March 2022 Newsletter: AT News You Can Use

Purchasing Accessible Materials

Spring is the perfect time to look ahead to determine which textbooks and other curricular materials your students with print disabilities will need in the next school year. It’s a good idea to check Bookshare to see if the needed titles are available, and if not, fill out a book request on the Bookshare website. ABLE Tech can also assist with searching the National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC) and other repositories and requesting accessible files from publishers when necessary. Email gretchen.cole_lade@okstate.edu for assistance.

Some individuals have difficulty comprehending written material due to visual, perceptual, or even physical differences. Yet if they can highlight the text, change fonts, have text read aloud, or translated into braille for tactile reading, these individuals may be able to read and comprehend better. They can do this with Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) and related technologies. Any materials the district purchases that are on the state-approved textbook adoption list must be available in an accessible digital format for students. This is because the Oklahoma State Department of Education requires publishers to submit the book files to the NIMAC, making them available to Accessible Media Producers (AMPs) such as Bookshare. However, you should be aware that if your school purchases textbooks that are not on the state-approved list, then it is the district’s responsibility to include the NIMAC requirement in purchase contracts.

All curricular materials must be created, or adapted, so that they are accessible to students with disabilities, whether the materials are purchased from publishers, created by teachers, or acquired online, such as in the case of Open Educational Resources (OER). By selecting accessible curricular materials, schools will not have to invest time and money to adapt the materials for use by students with disabilities. For more recommendations regarding Accessible Educational Materials, see ABLE Tech Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) webpage or download the Accessible Educational Materials Technical Assistance document.