This course is an overview of how individuals of all ages with vision impairments or blindness might access reading materials. While the focus of this course is specific to education, many of these devices and services can be utilized throughout the lifespan and in the workplace. formats discussed include audio, large print, digital, and braille. Within each format, there exist multiple options and programs that lead to access to reading materials.

This course is available for CRC, ACVREP, and NBPCB credit.

Course Objectives:

1. Identify early reader children’s book formats,
2. the process (including legislation that governs access to reading materials) for obtaining textbooks and reading materials for K-12 and college students,
3. specialized devices and formats to access reading materials, and
4. programs for obtaining reading materials for individuals of all ages. 

The following are recommended screen reader and browser combinations.

Mac: Voiceover with the latest version of Safari,

PC: JAWS or NVDA with Firefox

Note that currently, course quizzes are not functioning properly for Microsoft screen reader users with Chrome or Edge.

The course shows a start date, but this is simply the date the course was made available to the public. They are self-paced. So, there is not an end date. You can enroll at any time.

This course was developed by the National Research & Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision (NRTC) at Mississippi State University. We are the only national center funded to conduct research related to employment for people with blindness or low vision, and training and technical assistance for the federal Older Individuals who are Blind program. As a national center of excellence, we offer resources on a variety of topics for service providers, businesses, and persons with vision loss on our websites:

For daily content relevant to the field of blindness and low vision, connect with us on social media: