Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) are specialized formats of fully accessible textbooks and other curriculum materials that can be used by and with students with disabilities. Fully accessible means:

• All text is digital and can be read with text-to-speech, modified with regard to font (e.g. size, style, color), and navigated by unit, chapter, section, and page number (or other appropriate segments).
• Images include alternative text and long descriptions when appropriate (alternative text is a replacement for an image that serves the same purpose as the image itself. It is read by a screen reader in place of the image).
• Math equations are provided as images with alternative text or in the content file using MathML.
• Content reading order, levels, and headings are determined by publisher tagging.
• Text can be converted into Braille.
• Audio content is supported with transcripts and/or captions.
• Video content is simple, well-lit, with audible dialogue, transcripts, and captions.

adapted from the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials

It's the Law! Under IDEA 2004, State and Local Education Agencies are required to ensure that specialized formats of textbooks and related core instructional materials are provided to students with print disabilities in a timely manner.

IDEA 2004             

Benefits of Accessible Instructional Materials: Besides complying with the law, having access to appropriate Accessible Educational Materials has many benefits. With easy access to AEM...

• learners are more independent
• student literacy is enhanced
• teachers can spend more time teaching and less time adapting materials.

Acquiring Accessible Educational Materials:

This first step is determining if a student may benefit: The student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) team should review the student’s evaluation information and present levels of achievement to determine whether the student has a disability-related problem accessing text-based or other formats of educational materials. Once a student is deemed in need of AEM, school districts are required to provide AEM. The path to acquire AEM depends on several factors.

Determining Student Eligibility: Students with disabilities may be found eligible for accessible educational materials through trials with accessible formats or formal measures and/or assessments completed by specialists. Further, teams may need to determine if the student only requires changes in format or if the student's disability also requires modifications to content or alternative materials relative to the general education curriculum.

What else can we do to ensure access to AEM for our students who need it? If a district has chosen to coordinate with the NIMAS, they are expected to include language in their contracts with publishers to have them submit NIMAS files to NIMAC as part of the transaction for all printed materials purchased (see boxed item below for sample language for purchase orders).