Alternative formats service

What does the service do?

We provide alternative formats for disabled students who can't access printed materials. We can reformat book and journals held by the library that are on the core reading list for your course. We can also provide you with a free account with an online collection of accessible books called RNIB Bookshare.

Find out more about reading lists

Who is the service for?

Any UWE Bristol student who has a visual impairment, is neurodivergent or has any other condition that makes it difficult to access text.

What alternative formats are available?

We can convert texts into:

• PDF
• Microsoft Word
• Audio

Word documents can be provided with your preferred font type and made compatible with screen readers.

How long will it take?

We aim to produce accessible PDFs within three weeks of receiving a request. Other formats, such as Word and Audio will take longer. When you make a request, we will let you know our estimated completion time and keep you up to date. It is helpful if you can give us as much notice as possible of the texts you will need, as that will help us get your reading material ready for you on time.

How do I start using the service?

Before you can start using the service, we arrange an initial appointment so we can take a few details and have a quick chat about the formats you find useful.

Please contact us to arrange this initial appointment.

Referencing alternative formats

We can provide help with referencing alternative formats versions of texts – please contact us.