Partners in Bridging the Accessibility Gap:

Publishers, NIMAC & State and Local Education Agencies

Julia MyersJuly 21, 2010

Building the BridgeWhy did APH establish the National

Instructional Materials Access Center?

• The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004 named APH to house the NIMAC.

• The same legislation requires states to adopt the NIMAS file format for source files for accessible materials for their K-12 students.

• APH had not sought to be named as the host for the NIMAC.

Building the Bridge: 2005• Developed concept of NIMAC consistent with its

role as NIMAS file repository and duties outlined in IDEA 2004.

• Applied for a small planning grant from OSEP.

• Contracted with IT consultant to assist in identifying technology vendor.

• Established NIMAC Advisory Council, which includes State, Accessible Media Producer and Publisher representatives.

• Worked with OSEP on initial planning and participated on NIMAS Development Committee

Building the Bridge 2006• Obtained 5 year grant from OSEP for NIMAC.

• Contracted with OverDrive Inc., to build repository.

• Developed NIMAC policies and procedures in consultation with OSEP and NIMAC Advisory Council.

• Planned NIMAC systems; tested sample files.

• Once final regulations were issued in August 2006, began actual development of NIMAC.

• Went live on schedule December 3, 2006.

• Accepted first files in December 2006.

Crossing the Bridge:What NIMAC Does

• The NIMAC receives and catalogs publishers' electronic files of print instructional materials in the NIMAS format.

• We provide the searchable database and web interface.

• We create user accounts for publishers, State Coordinators, Authorized Users, and Accessible Media Producers.

Crossing the Bridge:Obtaining Files

• State and local education agencies direct publishers to submit NIMAS files to the NIMAC by including language to this effect in the purchase agreements and adoption contracts for print books.

• NIMAC is not authorized to require files from publishers, but we are happy to help users follow up with publishers regarding files users believe should be in the NIMAC.

Crossing the Bridge:What is a NIMAS file set?

A NIMAS zip file contains:• An XML file of the textual portion of the book• A folder containing all of the images (in JPG,

PNG or SVG format)• A package file containing metadata and a list

of files included in the file set• A PDF of the title page/copyright page of the

print book

Crossing the Bridge: NIMAS Files

• NIMAS file sets are not considered a “student-ready” digital format.

• A typical textbook may contain thousands of images, and the NIMAS standard does not require alt text for images.

• While many devices can read an XML file, value-added work must be done to make a NIMAS file set a fully-accessible version for a print disabled student.

Crossing the Bridge: Which Students Are Eligible?IDEA 2004, PART D, SEC. 674. (e)(3)(A) BLIND OR OTHER PERSONS WITH PRINT

DISABILITIES—The term 'blind or other persons with print disabilities' means children served under this Act and who may qualify in accordance with the Act entitled 'An Act to provide books for the adult blind', approved March 3, 1931 (2 U.S.C. 135a; 46 Stat. 1487) to receive books and other publications produced in specialized formats.

• NIMAC does not determine student eligibility. This task belongs to the state.

Crossing the Bridge:NIMAC and States

What’s a State Coordinator?

• A State Coordinator is a state-level representative who “opts into” the NIMAC on behalf of that state.

• The State Coordinator designates and manages the Authorized Users for the state.

Crossing the Bridge:NIMAC and States

What’s an Authorized User?

• Each State Coordinator names a small number of Authorized Users such as IRCs and schools for the blind.

• These users can directly download files from the NIMAC, and have them converted into student-ready formats like Braille.

• Authorized Users can also assign files to AMPs who are registered with the NIMAC.

Crossing the Bridge: NIMAC Statistics

• States/Outlying Areas Coordinating : 56 (54 a year ago)

• Authorized Users: 156 (124 a year ago)

• Accessible Media Producers: 155 (107 a year ago)

• Publishers: 92 (77 a year ago)

Crossing the Bridge: NIMAC Statistics

• Files available for download: 21,096 (17,554 a year ago)

• Unique downloads by AMPs: 2,536 (674 a year ago)

• Unique downloads by AUs: 2,163 (1,137) a year ago

• Total Unique Downloads: 4,699 (1,811 a year ago)

Crossing the Bridge: NIMAC Statistics

Inventory by Content Type:

Textbooks: 22%

Other: 8%

Consumables: 10%

Supplementary

reading materials: 60%

TOTAL: 100%

Reaching Our Destination: Challenges

• Some braille translation software programs still unable to import XML

• Introduction of MathML poses new issues for braille translation software

• Lack of image descriptions

• Accessibility of ebook readers and applications

Reaching Our Destination: Stepping into the Future

• Ongoing work on image descriptions

• MATHML offers potential for accessible formats

• Ebook readers moving to become more accessible

• Accessible formats produced by mainstream publishers

Reaching Our Destination:How Far We Have Come

2004: – No NIMAS files being produced– No national repository

2010: – 21,096 NIMAS files sets in repository– 100% of states participating– 4,660 files downloaded– accessible formats produced more quickly

thanks to NIMAS/NIMAC

NIMAC Team

• Julia Myers, Project Director

• Nicole Gaines, NIMAC Manager

• Johanna Argo, NIMAC Support Specialist

• Tiffany Bradford, NIMAC Support Specialist

• OverDrive NIMAC Team

How to Reach Us

• http://www.nimac.us

• 502-899-2230

• 1-877-526-4622 (1-877-52-NIMAC)

• NIMAC@aph.org