The University of Missouri St. Louis (UMSL) works with Mizzou to have textbooks converted into an accessible, digital format for students with the alternative text format accommodation.
This service ensures that students with print disabilities have equal access to their course materials. There are many methods of accessing text materials in alternate formats.
Log-in to your Alternative Formats Web PageThings to consider when using alternative format:
How to Access your Alternate-Text:
Before Alternate-Text can be accessed, you will need to select a text to speech program.
TextEdit - a word processor that comes with the Macintosh operating system and it has a text-to-speech tool. No download necessary.
NaturalRader - AI text-to-speech program that converts text, PDF, and 20+ formats into spoken audio. Great for documents, ebooks, and school materials. Has online app, mobile app, and Chrome extension. Free!
TextAloud (Free Trial) - Text-to-speech program that converts text into spoken words. Can read email, web page content, and or word processing documents. Also has the ability to convert written text to spoken MP3 or WMA files. Free for trial period, then requires purchase.
Read and Write Gold, WindowEyes, Dragon Naturally Speaking, Moo Magnifier:
These are not free programs, however they are available on ALL disability workstations on campus, including laptops and PCs available for borrowing for registered students. Each one of these programs are designed to help students achieve through different modes of accessibility (i.e. text-to-speech software, magnification, etc.)
If you find the programs above will not meet your needs, please contact Disability Access Services at (314) 516-5671. We can set up an appointment to discuss other technologies we have for demonstration.
131 Millennium
Student Center
(314) 516-5671
(314) 516-6561