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Resources for Faculty

A guide to teaching and learning resources in the library

Resources on Accessible Teaching

Scanning Tips

  • The KIC book scanners in the library are set up to scan with optical character recognition (OCR), which means they can scan text and make it searchable and readable by screen readers.
  • If your document is difficult to see, use the settings to adjust the brightness and contrast to make it easier to read.

Accessible Library Resources

  • Not all library material is published in accessible formats, but if you can, try to find an electronic version of a text
  • Use permalinks to link from Moodle to full text resources on platforms from EBSCO, Proquest, SAGE, Taylor & Francis, and others. These platforms have built in accessibility features like text-to-speech, text highlight, downloadable mp3s of full text articles, large text and more.
  • If you need help finding electronic versions, ask a library staff member for help library@ecuad.ca. It’s possible that the resource is only published in print, but we can try to find an alternate format for you.

Modifications to eResource Formats for Accessibility

Different vendors have different contractual obligations. To request that an eResource be modified into an accessible format to meet your students' accessibility needs, please reach out to library@ecuad.ca with these details:

  • Student ID number
  • Database/article/book/streaming video/platform name and URL
  • Type of modification requested (e.g. larger print / a different audio file / described audio / closed captions)
  • Is the disability documented? Y/N (not all vendors require this, but some do. We do not want to be in breach of contracts.)

Your request will be forwarded to the eResources Librarian, who will then check your request against the licence terms for that particular vendor and take the next steps. Do note that where vendor platforms already have accessibility accommodations, e.g. text-to-speech, your request might take longer to fulfil as we will have to argue that these functions do not sufficiently meet a student's needs.

Accessible Documents

You can make your documents more accessible by using the features found in most word processors: 

  • Use headings and subheadings sequentially (H1, H2, H3, etc.)
  • Use lists
  • Use meaningful hyperlinks
  • Add alternate text to images that convey information
  • Use tables wisely and include row and column headers.
  • Understand how to export from one format to another without losing the formatting

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