What are Multiple Formats?

The printed page is not the only format for publications.

Making your government publications available in multiple formats is recognizing the fact that clients do not all access information in the same way. People with disabilities, older Canadians and new Canadians unfamiliar with text in Canada's official languages may require different formats to access information.

Multiple formats are simply other ways of publishing information.

Multiple formats covered in the "Manager's Guide to Multiple Formats" are as follows. Click on each for more information.

• Accessible Web Sites
• Audio
• Braille
• Electronic Storage
• Described Video
• E-Text
• Large Print
• On-Screen Text
• SignWriting

These formats are considered to be the most beneficial at this time. However, new technologies are being developed all the time so the list above is by no means final.

This tutorial makes occasional reference to screen readers when explaining certain multiple formats.

Screen readers are devices that enable many people who are blind or have low vision to use computers. Essentially, they "read" text on the screen which can then be converted to the multiple formats of audio, large print or braille. This is why it's so important for all graphics on a CD-ROM, DVD or Web page, to have a text explanation (see more on text explanations in the e-text section of Level 2). Without a text explanation, screen reader users are not able to interpret graphics.

Next Module: Why Multiple Formats?

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