how to remedy the errors or corrections.

If you would like to provide any general feedback about the files you receive, please email [email protected].

Please Note:

  • If you make any changes to your class schedule and a requested book is no longer needed, please notify us immediately so we can cancel the request and process the correct books for you.
  • If your instructor adjusts a reading schedule, cancels a reading, or adds a reading, please notify [email protected] as soon as you learn of the change so that we can timely process the correct request.
  • Textbook files will be released to you through a shared Google Drive folder once processed and an email notification will be sent when the first file of a new book is shared. Following the initial notification, it is your responsibility to check Google Drive for your materials and follow up if files appear to be missing. If you have concerns about using Google Drive, please contact us.
  • Materials with science, technology, engineering, math (STEM), and other symbolic content can take a considerably longer amount of time to convert.
  • If you’d like a status update on your materials, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].
  • As soon as we are is aware of a potential need (example for a student who is screen reader dependent), which may be as early as at the point that a student registers for a course, staff may communicate to instructors via email that there is a student in the course who has a need for accessible textbooks and other course materials. If an instructor has not been identified, our office will connect with the department to begin gathering information.

Additional Information for Canvas Material 

More and more course materials are being provided digitally. Most University courses use Canvas to disseminate course materials, readings, assignments, quizzes, and textbooks. 

If you are using tools such as Read&Write or the Google Chrome plug-in Kurzweil Read the Web, most Canvas materials will be accessible. However, these tools may not offer a complete solution, especially when working with poor scan quality and/or poor resolution documents, STEM content, and complex layouts among other things.

If you are concerned about accessing Canvas materials or the interface itself, please contact [email protected]. We can work with you to explore removal of Canvas access barriers, provide training, and determine when conversion may be needed. 

Copyright Statement

Under U.S. Copyright law, accessible files (e-text) provided to the student can be used solely for eligible student’s own educational purposes and cannot be copied, shared, or distributed for use by others.