Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Alternate media formatting

When providing alternate formats, student preference is always taken into account. We also consider format availability and any content-specific factors that may impact the conversion.

Examples of alternate formats

Process and Timeline for Alternate Format Materials

There are many different types of materials used in courses at PCC. For example:

• Textbooks are often listed with the bookstore when registration opens. If students who are eligible for alternate format materials make their accommodation requests as soon as they register, we can usually have the alternate formats prepared and ready for download when the term starts. If a book is needed, but was not listed with the bookstore, we can prepare materials as soon as we are alerted to the need. Please put your requests in early.
• Digital courseware is often listed with the bookstore, but our alt formats team members don’t usually have access or permission to evaluate this type of content directly. If barriers are found in these types of materials, alerting our team is important so we can identify and address any alt format needs.
• Library materials afford access to many materials and there are different options for different collections. This page from the library outlines audio options for popular databases.
• Course materials are often loaded into the D2L shells, and students can often convert or improve these materials directly, or reach out to our alt format team for support. The self-serve options include but are not limited to Panorama, and AIRA, or access technologies like Read&Write, Orbit Note, and Fusion. There are limitations on what self-serve options can produce so any student who tries these options but needs something more is highly encouraged to reach out to access-tech-group@pcc.edu so we can assist.