NIMAC for New State Coordinators

What is the NIMAC? The NIMAC is the National Instructional Materials Access Center. Created by IDEA 2004, we are a digital textbook repository that houses NIMAS file sets for K-12 print textbooks. These source files are used by States to prepare accessible formats such as braille, digital audio, DAISY text, large print, or other student-ready formats.

What the NIMAC does… We work with over 100 textbook publishers who submit NIMAS files to the repository. We provide an online system that is available to States 24/7 to access NIMAS source files for accessible media production. We set up accounts for Authorized Users, Accessible Media Producers, State Coordinators, and publishers so that they can work with the NIMAC system.

What the NIMAC does… We provide support and assistance to NIMAC users and others who contact us needing help obtaining accessible formats or getting plugged into their state system. We provide referrals to the NIMAS Center at CAST ( for those needing technical assistance in converting NIMAS into accessible formats. We now have over 32,000 NIMAS file sets available for download!

What is NIMAS? NIMAS is an XML-based source file format based on the DAISY standard. The format is not intended for distribution directly to students as it generally requires conversion to be a fully-accessible textbook equivalent for students with print disabilities. Most significantly, NIMAS source files do not include image descriptions; these must be added by the accessible media producer.

Can I use NIMAS on an iPad? If you want to use NIMAS with an ebook reader, you’ll first need to convert it into a format the device can recognize. We recommend that you refer to the AT information pages on the National Center for AIM (at CAST) web site to find out what file formats various devices can support. The site can be found here:

What about “born digital” materials? IDEA 2004 clearly states that the NIMAC is to house files for “print instructional materials.” At this time, materials such as online courses, web-based resources, or any other resources that are published in digital format only, are exempt from NIMAS. Customers who need accessible digital files for digitally published content should negotiate at the point of purchase of these materials so that an accessible alternative is provided.

What does it mean to “coordinate” with the NIMAC? IDEA 2004 required all States to adopt NIMAS as the national file format for source files for production of accessible formats for K-12 textbooks and core print instructional materials. However, States were given the option of either working with the NIMAC, or working directly with publishers to obtain NIMAS files. (At this point, all 50 States have coordinated.)

What does it mean to “coordinate” with the NIMAC? States that coordinate with the NIMAC agree to do two things: – They agree to include language in their print book adoption contracts or purchase agreements requiring publishers to submit NIMAS files to the NIMAC – They agree to abide by the limitations set out in IDEA 2004 regarding NIMAS eligibility.

What does the State Coordinator (SC) do? The SC has two tasks: – To opt into the NIMAC on behalf of the state by signing and mailing in the NIMAC Coordination Agreement – To designate and manage Authorized Users for your State (usually 1-5 individuals) The Coordination Agreement can be found on the NIMAC web site on our page for SCs and AUs:

Credentials and Logging In When a new SC is being designated, we will temporarily suspend the SC account while awaiting an updated agreement. (This does not affect the active AUs for your State.) Once we’ve received the agreement, we’ll reset the password and send it to you. To log in, you can go to the NIMAC web site: Or, you can just bookmark the direct link:

State Coordinator Home From the home page of your account, you will see four tabs at the top of the screen: – State Home – Manage Authorized Users – Manage Your Account – Support

Support Tab The Support tab of each NIMAC user portal has downloadable documentation on how to use the system. This PowerPoint document can be downloaded from the Support tab at any time. You can find additional resources at the NIMAC web site:

Manage Authorized Users This tab is used to create new accounts for AUs for your state. It is also where you remove accounts if an AU leaves their position or for some other reason no longer needs the account. When you click the tab, it will take you to a screen that shows 3 headings: Manage Pending Authorized Users, Add an Authorized User, and Manage Active Authorized Users.

Pending Authorized Users When you click the Submit button, the system automatically sends an containing the NIMAC Limitation of User Agreement (LUA) to the address included in the registration. The new registration will then show up under Pending Authorized Users. Once the NIMAC has received the signed LUA, we will activate the account and it will then show under Active Authorized Users.

Managing Authorized Users You can Edit or Delete pending or active Authorized Users at any time. Just click the link to the left of the user’s name to perform the selected function. Choosing Edit will open up the account’s information. Choosing Delete will permanently remove the account from the system.

Deleting AU Accounts AU accounts are established for a specific individual, not an agency or organization. If an AU leaves the position, that account must be deleted and a new account established for the person who replaces the AU. Please do not use the Edit option to transfer an account to a new person. SCs are welcome to establish multiple accounts for persons at the same agency, if needed.

Whom should I designate as AUs? Each state has its own system for implementing NIMAS. AUs are individuals who convert NIMAS and distribute it to eligible students or who coordinate the work of the accessible media producers. Many States have named Bookshare and Learning Ally as Authorized Users.

AUs and AMP accounts: What’s the difference? Anyone is welcome to search the NIMAC using the public search interface: Authorized Users can search, download files and assign files to registered AMPs. AU accounts must be designated by an SC. States generally designate between 2 and 5 AUs.

AU and AMP accounts: What’s the difference? AMP accounts can only download files assigned to them by any AU. AMP accounts are “self-designating” and freely available. An AMP can work with any State they like. Having these two types of accounts helps protect copyright while giving States flexibility to work with any AMPs they choose.

The National Center for AIM The National Center for AIM at CAST is funded to provide information and technical support to States as they establish systems to serve print disabled students. If you need help with broader NIMAS implementation questions, Joy Zabala or Chuck Hitchcock are there to help with these

Manage Your Account This option allows you to edit your address, password, or security question. NIMAC encourages all users to change the system- generated password the first time you log in. Just make any needed change and click “Update.” The system will confirm the updates.

If you head for greener pastures… Please send us an at or give us a quick call ( ) and let us We’ll be sure to contact your replacement and send them the Coordination Agreement and get the updates into our system as quickly as possible.

Congratulations! You have reached the end of this webinar! You now know how to: – Coordinate with NIMAC – Create and manage Authorized Users – Edit your own password and personal information – Find additional help Thanks for joining us today!

Need more help? Contact us! Should you encounter a technical problem or error while working in the system, please direct those support requests to OverDrive: All other questions can be directed to NIMAC: