1. Cynthia Curry and Joy Zabala AEM Center Nicole Gaines NIMAC
So You’re an AEM State Contact/ NIMAC Coordinator Series Part 3: What Do You Need to Know about Digital Materials?
Cynthia Curry and Joy Zabala
AEM Center
Nicole Gaines
NIMAC

2. Big Ideas
Rationale for accessibility
Meaning of “accessible”
Accessibility in digital materials and technologies
Assistive technology and accessibility
Guidance for SEA and LEA procurement processes
Supportive tools and resources

3. Rationale for Accessibility

4. Why Accessibility Matters
NOTE-TAKING GUIDE: SETTing the Stage for Technology-Supported Student Achievement
Why Accessibility Matters
“Social justice is the equitable distribution of resources and opportunities, in which outside factors that categorize people are irrelevant.”
© Joy Smiley Zabala (2006). For permission to use contact by For further information, visit

5. IDEA Fed. Reg. Section
Provisions require state and local education agencies to ensure that printed textbooks and related core instructional materials are provided to learners with print disabilities in specialized formats in a timely manner. Legal requirement is placed on state and local education agencies. IDEA cannot place requirements on publishers

6. Accessible Materials and Technologies - 2015
“Accessible educational materials” means print- and technology-based educational materials, including printed and electronic textbooks and related core materials that are required by SEAs and LEAs for use by all students… CFDA Z, Footnote #10

7. Other Applicable Federal Legislation
Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)
Higher Education Opportunity Act of (HEOA)

8. Materials are Materials
Instructional ?
Educational?
Learning?
ALL materials have to be ACCESSIBLE and so do the technologies that render them!

9. The Meaning of “Accessible”

10. Functional Definition of Accessibility
Joint Dear Colleague Letter June 29, 2010 Department of Justice and Department of Education

11. Is it Accessible? It Depends…
Accessibility is not one thing or set of things
Accessibility is a moving target
Accessible to whom?
Accessible where?
Accessible for what?

12. “Accessibility” Is Not a Single Solution

13. The Disability Approach
Increasing accessibility for a student who…
Is deaf or hard of Hearing
Has low vision or blindness
Has Physical limitations
Has Learning Disabilities
Has Autism
Has Cognitive Disabilities
And on and on…

14. A Functional Approach Increasing accessibility for a student who…
Needs an alternative for visual information
Needs an alternative for auditory information
Needs support for physical interaction or manipulation
Needs support for processing and understanding
Prefers different options for different tasks in different environments
And on and on

15. Accessible Materials and Technologies

16. Lesson Learned…
When thinking about accessible materials, it is important to understand that the content and the delivery technology are two sides of the AEM coin and both require careful consideration and selection.

17. Accessible Content
Materials that are designed or enhanced in a way that makes them usable by the widest possible range of student variability regardless of format (print, digital, graphical, audio, video)
Content may be “designed to be used as print” (born print) and require retrofitting
Content may be “designed to be used digitally” (born digital) and difficult to retrofit if not accessible from the start

18. Two Sides of the AEM Coin…
The information is the content
Accessible technology is the delivery system that the student uses to perceive and interact with the content

19. Accessible Technologies
Any device, hardware, software or handheld equipment that provides access to life's activities
Can be used by people with a wide range of abilities and disabilities.  
Directly usable without assistive technology or
Compatible and made usable with assistive technology 
Adapted from AccessibleTech.org’s What is Accessible Electronic and Information Technology?

20. Center for Online Learning Teacher Resources
“Accessibility problems can be eliminated and the ‘‘playing field leveled’’ when [digital] course content is delivered using various and redundant modes such as speech, text, and graphics…These modes make it possible to deliver content based not only on disabilities, but also on learner preferences.”

21. Redundancy as a GOOD thing
In general, we learn that redundancy is something to be avoided - superfluous, unneeded or too much. In accessibility, we learn that redundancy is critical so that if one feature or format does is not useful to an individual, another feature or format is available to convey the same information or provide the same interactivity.

22. Lesson Learned: Increased Accessibility
Accessibility is increased when
Design includes multiple options that can be turned off and on depending upon individual needs or preferences
All involved know what the options are, can participate in the selection of options and know how to manipulate the options

23. Guidance for SEA and LEA Procurement Processes

24. Purchase Accessible Learning Materials - PALM
PALM includes
Draft purchase order and contract language
Best practices for publishers and developers
Action steps for
Purchasers
Educators
Families
Advocates

25. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA
International standard for making digital materials accessible
Developed by the World Wide Web Consortium/Web Accessibility Initiative

26. From WCAG 2.0 Comes POUR
Perceivable
To make sure learners can see and hear the information presented
Operable
To make sure learners can interact with information using a variety of tools
Understandable
To make sure learners can understand the information in a predictable way
Robust
To make sure digital materials work well with current and future technologies

27. Social Media Accessibility
Designing for Accessibility with POUR on the AEM Center Website

28. Buy Accessible - Five Things (1-4)
Require that all educational materials and technologies be accessible. Without this stance, some learners will continue to experience access barriers.
Incorporate accessibility into your procurement practices. Align your criteria with Section 508/WCAG 2.0 AA conformance.
Include accessibility language in contracts and purchase orders. The AEM Center has samples for both digital and print materials.
Ask vendors for Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPAT). If the information provided is questionable or incomplete, ask why.

29. Buy Accessible - Five Things (5)
Recruit students with unique access and learning needs to test products prior to purchase. 
Assistive technology users will be especially helpful. 
Give students an authentic task and observe them while they interact with the product. 
Ask them about their user experience, using questions related to the purpose of the product. 
Will students with unique access and learning needs be able to use the product in an equally effective and equally integrated manner, with substantially equivalent ease of use? 

30. Supportive Tools and Resources

31. AEM Center Homepage http://aem.cast.org

32. Simply Said: Understanding Accessibility in Digital Learning Materials
Sharing with Others
Simply Said: Understanding Accessibility in Digital Learning Materials

33. SETDA’s DMAPS

34. Q & A

35. Coming up next in our series
Bookshare for AEM State Contacts and NIMAC Coordinators
Tuesday, March 27
3:00-4:00 PM ET
Learning Ally for AEM State Contacts and NIMAC Coordinators
Thursday, April 5
2:00-3:00 PM ET
American Printing House for AEM State Contacts and NIMAC Coordinators
Wednesday, May 9
1:00-2:00 PM ET

36. Contact the AEM Center or the NIMAC
Website:
Telephone:
NIMAC
Website:
Telephone: or ( NIMAC)