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  • Accessible Educational Materials

Accessible Educational Materials

Public education agencies (PEAs) are required by state and federal statute to provide accessible instructional materials in a timely manner to students with print disabilities. In 2006, a National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) was finalized to provide consistency in the electronic source files used to produce these accessible materials. Later that year, the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Center (NIMAC) began operations. The NIMAC is designed to aid schools in the provision of accessible materials by acting as a central repository for NIMAS files. Files are placed in the NIMAC by textbook publishers as a condition of purchase contracts for materials adopted by the PEAs. PEAs must decide to opt-in or opt-out of utilizing the NIMAC. However, choosing to opt-out does not relieve the PEA of its obligation to provide accessible instructional materials in a timely manner. Files placed in the NIMAC may only be used to produce accessible instructional materials for students with individualized education programs (IEPs) who meet the criteria of a person with a visual impairment or print disability as defined in a 1931 federal law (2 U.S.C. 135a; 46 Stat. 1487) commonly known as the Chaffee Amendment. While anyone may search the NIMAC, only authorized users may request or download files. In Arizona, the Arizona Department of Education, Exceptional Student Services (ADE/ESS) is the only authorized user. Schools wishing to access a NIMAC file submit a request to ADE/ESS which then authorizes a download and assigns the file to an Accessible Media Producer for the creation of the accessible instructional material in whatever format is required.

Watch this video by Simply Said, a video by the PACER Center that explains AEM.

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Accessible Educational Materials Flyer

SPANISH – Informacion Basica para Familias

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NIMAS-NIMAC Workflow

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National Center on Accessible Educational Materials logo

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National Center on Accessible Educational Materials Workflow
 

NIMAS File Request Form

AEM Requirements IDEA/ARS

Accessible Media Producers Database

Alternative Media Producers - ARS 15-203

Arizona textbook Accessibility Law


Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) Contact Information

AEM Administrative Assistant

Elida Acosta

(602) 542-3852 or (844) 260-2890 (Toll Free)

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From the Exceptional Student Services Blog

FUNDING INFO: Compensatory Services Timeline Extended Wed, Mar 3 2021 Program Management, Updates

Special Education Directors,

Please review this memo regarding the extension of CARES Act funding for IDEA compensatory services.

DATA MANAGEMENT ALERT: Integrity Rule -40055 – Update to SPED Exit Validation Matrix Tue, Mar 2 2021 Data Management, Updates

An enhancement to Integrity Rule -40055 will be introduced into the integrity process on FY21 SPED data shortly. This update is a continuation of our effort to ensure clean data for the state. Updated one-sheet Integrity Tools are available on our AzEDS SPED Reporting webpage for troubleshooting tips.

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