Providing+Accessible+Instructional+Materials

=Providing Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM) =


//This information is also available on the [|PaTTAN] website//



 * Textbooks and other print materials are a primary means of accessing curriculum in schools**. Many students with disabilities have difficulty with these standard materials, seeing them, manipulating them or perhaps decoding or comprehending them. These students need accessible instructional materials (AIM) in order to access the general education curriculum. Provisions within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004) require that textbooks and related core instructional materials in specialized formats be provided to students who need them in a timely manner.

To make this easier for schools, IDEA 2004 also established a **standard file format** that all publishers of K-12 textbooks will provide upon request when textbooks are ordered. The [|National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS)] is intended for use in the preparation of electronic files suitable for efficient conversion into specialized formats. Further, the [|National Instructional Materials Center (NIMAC)] was established as a repository for those files. When LEAs order texts for all students, they will request that a NIMAS file be deposited in the NIMAC for later conversion into specialized formats needed by individual students using that text. //(Learn more by reading the [|OSEP Topic Brief on NIMAS] or by visiting the [|NIMAC website].//)

What do we mean by specialized formats?
 Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM) are versions of standard curricular content in specialized formats that can be used by and with print-disabled learners. They include Braille, audio, large print, and electronic text.  Learn more about how materials in each of these four categories are created, made available to, and used by students at CAST's page on [|Finding and Implementing AIM].

What does NIMAS/NIMAC mean for schools in PA?
 Pennsylvania has opted to participate with the NIMAC. PaTTAN is the designated NIMAC Authorized User. Therefore, LEAs in PA will be able to make requests that NIMAC files for individual student users be assigned to an Accessible Media Provider for conversion to the alternate format needed by eligible students.  When ordering textbooks from publishers, LEAs should include the following language in the purchase order to ensure that a NIMAS file is deposited into the NIMAC. B//y agreeing to deliver the materials marked with "NIMAS" on this contract or purchase order, the publisher agrees to prepare and submit, on or before ___/___/_ a NIMAS file set to the NIMAC that complies with the terms and procedures set forth by the NIMAC. Should the vendor be a distributor of the materials and not the publisher, the distributor agrees to immediately notify the publisher of its obligation to submit NIMAS file sets of the purchased products to the NIMAC. The files will be used for the production of alternate formats as permitted under the law for students with print disabilities; This is page __of__ of this contract or purchase order.// (For more information, see related [|Pennlink dated 11/15/06].)


LEAs are encouraged to __contact textbook publishers__ to determine whether the product(s) in questions is available for sale in the appropriate alternate format. 
 * __To obtain materials in braille format__,** LEAS are encouraged to contact PaTTAN Production Services. Staff in Production Services can assist LEAs in identifying conversion options for NIMAS and other files.
 * __To obtain materials in other alternate forma__ts**, LEAS are encouraged to explore the services available from national-level accessible materials producers and distributors such as
 * <span style="background-color: rgb(221, 235, 148)"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">[|Bookshare.org] for electronic texts. (Note that Bookshare is free to students with IEPs.)
 * <span style="background-color: rgb(221, 235, 148)"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"><span class="wiki_link_ext">[|Recordings For Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D)] for human voice audio texts.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">Resources on Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM)
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> Click here for the [|AIM Consortium website.] It provides links that make it easy to navigate right to information about AIM on the CAST website. Speaking of the CAST website, this article by Skip Stahl [|The Promise of Accessible Textbooks] provides background on NIMAS, NIMAC, and AIM, and interesting perspectives on copyright, publishing, and other issues

And, look at the free tools available on the [|CAST website]. These are also listed on the CAST and UDL page of another wiki called "[|UDL-Stuff]".

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">[|Accessibility Options in Vista and Leopard.doc]: This tells more about abut the accessibility tools built into your computer operating system. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">**"[|Using Technology to Support Diverse Learners"].** <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive">**Terrific information and tips on helpful (and built-in) features of Microsoft Word.** <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive"> //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; color: rgb(16, 101, 34)"><span style="color: rgb(41, 112, 55)">Disclaimer: This site and information, links, and resources contained herein, are intended as a forum for information and communication only and should not be interpreted to mean endorsement by PATTAN or any of its transition partners. Unless otherwise stated, information on this website is not intended to represent the policies, positions, or intentions of PaTTAN or any state agency. //