Accessible Resources & Services
The TJRC continues to be a hub for accessible resources and supports at UGDSB. Our work is multifaceted and provides resources to support educators and staff in learning and teaching more about accessibility, as well as on-site supports for mobility and accessible use of our physical spaces.
Playaways and Wonderbooks
Playaways and Wonderbooks are texts in accessible formats - great for students who are learning to read in English, students who have print disabilities...the opportunities are endless!
A Playaway is a pre-loaded audiobook that does not require downloads or internet connectivity. The physical device is roughly the size of an iPod or MP3 player and allows students to take the books they’re reading wherever they go. A Wonderbook is a hybrid resource - a full text book with a Playaway-style audiobook built right in. This allows students to follow along while listening to the text read aloud. There is also a Learning Mode with Wonderbooks that provides further extensions for literacy skills development.
Playaways and Wonderbooks are available for fiction and nonfiction texts written for a variety of audience and reading levels - they are currently only published in English.
To borrow a Playaway or Wonderbook from TJRC, search for “Playaway” in Insignia to see the titles currently available. Playaways and Wonderbooks can be borrowed from the Terry James Resource Centre just like regular books - come in person or place a reserve online to have the book sent to your site via board courier.
Photo of a Playaway device
Photo of several books formatted as Wonderbook devices
Photo of a Wonderbook device
NEW Sensory & Educational Tools collection
Learn more about finding high interest / low vocabulary (hi-lo) resources through the TJRC, including searching for hi-lo books in the TJRC collection; searching for eBooks and audiobooks in Sora by interest level and text difficulty; and browsing hi-lo eBooks and audiobooks.
Additional accessibility supports
"The Centre for Equitable Library Access, CELA, is an accessible library service, providing books and other materials to Canadians with print disabilities.
The CELA Educator Access Program offers Canadian K-12 and postsecondary educators who support students with print disabilities free access to thousands of accessible reading materials through your public library’s CELA service, including Bookshare."
UGDSB has a partnership with Wellington County Library that ensures educators throughout our board can access CELA.