For Immediate Release
July 19 , 2006
Contact: Ed McCoyd
Ph: (212) 255-0200 ext264
Email: emccoyd@publishers.org
Publishers Announce Web Site for Post-secondary Institutions’ Disability Support Services
National Look-up Service to Provide Contact Information for Publishers, Speeding Delivery of Course Materials to Print-Disabled Students
Washington, D.C. (July 19, 2006) -- Higher education publisher members of the Association of American Publishers (AAP) today announced plans to launch a beta version of a Publisher Look-Up Service on August 15. The Publisher Look-Up Service is the first step in AAP’s Alternative Formats Solutions Initiative (AFSI), a national effort to identify ways to provide print-disabled, post-secondary students with specially formatted course materials on a timely basis.
AFSI research has shown that college campus Disabled Student Services (DSS) coordinators, who provide course materials in alternative formats to students with disabilities, sometimes have a difficult time finding publisher contact information to request an electronic file of a book (known as e-text) or obtain permission from the publishers to scan a book to create a digital file. To help make the system more efficient, AAP and publishers are responding with a Publisher Look-Up Service, a Web site interface where DSS professionals can search for e-text and permissions contacts at textbook publishing companies.
"The Look-Up Service is a tangible, short-term result of AAP's AFSI. This is just one step in AAP’s effort to understand how best to help print-disabled students gain better access to their materials. Our goal is to have completely accurate, up-to-date information on the site for the spring 2007 semester,” said Ed McCoyd, AAP’s director of digital policy.
"We believe the Publisher Look-Up Service is a practical solution that will help DSS professionals work more efficiently. This Look-Up Service is just one element of a larger framework of solutions,” said Bruce Hildebrand, AAP’s executive director for higher education.
Once the Look-Up Service site goes live, publishers--AAP members and non-members--can secure a login from AAP that enables them to directly upload, edit and update company information to the site. DSS offices across the nation will be able to search by publisher or imprint name. Publishers and DSS professionals are encouraged to provide feedback on the service and identify any problem areas beginning in August when the beta version of Look-Up Service is launched.
About AAP’s Alternative Formats Solutions Initiative (AFSI)
The Alternative Formats Solutions Initiative is a publisher-funded research project that involves colleges and universities, students, disabled students support services professionals, national and state disability advocacy groups, and technology providers in an effort to create a national framework of specific, practical solutions. The AAP-led program, which began in March 2006, is assessing problems faced by print-disabled students, including delays in getting their materials or the inability to receive the proper materials at all.
AAP members were active participants in a federal solution for students in grades K-12, supporting the development and passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) of 2004. Building on that collaborative effort, the Association and its higher education publishers initiated their post-secondary efforts in April 2005 at a meeting of stakeholders in Washington, D.C. In December 2005, AAP hosted a meeting for the Association on Higher Education And Disability (AHEAD) with publishers, college and university personnel and other advocacy groups to gather input on how to move the process forward. At this meeting, AHEAD’s E-text Solutions Group identified the Look-Up Service as a priority and helped shape AAP’s efforts.
About the Association of American Publishers
The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry. AAP’s more than 300 members include most of the major commercial book publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies. AAP members publish hardcover and paperback books in every field, educational materials for the elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and professional markets, scholarly journals, computer software, and electronic products and services.
If you or someone you know cannot fully access the information on this page, please contact Ed McCoyd at emccoyd@publishers.org and request a version of this release be provided in a preferred alternate format. Every effort will be made to accommodate your preference.
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