Sources for Accessing Non-copyrighted Digital Curriculum
There are MANY sites on the Internet to download books or to read them directly on the web page. When downloading files pay attention to the file format to make sure you will be able to open and read with a text reader.
Files with the extension .doc will open in Microsoft Word. Files with the extension .txt or .rtf will open in any word processor, including Microsoft Word.
Files with extension .html are web pages and are usually readable with a text or screen reader, unless the text is embedded in an image.
Files with extension .pdf open in Acrobat Reader. These files may or may not be text-based (readable by a text or screen reader). Some .pdf files that are scanned images cannot be read with a text reader.
Microsoft Reader files are proprietary and will only open in that program. However, the program is a free download for Windows computers, and text-to-speech can be an added feature.
To begin looking for a book in the public domain visit Kentucky Accessible Materials Database Resource Links.
Kentucky Accessible Materials Database (KAMD)
Copyright Issues
Another way that educators are providing access to print materials in digital format is by the use of a scanner and Optical Character Recognition (OCR). OCR software allows a page of text to be converted into a digital file for text reading by the computer. While there are conditions in federal copyright law which allow for the conversion of text material to a digital format, it is extremely important that certain conditions be met to avoid violation of the copyright statute.
The Chafee Amendment to Chapter 1 of title 17, United States Code, of September 16, 1996, allows authorized entities to reproduce or distribute copies of previously published non-dramatic literary works in specialized formats exclusively for use by persons with blindness or other disabilities. The following provides the parameters that must be met by any local school district when using scanning to convert copyrighted material to a digital format for access by students with disabilities who are low or emerging readers.
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Scanning material is never to replace the purchasing of material;
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Scanning can only be done by an "authorized entity" as defined in Section 121(c) of the Chafee amendment [Section 121(c)(1): "For purposes of this section, the term . . . 'authorized entity' means a nonprofit organization or a governmental agency that has a primary mission to provide specialized services relating to training, education, or adaptive reading or information access needs of blind or other persons with disabilities." In accordance with the Chafee amendment definition of an authorized entity only being a "governmental agency that has the primary mission of providing specialized services for persons with blindness or other disabilities", ONLY special education teachers whose primary purpose is serving such persons are deemed authorized to utilize scanning for purposes of accessibility of materials for students with disabilities who otherwise cannot access the content.
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Scanned material must be used only for students with identified disabilities, i.e. those with an IEP or 504 plan.
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Scanned copies are not to be sold or shared if such exchange would lead to avoiding the purchase of the copyrighted material by a second party.
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Scanned copyrighted materials under Section 121 of the Chafee amendment shall (1) "bear a notice that any further reproduction or distribution in a format other than a specialized format is an infringement," and (2) "include a copyright notice identifying the copyright owner and date of the original publication."
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Assessments that are standardized, secure or norm-referenced tests may not be scanned.
The Kentucky Department of Education supports the appropriate use of copyrighted materials.