Students who are eligible for alternative text, as determined by the Director or Coordinator, should follow these procedures:

  1. In order to receive your materials in a timely manner, you should request your textbooks at least three weeks in advance of when you will need them.  You need a separate request form for each of your books.
  2. If you have not signed the Alternate Text Agreement, please carefully read, initial as requested, and sign the agreement.  The signed agreement may be mailed to DSS at: Disability Support Services, Montana State University Billings, 1500 University Drive, Billings, MT 59102. Alternatively, you may scan and email the signed agreement to mandy.madler@msubillings.edu.
  3. DSS will contact the publisher to see if the book is available in electronic format.  If it is, we will get the book in E-text, which works well with Read and Write Gold.  In order to comply with copyright laws, we will need a copy of your sales slip. 
  4. If the book is not available from the publisher, DSS will need your copy of the book to create the alternative text.  The campus print shop will chop the binding off the book.  The pages are scanned, edited and turned into an MP3 file.  The print shop will rebind the book with plastic coiled rings, and we can generally get it back to you within 48 hours. 
  5. If the book is already available from our library, we will give you a copy of it as soon as we have made a copy of your receipt.
  6. Provide a copy of the syllabi to DSS so that edited materials can be provided in the order in which they are needed.