Resources
This page contains a curated set of links and downloadable resources for the professional, family member, or student who needs more information about the Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) process in Connecticut.
Flow Chart – Determining the Need for Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) and Acquiring AEM from the Appropriate Sources
Use this flowchart to determine need and explore potential sources for AEM.
AEM Brochure
This brochure provides a brief overview of the AEM process, contact information, and service providers.
TOPIC BRIEF
Accessible Educational Materials and the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard/National Instructional Materials Access Center
Additional Assurances Required for Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act Part B Grant
View the Topic Brief (PDF, external link )
Accessible Educational Materials for Families
Schools use a considerable amount of print-based instructional materials to deliver content. Many students, however, cannot access content that requires them to interact with print-based materials. Students who struggle to read may have physical, sensory, or learning differences and may need accessible educational materials to participate in the general education curriculum.
View AEM for Parents and Families
SEDTA Policy Brief
In the fall of 2012, SETDA released a groundbreaking report, Out of Print: Reimagining the K-12 Textbook in a Digital Age, which documented and provided advice to states and districts on how to manage the ongoing shift from traditional print-based instructional materials to digital content. While the advantages to increasing the use of digital content by students and teachers are significant, the policies and practices associated with a successful transition are still emerging. The purpose of this series of policy briefs is to shine a light on specific policies and practices that we believe are key to keeping efforts to employ digital content in K-12 education on track and on target.
NIMAS/NIMAC- Ensuring Access to Students with Print Disabilities
As a requirement of the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004), printed textbooks and other core printed materials used in elementary and secondary schools must be available in formats that can be used by all students in the classroom. The National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC) is part of the solution for districts in obtaining these materials in formats that their students can use. In instituting the NIMAC, the federal government created a standard file format, the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS, and required the states and local districts to work with textbook publishers to make these file formats available for conversion to systems actually used by children with print disabilities.
View NIMAS/NIMAC- Ensuring Access to Students with Print Disabilities
Recommended Purchase Order Language
When your district submits its order for textbooks, it is recommended that the following language be included in the contract:
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. (IDEA Title I, Part D, sec. 674(e)). The publisher also agrees to mark up materials eligible for NIMAS submission that contain mathematical and scientific instructional content by using the MathML3 (refer to latest applicable version) module of the DAISY/NIMAS Structure Guidelines as posted and maintained at the DAISY Consortium web site. Should the vendor be a distributor of the materials and not the publisher, the distributor agrees to notify the publisher immediately of its obligation to submit NIMAS filesets 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 (IDEA Title I, Part B, sec. 612(a)). 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 alternative formats, as permitted under the law for students with print disabilities.
This is page __of __of this contract or purchase order.
NIMAS Terms Clarified Post Marrakesh
From the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials:
The terms “eligible person” and “accessible formats” are now used in relation to the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) provisions of IDEA. The Marrakesh Treaty has resulted in changes to the disability categories used to determine eligibility for NIMAS-derived materials. The Library of Congress is developing procedures for implementing these changes. Additionally, the term “accessible formats” replaces “specialized formats.”
Visit the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials to learn more
What Educators and Families Need to Know about Accessible Instructional Materials
Visit the following informational links from CAST.org to learn more about Accessible Instructional Materials
The following agencies offer training and/or technical assistance for AEM-related topics:
State Education Resource Center (SERC)
Telephone: (860) 632-1485, ext. 319
Email: worah@ctserc.org
Claire Conroy, Consultant
Telephone: (860) 632-1485, ext. 326
Email: conroy@ctserc.org
Area Cooperative Education Services (ACES)
Telephone: (203) 498-6849
Email: eprotulis@aces.org
Area Cooperative Education Services (ACES)
Cooperative Educational Services (CES)
Telephone: (203) 365-8891
Email: giovanel@ces.k12.ct.us
Cooperative Educational Services (CES)
EASTCONN
Assistive Technology and Related Services Coordinator
Telephone: (860) 228-3483
Email: cmagliocco@eastconn.org
Amy T. Norton, M.Ed., ATP
Assistive Technology Specialist
Telephone: (860) 228-3486
Email: anorton@eastconn.org
EASTCONN
New England Assistive Technology (NEAT) Resource & Education Center
Telephone: (860) 286-3101
Email: Nicole.Feeney@oakhillct.org
New England Assistive Technology (NEAT) Resource & Education Center