2010 OSEP Leadership Mega Conference Discover How Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM) Can Help our Students Learn and Grow Joy Zabala Strand 1: Parents S1-203

Your Presenter Joy Smiley Zabala, Ed.D., ATP Director of Technical Assistance CAST and The National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials Wakefield, MA and Lake Jackson, TX

Main Ideas for this Session Introduction to Accessible to Instructional Materials Team Responsibilities Overview of the National AIM Center The AIM Center Website –Learn, Explore, and Collaborate –AIM Consortium Products

Access to Instructional Materials Regulatory and Practical Responsibilities

Legal Requirements Provisions within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 require state and local education agencies to ensure that textbooks and related core instructional materials are provided to students with print disabilities in specialized formats in a timely manner. Section , Final Regulations of IDEA 2004

Legal Requirements State and Local Education Agencies must also: “Adopt the NIMAS” National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard SEAs and LEAs must include the requirement to produce a NIMAS-compliant file in all purchasing contracts. No statutory requirement is placed on publishers.

XML files that are developed to the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) can be readily transformed into student-ready specialized formats.

Legal Requirements State and Local Education Agencies must also: Decide whether to “coordinate with the NIMAC” National Instructional Materials Access Center All 50 states opted to coordinate with the NIMAC as a means for providing specialized formats in a timely manner to qualified students..

Texts and Related Core Materials Printed textbooks and related printed core materials published with texts… – Written and published primarily for use in elementary and secondary school instruction – Required by a state education agency or a local education agency for use by students in the classroom

Textbooks and Related Core Materials Printed textbooks and related printed core materials published with texts “published after July 19, 2006” OSEP has interpreted “published” to mean “available for purchase” brief

Specialized Formats Braille Large print Audio Digital text

Timely Manner Must be defined by states as mandated in Section of the Final Regulations of IDEA 2004 Generally means “at the same time” as other students receive their core instructional materials in print format.

Students with Print Disabilities Under the Copyright Act of 1931 as Amended, individuals with “print disabilities” are those who have been certified by a competent authority as unable to read or use printed materials because of— Blindness A visual impairment Physical limitations An organic dysfunction

Responsibilities of Decision-Making Teams 1.Establish need for instructional materials in specialized formats 2.Select specialized format(s) needed by the student for educational participation and achievement 3.Commence SEA and/or LEA-defined acquisition steps that ensure provision of needed formats in a timely manner 4.Determine supports needed for effective use of specialized formats

Multiple Sources for Acquiring Accessible Instructional Materials

The AIM / NIMAS Provision Process

Multiple Sources of AIM NIMAC Accessible Media Producers (AMPs) Commercial Sources Free Sources Do-It-Yourself

Sources of Accessible Instructional Materials The National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC)

Students who Qualify for this Source 1.Students who qualify as a student with a disability under IDEA Students who are eligible under the Copyright Act of 1931 as amended are those who have been certified by a competent authority as unable to read printed materials because of— ▪ Blindness ▪ A visual impairment ▪ Physical limitations ▪ An organic dysfunction

Qualification for Other Sources Accessible Media Producers (AMPs) – General Collection: Individuals eligible under copyright statute – NIMAS-Sourced Collection: Same as NIMAC

Accessible Media Producers 21

NIMAS and APH Under the 1879 “Act to Promote the Education of the Blind,” the American Printing House for the Blind is the official supplier of educational materials for visually impaired students in the U.S. who are working at less than college level. APH produces braille, large print, recorded audio, and electronic formats.

NIMAS and APH APH reports that the images found in the NIMAS file sets are “the best they have ever had” for large print production. The NIMAS XML has cut pre-production time by half or more. APH is able to provide faster turnaround with NIMAS files, especially for smaller books. Challenges remain for transcribers as not all braille translation software works with NIMAS.

Accessible Media Producers 24

Bookshare  Bookshare is an online library of accessible media for readers with print disabilities  Accessible books as digital text over the Internet  Over 98,000 student members  Over 11,000 schools and other organizations  Over 75,000 titles  books added every month  Over 1500 NIMAC textbooks 25 Bookshare believes that people with print disabilities should have the same ease of access to books and periodicals that people without disabilities enjoy.

