Library and IT Self Help

The alternative formats service and equipment is available for users who have a visual impairment or other condition, including a learning difficulty such as dyslexia, making it difficult to access printed texts.

You must be registered with Disability Services to use the service.

This service is available to students with a visual impairment. Please email the informationspecialists@plymouth.ac.uk for further details.

The RNIB Bookshare provides textbooks and materials to support the UK curriculum. They offer a range of accessible formats that can be read electronically or adapted to suit the personal reading needs of learners.  They now have 739,263 titles with more being added all the time.  

RNIB Bookshare lets you:

• Listen to books with high quality text-to-speech voices
• Hear and see highlighted words on screen
• Read with digital braille or enlarged fonts
• Create physical braille or large print
• Read directly from your Internet browser

SensusAccess

SensusAccess allows you to automatically convert documents into a range of alternative media including;

• audiobooks (MP3 and DAISY),
• eBooks (EPUB, EPUB3 and Mobi),
• and digital Braille.

The service can also be used to convert inaccessible documents such as image-only PDF files, JPG pictures and Microsoft PowerPoint presentations into more accessible formats.

Simply follow the four-step process to convert your file. Make sure to use your University email address as the converted file format will be delivered to your inbox in approximately 10 minutes.

TextHelp Read & Write

This text to speech software is installed on all University PCs. It reads aloud text from word documents, pdfs, email and the web, and includes many other features such as spell checker, homophone checker and word prediction.

See our Tech for Learning Library Guide for further help.