Alternative Formats for Written Communications

People often assume that people who are blind use Braille - and that employers have a responsibility, under the ADA, to provide all written materials in Braille. As an employer, the ADA does require  you to make company communications equally accessible to all your employees. Interestingly enough, however, only about 10% of people who are blind can read Braille. So it is likely that you will also want to provide information in other kinds of formats.

Some valuable advice, adapted from eSight Careers Network, follows:

How do you know if a blind or visually impaired employee needs Braille or not? By establishing candid communications and trust from the start. If the worker understands and believes that you want to come to the best solution while considering both her vision impairment and your budget, you'll likely come to a mutually agreeable arrangement.

Remember that there are several other ways (in addition to Braille) to produce work materials so they are accessible to blind or visually impaired employees. Thanks to the ubiquitous use of computers and the Internet in business, you probably already have all or most of these in place. All that remains is to provide the adaptive computer equipment (which you are likely supplying for the employee's reasonable accommodation anyway).

In addition to Braille, here are several alternatives to making work materials accessible:

1. Print them out after changing the font in the document to large print (technically 14 point but check with the employee to see if this is large enough for him/her).
2. Enlarge already-printed materials on a photocopier (if you don't mind poster-size pages).
3. Put them on a computer disk so the employee can read them, using the adaptive tools -- screen magnification, speech and Braille output -- you have supplied.
4. Send them to the employee as an attached to e-mail to read, using the adaptive tools you have supplied her.
5. Publish them on your employee intranet so she can read them, using the adaptive tools you have supplied her.
6. Arrange to have them recorded onto cassette tapes or writeable CDs or as a voice file sent via e-mail.
7. Have a co-worker or specially hired reader read them to her. You can even use voicemail, voice chat, voice instant messaging or meeting software such as Microsoft™ NetMeeting™.

Clearly the options for providing work-related materials in accessible formats are many. The task should present fewer challenges than you may have anticipated. Check with your employee and work together to find a solution that works well for you both.

Remember that any worker is only as good as his/her work tools permit.

The information in this section was adapted from materials developed by eSight Careers Network. More useful information for employers is on their Website.

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