The ARC-BC Project
Who is involved in the development and management of ARC-BC?
PRCVI (the Provincial Centre for the Visually Impaired) and SET-BC (Special Education Technology – British Columbia) are working together to develop and manage ARC-BC. The ARC-BC provincial team consists of provincial consultants and alternate format production staff who work with educational, government and industry partners to ensure the alternate format materials available meet the needs of BC educators supporting students with perceptual disabilities.
What types of alternate format materials will be available through ARC-BC?
The materials available in ARC-BC are based on those print materials being used in BC classrooms. Depending on the individual title, these curricular materials are available in a number of electronic formats including electronic text (e.g. simple text, rich text, scanned text), electronic books that incorporate text and graphics, talking books, braille or Nemeth code or tactile graphics.
How have BC school districts been involved in the project?
Educators from BC school districts have been involved in the planning and development of ARC-BC from the beginning. Teams from eight school districts provided invaluable guidance and design suggestions during the project’s planning and testing phases. These districts also donated their own alternate format collections, which, when combined with PRCVI’s collection of e-text, created the initial ARC-BC alternate format collection. BC school districts continue to be involved in ARC-BC, once they have joined the ARC-BC Community, by offering feedback and suggestions and by contributing alternate format materials created in their own schools.