This document provides an overview and agenda for a presentation on Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM). It discusses federal eligibility for AIM, the four specialized formats of Braille, large print, audio and digital text. Popular repositories for AIM are reviewed, including the National Library Service and Learning Ally. Key questions for determining student eligibility and acquiring copyrighted materials are outlined. The document recommends using the AIM Navigator tool to help individual students and ARD committees determine AIM needs, formats, acquisition sources, and support technologies.

1. Accessible Instructional
Materials (AIM)
AT Bootcamp
ATIA 2013
Behnke, Marotta, & Wojcik

2. Agenda
 Video Overview
 A Roadmap for Accessible Instructional
Materials (AIM)
 Eligibility
 Print Disability
 Specialized Formats
 Acquisition of AIM
 AIM Navigator
 Resources
 Comments and Suggestions

3. Review Video
“AIM Simply Said” by the National Center
on AIM
http://aim.cast.org/learn/accessiblemedia/
allaboutaim

4. The Texas Road Map for
Accessible Instructional Materials
 Developed to help give a visual
 GPS to help you navigate the way through
accessible instructional
material acquisition
 Provides 2 routes:
Eligibility and acquisition
routes

5. 5

6. Federal Eligibility
1. Blind persons: visual acuity is 20/200 or
less in the better eye with correction or
visual field no greater than 20°
2. Persons certified by competent authority:
even with correction, visual disability is
preventing the reading of standard
printed materials

7. Federal Eligibility
3. Persons certified by competent authority:
unable to read or use standard printed
materials due to physical limitations
4. Persons certified by competent authority:
have reading disability resulting from
organic dysfunction and of sufficient
severity to prevent their reading of
printed materials in a normal manner

8. Print Disability
 Student /child is not able to use standard
print materials
 Frequently the result of a visual
impairment, physical disability or reading
disability
 Meets copyright criteria for specialized
formats
 Federal definition of “Print Disability”

9. Accessible Instructional Materials
 Included in IDEA 2004
 Requires that core instructional materials
be provided in a timely manner in
specialized formats when needed by
students with disabilities
 4 specialized formats: Braille, large
print, audio and digital text

10. Braille
 Tactile literacy medium used by
learners who are blind
 Uses six dots, presented in various
combinations, to represent
text, numbers, punctuation, and special
signs and symbols
 Can be accessed using technology such as a
PDA (e.g. note-taker) or braille display

11. Large Print

Serif Font
Enlarged copy of regular-print-sized materials
Facilitates ease of reading for learners with
Sans-serif

low vision
 At least 18 point and larger
 Readability depends on font type, use of
white space and other features
(e.g. bold or underline vs. italicized text)
 APH Print Guidelines for Document Design
www.aph.org/edresearch/lpguide.htm

12. Audio
 Sound files
 Does not include text
 Includes recorded files, usually saved as
Wave or MP3 files
 Files can be accessed using the computer
(e.g. Windows Media Player) or portable
media players (e.g. iPod, Book Port
Plus, VictorReader Stratus)

13. Digital Text
 May be referred to as electronic text
or e-text
 Provides visual and auditory supports
 Available in various formats such as online
HTML or EPub
 Can be accessed using specialized software
(e.g. Read Hear™) or hardware (e.g.
Apex, VictorReader Stratus, VictorReader
Stream)

14. PATHWAYS TO PROVIDING
AIM TO STUDENTS

15. Key Questions When Investigating
Repositories of Accessible Text
 What is the nature of the collections?
(e.g., subject area
collections, textbooks, periodicals, trade
books, etc.)
 What formats are available from the
repository?
(e.g., .txt, .rtf, .doc, .docx, .pdf, etc.)
 Is there a cost to access the files in the
repository?
 Who qualifies?

16. Popular Repositories
 Readily Available Content (e.g., public
domain e-text and audio e-text
equivalents, Public Library Audio Books)
 Commercially Available Content
(e.g., Audible.com, Recorded
Books, ITunes Music Store, Amazon, etc.)

17. Popular Repositories (Continued)
 National Library Service for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped
(http://www.loc.gov/nls)
◦ Collection Holdings: Periodicals, Tradebooks
and Catalogs
◦ File Formats Available: cassette tapes, Braille
◦ Cost to Access: No

18. Popular Repositories (Continued)
 Learning Ally (Formerly Recordings for the
Blind and Dyslexic)
(http://www.learningally.org)
◦ Collection Holdings:
Textbooks, Periodicals, Tradebooks
◦ File Formats Available: .wma, DAISY
◦ Cost to Access: Yes, but depends

19. Popular Repositories (Continued)
 Infinitext (http://il.myinfinitec.org)
◦ Collection Holdings: Textbooks, Tradebooks
◦ File Formats Available: .txt, pdf, .kes., and
.mp3
◦ Cost to Access: No (must be a member of the
Coalition)

20. Popular Repositories (Continued)
 Bookshare.org (http://bookshare.org)
◦ Collection Holdings:
Textbooks, Periodicals, Tradebooks
◦ File Formats Available: .brf, DAISY
◦ Cost to Access: No (for qualifying K-12
Students), Yes (for others)

21. Popular Repositories (Continued)
 NIMAC (http://nimac.us)
◦ Collection Holdings: Textbooks, Core
Instructional Materials
◦ File Formats Available: NIMAS
◦ Cost to Access: No

22. Who Qualifies?: Key Questions When
Considering the Provision of AIM
 Does the student require
accessible, alternate format versions of
printed textbooks and printed core
materials? Has this need been documented
in the student’s 504 plan or IEP?
 Is the material copyrighted?
 Does the student certified by a competent
authority as having a print disability?
 Does the student have either a 504 plan or
an IEP?

23. Notes
 Provision of AIM
when those
materials are
copyrighted may
◦ be acquired from the
publisher
◦ go through the Chafee
Amendment or NIMAS
provisions (should the
student qualify)

24. More Notes
 When accessing files
under the Chaffee
Amendment or
NIMAS, it is
important to note
that different
repositories accept
different competent
authorities to certify
print disabilities.

25. Publishers and Others
 American Printing House for the Blind is also
a federally-funded Accessible Media
Provider
 Accessible materials can also be purchased
from publishers (e.g. Pearson) and other
commercial resources
 Top 10 questions to ask publishers

26. What do you currently do for accessing AIM?
Review the top 10 questions to ask publishers.
Group or Individual Activity

27. Determination of Materials
Things to consider:
 Learner’s needs
 Recommendations from personnel
 Availability
 Implementation and support
 Parental involvement
 Environments
 Technologies

28. AIM Explorer
 Interactive tool
 Allows for trials of different features
which may be beneficial for persons with
disabilities
 Report can be generated for documenting
individual preferences
 Download

29. AIM Navigator
 Interactive tool to facilitate the process of
decision-making of AIM for individual learners
 Process consists of 4 major decision points:
 determination of need
 selection of format(s)
 acquisition of format(s)
 selection of supports for use
 Useful resources provided to
help guide the ARD committee
http://aim.cast.org/experience/decision-making_tools/aim_navigator