There are a number of ways to produce information in a format which can be accessed by people who are not able to read printed or electronic documents. Many of these formats are considered specialist by people who do not know or work with individuals with sight loss, but it is important to remember that to the individuals concerned their preferred reading format will be very important, and frequently will hold the key to living an independent life.
What formats do I need to produce and in what volume?
That really depends on the type of information you have, and most importantly the requirements of your audience. If you know individuals have specific requirements the best way to meet those requirements is to ask them. A simple question like "What is your preferred reading format?" can save a large amount of time and money, and is likely to be appreciated by the individual concerned.
If you are not able to assess the requirements of your audience in advance you may be able to produce the appropriate numbers based on previous requests, or request a few copies in common formats - it is much quicker to produce more copies than to transcribe a new document.
Specialist formats
This section includes information on:
Audio - read about the latest developments for one of the primary communication formats for blind and partially sighted people.
Braille - the most widely used tactile reading format in the world!
Alternate tactile formats - the other options for people who need to read by touch but cannot read braille.
DAISY - the Digital Accessible Information SYstem is a better way to publish and read information and many consider this to be the future of accessible information.
Accessible images - with so much information conveyed in graphical form, these are the steps you can take to make that information accessible to blind and partially sighted people.
Other formats
In some cases individuals will prefer to have an accessible mainstream format, like good web accessibility; well created printed material, a word processed document or spreadsheet. There is no reason for these documents to look any different from the regular version produced for sighted people, so long as simple steps are followed in their creation.