Increasing Student Access to Content Area Textbooks

Abstract

Teachers, particularly at the middle and high school levels, rely heavily on textbooks to deliver curricular content. Often, students are asked to dive right into the content of a textbook that may or may not contain relevant information, is difficult to navigate, or requires prior content knowledge they do not have. To combat these issues and maximize the utility of textbooks, they must be selected carefully and implemented soundly. Yet, even these steps may not enable all students, specifically those with disabilities, to access them. Fortunately, digital textbooks may be an accessible option for some students. This article provides suggestions on (a) how teachers can carefully select textbooks, (b) effective methods for implementing textbooks, and (c) accessibility ideas for digital text for students with disabilities.