Alternative formats for course materials
Students approved by the Office for Disability Equity (ODE) for alternative-format accommodations may request their textbooks and other course materials in accessible formats.
Accessible Technology Services (ATS) provides eligible students with alternative formats for course materials such as textbooks.
Available formats include accessible (text-based) PDFs, EPUB, plain text (.txt), rich text (.rtf), Braille, and Word documents.
Students can also use reading tools, including Read&Write and Orbit Note, to have an alternative format read aloud.
How to request alternative formats
Students approved for alternative formats may request conversion services from ATS.
To submit your conversion request:
- Go to the alternative format conversion request page in the UM Solution Center.
- Select the Request Service button to proceed.
- Be ready to show that you already own or have access to the textbook (see below), since ATS may ask for proof.
Textbook ownership requirement
Copyright law requires students to already own or have access to a textbook before ATS can convert it into an alternative format.
This means you must have a physical or electronic copy of the textbook in your possession before submitting a conversion request.
ATS may ask you to show the textbook or a receipt of purchase or rental as proof.
If your alternative format isn't ready in time
If ATS can't finish converting your book within 10 business days of receiving the file or cutting the book, ATS will let you know so you can consider requesting an interim accommodations. Contact your access consultant to arrange one. Examples include:
- Using a reader provided by ODE.
- Requesting a reasonable extension of the course deadline for an assigned reading from faculty.
Questions about conversion services
Accessible Technology Services (ATS)
Social Science Building, Room 120
Email: ats@umontana.edu
IT OCR Converter Service
IT offers the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) document converter that turns image-based PDFs to text-based Word documents.
EPUB
EPUB is the industry standard for digital publication. EPUB provides a high degree of accessibility and optimizations. Users can change the color, font size, and background color of the display, and the book will reorganize itself on a device. EPUB can be read on Android, Apple, Windows, and most other ebook readers.
How to find eTextbooks in EPUB
The VitalSource Bookshelf app includes text-to-speech, search and navigation, and study tools.
Other popular reading apps
DAISY Consortium's Inclusive Publishing has reviews of popular reading apps, including Digital Editions, Edge, and iBooks.
Thorium Reader (free) for PC
Dolphin Easy Reader (free) for iOS and Android
Voice Dream Reader (iOS)