Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM)AT Bootcamp

ATIA 2013

Behnke, Marotta, & Wojcik

Agenda

Video Overview A Roadmap for Accessible Instructional

Materials (AIM) Eligibility Print Disability Specialized Formats Acquisition of AIM AIM Navigator Resources Comments and Suggestions

Review Video

“AIM Simply Said” by the National Center on AIM

http://aim.cast.org/learn/accessiblemedia/allaboutaim

The Texas Road Map forAccessible Instructional Materials

Developed to help give a visual

GPS to help you navigate the way through accessible instructional

material acquisition

Provides 2 routes:

Eligibility and acquisition

routes

5

Federal Eligibility

1. Blind persons: visual acuity is 20/200 or less in the better eye with correction or visual field no greater than 20°

2. Persons certified by competent authority: even with correction, visual disability is preventing the reading of standard printed materials

Federal Eligibility

3. Persons certified by competent authority: unable to read or use standard printed materials due to physical limitations

4. Persons certified by competent authority: have reading disability resulting from organic dysfunction and of sufficient severity to prevent their reading of printed materials in a normal manner

Print Disability

Student /child is not able to use standard print materials

Frequently the result of a visual impairment, physical disability or reading disability

Meets copyright criteria for specialized formats

Federal definition of “Print Disability”

Accessible Instructional Materials

Included in IDEA 2004

Requires that core instructional materials be provided in a timely manner in specialized formats when needed by students with disabilities

4 specialized formats: Braille, large print, audio and digital text

Braille

Tactile literacy medium used by

learners who are blind

Uses six dots, presented in various combinations, to represent text, numbers, punctuation, and special signs and symbols

Can be accessed using technology such as a PDA (e.g. note-taker) or braille display

Large Print

Enlarged copy of regular-print-sized materials

Facilitates ease of reading for learners with low vision

At least 18 point and larger

Readability depends on font type, use of white space and other features

(e.g. bold or underline vs. italicized text)

APH Print Guidelines for Document Design

www.aph.org/edresearch/lpguide.htm

Serif FontSa

ns-

seri

f

Audio

Sound files

Does not include text

Includes recorded files, usually saved as Wave or MP3 files

Files can be accessed using the computer

(e.g. Windows Media Player) or portable media players (e.g. iPod, Book Port Plus, VictorReader Stratus)

Digital Text

May be referred to as electronic text or e-text

Provides visual and auditory supports

Available in various formats such as online HTML or EPub

Can be accessed using specialized software (e.g. Read Hear™) or hardware (e.g. Apex, VictorReader Stratus, VictorReaderStream)

PATHWAYS TO PROVIDING AIM TO STUDENTS

Key Questions When Investigating Repositories of Accessible Text What is the nature of the collections?

(e.g., subject area collections, textbooks, periodicals, trade books, etc.)

What formats are available from the repository? (e.g., .txt, .rtf, .doc, .docx, .pdf, etc.)

Is there a cost to access the files in the repository?

Who qualifies?

Popular Repositories

Readily Available Content (e.g., public domain e-text and audio e-text equivalents, Public Library Audio Books)

Commercially Available Content (e.g., Audible.com, Recorded Books, ITunes Music Store, Amazon, etc.)

Popular Repositories (Continued)

National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (http://www.loc.gov/nls)

◦ Collection Holdings: Periodicals, Tradebooksand Catalogs

◦ File Formats Available: cassette tapes, Braille

◦ Cost to Access: No

Popular Repositories (Continued)

Learning Ally (Formerly Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic) (http://www.learningally.org)

◦ Collection Holdings: Textbooks, Periodicals, Tradebooks

◦ File Formats Available: .wma, DAISY

◦ Cost to Access: Yes, but depends

Popular Repositories (Continued)

Infinitext (http://il.myinfinitec.org)

◦ Collection Holdings: Textbooks, Tradebooks

◦ File Formats Available: .txt, pdf, .kes., and .mp3

◦ Cost to Access: No (must be a member of the Coalition)

Popular Repositories (Continued)

Bookshare.org (http://bookshare.org)

◦ Collection Holdings: Textbooks, Periodicals, Tradebooks

◦ File Formats Available: .brf, DAISY

◦ Cost to Access: No (for qualifying K-12 Students), Yes (for others)

Popular Repositories (Continued)

NIMAC (http://nimac.us)

◦ Collection Holdings: Textbooks, Core Instructional Materials

◦ File Formats Available: NIMAS

◦ Cost to Access: No

Who Qualifies?: Key Questions When Considering the Provision of AIM

Does the student require accessible, alternate format versions of printed textbooks and printed core materials? Has this need been documented in the student’s 504 plan or IEP?

Is the material copyrighted?

Does the student certified by a competent authority as having a print disability?

Does the student have either a 504 plan or an IEP?

Notes

Provision of AIM when those materials are copyrighted may

◦ be acquired from the publisher

◦ go through the Chafee Amendment or NIMAS provisions (should the student qualify)

More Notes

When accessing files under the Chaffee Amendment or NIMAS, it is important to note that different repositories accept different competent authorities to certify print disabilities.

Publishers and Others

American Printing House for the Blind is also a federally-funded Accessible Media Provider

Accessible materials can also be purchased from publishers (e.g. Pearson) and other commercial resources

Top 10 questions to ask publishers

Group or Individual Activity

What do you currently do for accessing AIM?Review the top 10 questions to ask publishers.

Determination of Materials

Things to consider: Learner’s needs Recommendations from personnel Availability Implementation and support Parental involvement Environments Technologies

AIM Explorer

Interactive tool

Allows for trials of different features which may be beneficial for persons with disabilities

Report can be generated for documenting individual preferences

Download

AIM Navigator

Interactive tool to facilitate the process of decision-making of AIM for individual learners

Process consists of 4 major decision points: determination of need

selection of format(s)

acquisition of format(s)

selection of supports for use

Useful resources provided to help guide the ARD committeehttp://aim.cast.org/experience/decision-making_tools/aim_navigator