E-text project manager wins award for championing textbook accessibility

Larry Weatherdon, e-textbook project manager at Algonquin College, awarded the Glenn Crombie Memorial Award by the College Committee on Disability Issues – becoming the first college employee not from a Centre for Students with Disabilities office to ever win the award.

(Ottawa, June 9, 2015) Since Larry Weatherdon led the launch of the e-Text program at Algonquin College two years ago, textbooks have been more accessible to students. They are available through mobile devices, meaning students can take them anywhere they go, and textbook prices have become more affordable.

They also became more accessible in another important way – Larry’s efforts have ensured students who need alternative and accessible materials, such as screen readers and assistive technology, receive them at the same time as all other students.

For his work, Larry was recently recognized by the College Committee on Disability Issues, receiving the Glenn Crombie Memorial Award for his contributions to students with disabilities.

“Larry’s work is setting a pattern of behavior with publishers so that their books are provided ahead of time, not just when they’re requested,” says Christine Kelsey, Assistive Technologist at the Algonquin College Centre for Students with Disabilities. “This reduces the time students have to wait for an alternative format, and sets a precedent that can be capitalized on by institutions using the same textbooks as Algonquin.”

In addition to providing e-textbooks to over 10,000 Algonquin College students last year, and assisting students with disabilities in receiving their books sooner, Larry’s work has also resulted in more than 2,000 textbook titles to the Alternative Educational Resources of Ontario (AERO) database, meaning that other colleges and students across Ontario have earlier access to accessible textbooks.

The Glenn Crombie Memorial Award is awarded by the College Committee on Disability Issues each year to someone who has demonstrated leadership, advocacy, collegiality, dedication, and excellence in the special needs field. Larry was nominated by members of the Algonquin College Centre for Students with Disabilities, and he is the first ever recipient of the award who works outside of the Centre for Students with Disabilities network.

Algonquin College’s e-Text program has reduced the cost of textbooks to 52 per cent of their paper equivalents, and will be supplying necessary resources to over 15,000 students this fall. Students are also able to access e-textbooks on their computers and mobile devices with iOS or Android operating systems. Learn more at www.algonquincollege.com/etexts