The following Policy document has been developed to provide information and direction regarding services of the Alternate Text Production Center as well as guidelines relative to how services may be obtained from the Center. This Policy will be reviewed and modified on a regular basis to meet the ongoing needs of visually impaired and print disabled students of the California Community College system. Please note that this document supersedes the Braille Production Policy of June 28, 2002.

1. ATPC services may only be requested by the community college DSP&S Coordinator, the ADA Coordinator or his/her designees.
2. A student’s eligibility for service is determined locally by the DSP&S Coordinator (or designee). ATPC services must be requested each semester needed.
3. Students receiving services through the ATPC must be enrolled in the course for which the alternate text is being requested.
4. In order to receive alternate text materials from the ATPC, the requesting college must verify that:
   • The student has purchased or ordered the instructional materials.
   • The instructional materials have been purchased or ordered on behalf of the student.
5. All requests for alternate text (e-text, Braille, tactile graphics) will be submitted by completing the on-line request form located on the ATPC website at www.atpc.net. A separate request form must be completed for each alternate text service.
6. Alternate text requests should be submitted as soon as the student’s planned course enrollment is verified by the DSP&S Coordinator/designee. Late requests will be honored with the understanding that the ATPC will set the timeline for completion of the work accordingly.
7. Turn-around times for alternate text requests are determined on a case by case basis. Upon review of material to be formatted and converted, ATPC will update each projects status online. Requests for unformatted e-text will be mailed immediately upon receipt from publisher.
8. The ATPC will make every effort to work with publishers to receive e-text in a timely manner and in a useable format.
9. When colleges choose to request unformatted e-text (text in its native format from the publisher) hard copy materials will not be required. The ATPC’s ability to deliver unformatted text may be impacted by the following:
   • The publisher may or may not respond to the request for e-text.
   • The publisher may or may not respond in a timely manner.
10. All requests for unformatted e-text will be made for a preferred and usable format.
11. Colleges may also have a need to request formatted/edited text from the ATPC. Requests for formatted e-text will require a copy of the on-line request confirmation along with the hard copy textbook and instructor’s class syllabus. These items need to be mailed to the ATPC when the request is submitted.
12. Alternate text production for formatted text will begin when ATPC has received the on-line request form, the hardcopy textbook and the instructor’s course syllabus. Initially, colleges should expect that they will not receive their hard copy materials back from the ATPC.
13. The ATPC will request e-text directly from publishers for all requests. If the alternate text request is for formatted text and there is no response from the publisher, the ATPC will scan the hard copy materials and begin production. The time frame will be established on a case by case basis based on student need. While still the intended goal, the ATPC has not been officially designated as the single point of contact for publishers; colleges will be notified at such time that this occurs.
14. In accordance with Education Code, Section 67302, The ATPC promotes copyright protection by locally securing alternate media and by stating on all ATPC products that they are copy – protected. Each learning institution receiving ATPC alternate media needs to take precautionary actions to further ensure these learning materials are not copied or distributed in a matter that would be in violation of the Copyright Revisions Act of 1976, as amended.
15. In order to meet immediate needs of as many students as possible, formatted alternate text may be provided in stages based on course syllabus and direction from the requesting college.
16. Whenever possible, colleges should locally produce hard copy alternate text (Braille, tactile graphics) from electronic files provided by the ATPC.
17. In the event that a student drops the class, or there is a change in the alternate text need, colleges need to notify the ATPC immediately so that the ATPC can respond accordingly – discontinue work or modify production schedule.