About

The building where Center for Inclusive Design & Innovation is headquartered.

A Shared Mission

The AccessText Network is a conduit between the publishing world and colleges and universities across the country, with a shared mission to ensure students with disabilities have equal access to their textbooks in an electronic format and in a timely manner. Founded and supported by the Association of American Publishers and leading textbook publishers, AccessText works with its members to ensure its services meet the needs of students, publishers, colleges, and other stakeholders.

AccessText is administered by Center for Inclusive Design & Innovation at the Georgia Institute of Technology, under the auspices of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. Learn more about the AccessText Network team. 

Milestones

  • 2018

    Record number of school and publisher members

    The end of 2018 shows that we have come a long way from our initial launch. ATN now has 41 publishers; 2,891 post-secondary institutions; 750,000 titles; and publishers have stored over 50,000 files for automatic fulfillment of 61% of requests.

  • 2017

    An Updated Platform

    Released an updated platform (ATN 3.0) to increase efficiencies in placing and processing requests, while growing to include 35 member-publishers and 2800 member-schools.

  • 2016

    Zero Project Winners

    AccessText expanded membership eligibility to include Canadian post-secondary institutions. AccessText received the Zero Project Award for Innovative Practices in Education and ICT.

  • 2014

    Continued Growth

    The AccessText Network was mentioned during a U.S. Senate HELP hearing on students with disabilities in higher education. AccessText grew to include 16 member-publishers and over 2,000 member-schools.

  • 2013

    A Record Year

    A record 80,000 requests were made in one year (over 240,000 since launch).

  • 2011

    Making an Impact

    The AccessText Network was referenced in a final report of the Advisory Commission on Accessible Materials in Post-secondary Education for Students with Disabilities.

  • 2010

    A Million Dollar Partnership

    Through a collaboration with CourseSmart (now VitalSource) and the Center for Inclusive Design & Innovation, AccessText was a key partner on a $1.2 million dollar STEPP (Student E-rent Pilot Project) grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

  • 2009

    AccessText Network Launched

    In August 2009, the AccessText Network was launched with eight publishers and 478 member-schools.