Bookshare Enroll your roster of qualified students Search for the book you need (including full text searching) & download instantly Request a book if we don’t yet have it NIMAC < 1 week (AU 26 states & territories) Other < 2 months Students can read on PC, braille display or many other devices: Large print, audio, multi-modal, braille

27 Bookshare FREE for qualified U.S. students through OSEP; Free reader software & compatible with assistive technology including braille displays Library of textbooks & required reading – download instantly or we’ll add any K-12 student request Training & support for teachers & parents; Individual student accounts

Accessible Media Producers 28

Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic RFB&D’s mission is to create individual success by providing and promoting the effective use of accessible educational materials. RFB&D’s vision is for all people to have equal access to the printed and electronic word. 270,000 People Served

Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic Audio Textbooks – Human Voice DAISY CD / Downloadable DAISY / Windows Media Audio Narrated by subject specialists Complete descriptions of formulas, diagrams, pictures, etc. STEM content

Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic Exceptional Support 24/7 Support Available for Parents, Teachers, Students Project Managers for Institutional Support Custom Webinars Web Based Support Telephone Support Customized Training Packages

Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic Synthetic Speech and Human Audio Synchronized Synthetic Speech and Text (Under Development) Authorized User for 18 States (NIMAS/NIMAC) Free Individual Student Memberships (DOE Supported)

Qualification for Other Sources Commercial Sources – Purchase it for anyone, use it with anyone! Free Sources – No limitations

Promising Trends The emerging market –Accessible books for purchase –The digital shift Future directions –Beyond print-based textbooks –Ubiquitous accessibility

Overview of the National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials (aka The AIM Center)

The AIM Center’s Charge The AIM Center is charged with working with SEAs, LEAs and other stakeholders (such as parent centers) to develop effective systems to speed up the delivery of high-quality accessible instructional materials to students with print disabilities and visual impairments.

Overview of the National AIM Center Activities in Three Areas: Knowledge Development Leadership Technical Assistance

Proactive Technical Assistance AIM Center Website Learn Explore Collaborate Customized State pages Webinar Series System-focused Leaders Student-focused Leaders Conference Presentations

AIM Center Website The AIM Center website serves as a resource to state- and district-level educators, parents, publishers, conversion houses, accessible media producers, and others interested in learning more about and implementing AIM and NIMAS

Major Areas Learn Experience Collaborate AIM Initiatives NIMAS Development Center National AIM Center AIM Consortium AIM Center Site Orientation

AIM Center Home Page At the Top Navigation Site Map Glossary Near the Bottom BrowseAloud Enabled On the Right Highlights Stay Connected AIM in Your State Presentations and Webinars AIM for Families Site Updates

Accessible Media Practice Policy All About AIM Research History and Archives Disability-Specific Resources

Teaching and Resources –Presentations and Webinars –AIM Consortium Products Technologies for AIM and NIMAS –Production Supports –Conversion Tool –Exemplars AIM Across the Curriculum

What’s There –Facebook and Twitter –YouTube –Interest Groups – AIM and NIMAS –AIM Center Newsletter What’s Coming –Forums and Wiki

Responsibilities of Decision-Making Teams 1.Establish need for instructional materials in specialized formats 2.Select specialized format(s) needed by the student for educational participation and achievement 3.Commence SEA and/or LEA-defined acquisition steps that ensure provision of needed formats in a timely manner 4.Determine supports needed for effective use of specialized formats

Taking a Closer Look at EXPERIENCE Decision-Making Tools from the AIM Consortium

Taking a Closer Look AIM Consortium Decision-Making Tools AIM Navigator AIMing for Achievement DVD AIM Explorer AIM Product Tutorials AIM Guide to Federally-Funded Accessible Media Producers AIM Implementation Guide

Exploring the Site

Decision-Making Steps Need, Selection, Acquisition, and Use AIM Consortium Decision-Making Tool arranged by Need, Selection, Acquisition and Use AIM Navigator AIMing for Achievement DVD AIM Product Tutorials AIMAIM Explorer Guide to Federally-Funded Accessible Media Producers AIM Implementation Guide

Responsive Technical Assistance Respond to individual requests and concerns in a timely manner Consult with states on policies, procedures, system development, etc. Review policies and procedures and provide feedback Serve as guest remote presenter in state developed webinars or training sessions

Targeted Technical Assistance Individualized menu of state-focused technical assistance developed in collaboration with SEA and LEA leaders in 10 states or other entities Applications will be sent to State Directors of Special Education and NIMAS/NIMAC Coordinators First 3 states will be identified in Summer/Fall of 2010 Additional states added annually

Questions

It is not enough to stare up the steps… We must step up the stairs” Vaclav Havel

Stepping Up the Stairs Visit the AIM Center web site at Build background knowledge in LEARN Use the decision-making tools in EXPLORE Join the discussions coming in COLLABORATE Ask your state’s NIMAS Coordinator about accessible instruction materials Find out about your LEA’s AIM-related policies, procedures, and practices Share information with others!

Contact via Joy Zabala, Director of Technical Assistance General Inquiries