Alternative formats refer to a non-traditional way to access and consume information – other than by standard text or standard presentation. Providing options for access just makes sense, because it increases your audience by making information usable by more people.
Reasons to provide alternative formats
There are many reasons to have alternative formats of digital resources for consumers:
- Alternative formats are ways of presenting printed, written, and visual material so people who do not read or see print can access it.
- People who do not read print might be blind or visually impaired, have a learning disability that affects reading, have a physical disability with the inability to hold or turn pages, or be an auditory learner.
- Alternative formats provide a greater opportunity for everyone to access information in the way they need or want it.
Alternative formats are oftentimes provided as accommodations for students or others who may have disabilities which prevent them from fully accessing information. Keep in mind that alternative formats as accommodations must be provided to requesters at the same time the original format is provided to the rest of the class or group.
Common alternatives
- Audio: Recorded versions of text, often in MP3 format, that can be listened to on various devices.
- Braille: A tactile system of raised dots that is read with the fingertips.
- Large Print: Documents with a larger font size, typically 16 or 18 point or greater, to make them easier to read for people with low vision.
- Electronic Text (E-text): Digital versions of documents, such as Microsoft Word, that can be accessed by screen-reading software.
- Accessible PDFs: PDF files with a recognized text layer that allows them to be read by screen readers.
- Tactile Graphics: Raised images that convey non-textual information, like graphs and maps, for users who cannot see them.
Other accessible formats
- Rich Text Format (RTF): A type of text document that is compatible with many programs.
- HTML: Web pages that are coded to be mobile-friendly and accessible.
- OCR PDF: A PDF created from a scanned image that uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to make the text searchable.