TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction Clearinghouse for Specialized Media & Translations (CSMT) Standards Curriculum Frameworks & Instructional Resources Division Curriculum, Learning, & Accountability Branch California Department of Education ELECTRONIC FILES

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction ELECTRONIC FILES The intent of this presentation is to provide information about using technology to gain access to print materials in varied formats, specifically electronic files, available on the Instructional Materials Ordering and Distribution System (IMODS) Web page at

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES A disabled person may have difficulty accessing instructional materials due to a lack of ability to: –Read print –Turn pages or navigate a book –Hear information –See directions

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction MEETS THE DEFINITION OF BLINDNESS (MDB) Students who are legally blind are designated as such through acuity: Loss greater than 20/200 and/or Peripheral vision less than 20%

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction FUNCTIONS AT THE DEFINITION OF BLINDNESS (FDB) Vision impairment due to trauma (brain injury) or other neurologic disorders (medical diagnosis).

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction MONOCULARS AND CLOSED CAPTION TV Hand-held devices that magnify print or graphics (electronic or lens), as well as, closed-captioned TV (placing an item under a camera and displaying it on a large screen) to assist the viewer in seeing information needed.

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction LARGE PRINT The standard at the CSMT has been to increase the letters to size 20 font and all graphics in color. Recently, the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) has changed their policy to reflect similar guidelines.

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction AUDIO IMODS includes audio files as a download. Upon request these files are available on a CD or cassette. Some files use human voice, and others use a synthetic voice for 2 nd grade and above.

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY The greatest improvement in providing access has been in using technology to achieve a level playing field for information.

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction PUBLIC LAW TECHNOLOGY-RELATED ASSISTANCE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES ACT OF 1988 “…technology designed to be utilized in an assistive technology device or assistive technology service…by providing enhancements to or changed methods of interacting with the technology needed to accomplish such tasks.”

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction UNIVERSAL DESIGN The design of products to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation (add-on assistive technology) or specialized design.

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction LOW TECH Systems that do not include a battery: folders, binders, highlighting pens, dry erase boards, and other organizational materials are examples of low tech devices.

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction LIGHT TECH A digitized speech reader or touch sensitive display pad, tape recorder, overhead projector, calculator, and timers are examples of low tech devices.

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction HIGH TECH Computers or computer-based appliances that are communication aids such as video cameras, computers, and adaptive hardware are examples of high tech devices.

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction COMPUTER FILES The California Department of Education through the Clearinghouse for Specialized Media and Translations (CSMT) provides access to information in many ways. In this part of the presentation we will focus on electronic files.

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction PUBLISHER FILES Education Code § “…the publisher shall provide the State Department of Education, upon request, with computer files or other electronic versions of textual content of basic instructional materials ….” CSMT provides publisher files for download on the IMODS Web page.

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction BRAILLE FILES After the transcriber has completed the braille for a book, and it is checked by a proofer and formatter, the file is then uploaded to IMODS. Schools can request a hard copy embossed, or provide the embossing at the district/county level. Many students now request the files to be uploaded on devices such as computers or a Braille Note.

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction NIMAS FILES Publishers are now providing files with graphics to the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS). These files include both the printed text and a catalog of graphics found in the book.

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction INCLUDED IN NIMAS FILES NIMAS files are not student-ready. The CSMT provides a conversion to a text file on the CD with the NIMAS file, so the student has access to the graphics found in the textbook.

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction DIGITAL TALKING BOOKS The Digital Talking Book (DTB) is a relatively new technology in the United States. These books on a CD look exactly as the hard bound books appear for their peers. The difference is accessibility. Font size, contrast, bookmarking, speed, highlighting, and other features make the DTB accessible to many populations of students with disabilities. These are ordered on IMODS and delivered on a CD.

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction IMODS The Instructional Materials Ordering and Distribution System (IMODS) is an online ordering Web page for hard and electronic copies of California adopted curriculum. All materials are provided at no cost to public schools. The IMODS Web page can be found at

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction REGISTRATION To become a registered user of IMODS, and to have the ability to order materials, please fill out the New Account Form found on the IMODS Web page at Once this is signed by an authorizing administrator and faxed to the CSMT, the new user receives a password and they can begin to order and download materials.

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction FREE DIGITAL TEXTBOOK INITIATIVE The complete Free Digital Textbook Initiative Report is available on the California Learning Resource Network (CLRN) Web site at (Outside Source).

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION The role in electronic learning for the California Department of Education is to review books suggested in the electronic format, to see if they matched the standards expected to be learned in that course. Approved books would be acceptable for student use, and students could be assessed appropriately on the subject.

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction CLRN The California Learning Resource Network (CLRN) provides educators with a “one-stop" resource for critical information needed for the selection of supplemental electronic learning resources aligned to the State Board of Education academic content standards. This information can be found at (Outside Source).

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction ASSEMBLY BILL 1398 Assembly Bill (AB)1398 revised the definition of technology-based instructional materials to include electronic equipment necessary to operate such materials when utilized by students and teachers as a learning resource; certain restrictions apply. The complete text is available at 10/bill/asm/ab (Outside Source).

TOM TORLAKSON State Superintendent of Public Instruction CONTACT INFORMATION Jonn Paris-Salb: Education Administrator 1 – Kelli Cornejo: Production Manager – Peter Jarvis: Warehouse Manager – Olga Cid: Education program Consultant – Georgia Marty: Duplication & Distribution – Steven Parker: IMODS, Large Print – James Morrison: APH Orders, Federal Quota – Ravi Thakkar: Contracts & List Services –