1. National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS)
What SEAs & LEAs Need to Know
Skip Stahl

2. NIMAS Statute and Regs – IDEA 2004
Statute effective July 1, 2005
NIMAS Final Rules published July 19 and August 14, 2006
Requirements effect state and local education agencies as of December, 2006
Places expectations on publishers of curriculum materials published
after August 18, 2006 (or July 19)

3. Why is NIMAS Necessary? Timely delivery of specialized formats
Duplication of effort: local scanning & OCR time and labor
Educators retrofitting publisher content
States crafting their own accessibility legislation – most are now integrating with NIMAS
Improved student outcomes -> AYP

4. NIMAS ABCs
Access to instructional materials for Elementary – High School students with print disabilities
Before or upon delivery of print instructional materials to schools, NIMAS-conformant files must be provided by publishers
Center (NIMAC) receives files and provides access to media producers qualified to create specialized formats

5. What is NIMAS?
The National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard – based on the international DAISY standard (DAISY/NISO Z )
NIMAS outlines a set of consistent and valid XML-based source files created by K–12 curriculum publishers or other content producers.
These well-structured source files can be used to create accessible specialized formats (i.e., braille, audio, digital, large-print, etc.) of print instructional materials.

6. What is the NIMAC? (Part D, Sec. 674)
Establish and support, through the APH, a center to be known as the 'National Instructional Materials Access Center' not later than 1 year after IDEA 2004 (OverDrive)
Receive and maintain a catalog of NIMAS print instructional materials
Provide access to print instructional materials in accessible media (source files)
Develop procedures to protect against copyright infringement.

7. Why is the NIMAC important?
Supports copyright indemnification for publishers
First national bank of textbook source files available to qualified media producers
Economical
Reduced duplication of effort
Improved quality of accessible student products
Supports existing systems while improving both quality and timeliness

8. NIMAS Flowchart

9. Which Curriculum Materials?
`print instructional materials' means printed textbooks and related printed core materials that are written and published primarily for use in elementary school and secondary school instruction and are required by a State educational agency or local educational agency for use by students in the classroom.

10. How will SEAs & LEAs Implement?
By 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.

11. What about Copyright?
Under IDEA 2004, Title III, Section 306, publishers are provided with the right to transfer electronic materials to the NIMAC as long as they possess the print rights to such materials. This protection is to ensure the delivery of materials for which electronic rights may not have been obtained or are simply not available.
This protection does not apply to files delivered directly to SEAs and LEAs by publishers for the purpose of creating specialized formats for students with print disabilities.

12. NIMAS Donut

13. Which Students Qualify?
Blind persons with visual acuity of 20/200 or less.
Persons visual disability is certified by competent authority as preventing the reading of standard printed material.
Persons certified by competent authority as unable to read or unable to use standard printed material as a result of physical limitations.
Persons certified by competent authority as having a reading disability resulting from organic dysfunction
Special Needs Students

14. Who is a “Competent Authority”?
In cases of blindness, visual disability, or physical limitations "competent authority" is defined to include doctors of medicine, doctors of osteopathy, ophthalmologists, optometrists, registered nurses, therapists, professional staff of hospitals, institutions, and public or welfare agencies (e.g., social workers, case workers, counselors, rehabilitation teachers, and superintendents).
In the case of reading disability from organic dysfunction, competent authority is defined as doctors of medicine who may consult with colleagues in associated disciplines.

15. Which Students Qualify?
To achieve FAPE, IDEA 2004 requires SEAs & LEAs to provide accessible instructional materials to all students with print disabilities – whether or not they qualify for these materials from the NIMAS/NIMAC distribution system.
IDEA 2004 allows SEAs & LEAS to meet the NIMAS mandates through the “purchase instructional materials from the publisher that are produced in, or may be rendered in, specialized formats (the “Market Model”)
All Students

16. What are Specialized Formats?
Braille
Audio
Digital Text
Large Print

17. A Few Techie Bits
Digital Source Files that effectively separate content from its presentation can be used to create both print and accessible, alternate format versions of curriculum materials.
NIMAS provides a consistent framework for the creation of these digital source files, resulting in the subsequent availability of high-quality student-ready versions in a timely and efficient manner.

18. A Few More Techie Bits XML-based source files
NIMAS conforming XML content files
Images in folders: SVG, PNG or JPEG (order of preference) – 300 DPI
PDF of the print materials title page
Package file (metadata and manifest - list of submitted files)

19. The Techie Bits (Deciphered)

20. The Techie Bits (Deciphered)

21. Some Techie Bits (Deciphered)

22. Digital Content tagged
For Structure – the basics

23. Digital Content tagged
For Meaning – some included now

24. Digital Content tagged
For Learning – the future

25. Digital Content tagged
A Textbook Example

26. Markup of Content
This is NIMAS XML

27. Web page produced by converting XML to XHTML and then referencing a style sheet.

28. DAISY Ebook
DAISY Book created by importing NIMAS files to a Player then exporting as a DAISY Book.

29. Braille
A NIMAS source file can be quickly converted into a Braille Ready File

30. NIMAS & State Textbook Adoptions
Establish
procedures to ensure the timely delivery of specialized versions to students with print disabilities
coordination between State Office of Special Education and the State Assistive Technology Program(s)
contract language for use during state textbook adoptions
authorized users to obtain or assign NIMAS file sets from the NIMAC for the SEA or LEAs

31. NIMAS & Open Territory States
SEAs and LEAs Establish
procedures to ensure the timely delivery of specialized versions to students with print disabilities.
coordination between State Office of Special Education and the State Assistive Technology Program(s)
LEAs include NIMAS requirements in purchase orders for textbooks
authorized users to obtain NIMAS file sets from the NIMAC for the SEA or LEAs

32. What are “Authorized Entities”?
National Non-Profit Organizations
Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic
American Printing House for the Blind
Bookshare.org
Others…

33. Other “Authorized Entities”?
Regional or State Organizations
Instructional Materials Resource Centers
Special Education Resource Centers
Alternate format production agencies
NIMAS Center Partner

34. What can an SEA do with NIMAS files?
Transform them into accessible, student-ready versions
using an authorized entity (contract)
using State, regional or local resources
using commercial products
NIMAS Center Partner

35. Will NIMAS/NIMAC address the needs of all students with print disabilities?
NO – that is the purpose of the “Market Model”
Regardless of whether or not a student qualifies under Chafee, SEAs and LEAs have the responsibility to provide all print-disabled students with accessible, alternate format materials in a timely manner.

36. Will NIMAS/NIMAC address the needs of all print disabled students?
IDEA 2004 supports a market-based solution
(ii) purchase instructional materials from a publisher that are produced in or may be rendered in the specialized formats described in section 675(a)(4)(C)” (Sec. 612(a)(22)(B))

37. Market Model Example

38. NIMAS Resources
NIMAS Web Site

39. NIMAS Resources
Accessible Textbooks in the Classroom

40. NIMAS Resources The NIMAS Suggested SEA Responsibilities list
NIMAS/NIMAC FAQ
The NIMAS & NIMAC websites