Educators

Braille textbooks Textbooks can be ordered in Braille and/or large print for K-12 education programs.

Through Braille and recorded book production facilities, and a national network of educational resource centers for the blind, the South Dakota Braille and Talking Book Program borrows or buys textbooks in alternative formats for students who cannot read standard print. Using this service, schools can provide an equal/quality education for students as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Federal Rehabilitation Act, Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and the South Dakota Braille Bill.

Ordering of educational materials requires that students meet the eligibility requirements and have completed a Braille & Talking Book Program application.

Textbooks

Not all of the textbooks that will be ordered are currently in alternative formats and so may need to be produced for your student(s). Production time depends on the complexity of the materials. The school will be billed if there is a cost for the material.

Before ordering textbooks schools must complete a Braille & Talking Book application for the school , and a Braille & Talking Book application for the student.

Orders for textbooks are completed as received. Please, try to send clean books (without writing, highlighting, or rips) when needing an enlarged or braille version of a textbook made. We would like to produce the best alternative version possible for your students.

Order by completing the textbook order form with the included payment authorization form.

Textbook costs and production costs incurred for cancelled orders are the responsibility of the school. The cost of reproducing a textbook in large print or braille can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. To mitigate this cost the SD Braille & Talking Book Program will try to borrow the textbooks from other states whenever possible.

Rebinding costs of original print books are the responsibility of the school. The production process for large print and Braille textbooks usually requires that the original text provided by the school district be torn apart. If you wish to have your original rebound, please submit the rebinding authorization form with your textbook order. If you would like more information about rebinding costs, please contact PheasantLand Industries in Sioux Falls at (605) 367-5143.

Audio textbooks are not ordered through the SD Braille & Talking Book Program. Audio textbooks can be ordered through Learning Ally and Bookshare.

Orders must be placed by January 15th for delivery before the Fall school term. Place orders by July 15th for delivery before the Spring school term. The Department of Education cannot assure timely availability of the alternative format that you need unless the orders and original print books are received by these deadlines. These deadlines are necessary if the books are to be made available to you by the start of the school terms.

Return borrowed textbooks as soon as possible after the end of the school year, since many students/teachers have requested to borrow the same textbooks as you did this past school year. Also, if you have any textbooks, machines, or even recreational audio books which have been borrowed in past years — please send those back to the SD Braille & Talking Book Program as well.

Textbooks that have been paid for by the school are the property of the school. However, if you would like to donate these materials for the use of other students, please send them to the SD Braille & Talking Book Program.

If you have questions regarding the ordering of textbooks, please call the toll-free number 1-800-423-6665.

Textbook Tips:

One form per student.
Include summer contact information as well as school contact information.
Send forms with printed textbooks (one copy of each book requested) to allow for immediate production.
If one book is needed to be reproduced twice for two students, please send two copies of the book if available.

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Prairie Trails Memorandum

Volume 8, Issue 1 | Spring/Summer 2013
Articles include "Automated Phone System", "South Dakota Has New State Librarian", "Are You Ready for Summer Reading?"

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