AIMing for Student Achievement!
The IEP Team's Role in Providing
Accessible Instructional Materials
Joy Smiley Zabala, Ed.D., ATP
Project Manager of The AIM Consortium at CAST
in collaboration with
Vicki Hershman
Director of PATINS, Project Manager for ICAM
Big Ideas in this Session
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An introduction to Accessible Instructional Materials in
IDEA 2004
 NIMAS and NIMAC
 Alternate Formats
 Qualifying Disabilities
 Competent Authorities
IEP Team Responsibilities
A Framework for iEP Team Decision-making
Resources
IDEA Section 300.172
Accessible Instructional Materials
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Provisions within the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Improvement Act of 2004 require that
textbooks and related core instructional materials
be provided to students with print disabilities in
specialized formats in a timely manner
National Instructional Materials
Accessibility Standard (NIMAS)
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The standard established by the secretary (of
education) to be used by publishers in the
preparation of electronic files suitable and used
solely for efficient conversion into specialized
formats for students with print disabilities
National Instructional Materials
Access Center
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Is a national repository (library) for NIMAS files
Receives and maintains a catalog of print
instructional materials, including textbooks,
prepared in NIMAS format
Provides access to core print instructional materials
in accessible media, free of charge, to blind or other
persons with print disabilities in elementary and
secondary schools
Maintains procedures to protect against copyright to
instructional materials
Frequently Asked Questions
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What are core instructional materials?
What are specialized formats?
Why are specialized formats needed?
Which students with reading difficulties meet the
criteria for print disabilities, as defined by the
Chafee Amendment to the Copyright Law?
Who qualifies students as print disabled?
What are “Core Instructional
Materials?”
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Printed textbooks and related printed core
materials published with the texts…
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Written and published primarily for use in
elementary and secondary school instruction
Required by state education agency or local
education agency for use by students on the
classroom
What are “Specialized Formats”?
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Braille (Some states includes tactile graphics in
this definition)
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Audio
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Digital text
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Large print
For use exclusively for use by blind or other
persons with disabilities
Why are specialized formats
needed?
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To provide students who are unable to obtain
information through the use of traditional print
materials with accessible materials appropriate
to their individual needs
To enable students with print disabilities to
gain the information they need to complete
tasks, master IEP goals, and reach curricular
standards
Do all students who have reading
difficulties have print disabilities?
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Students with “print disabilities” under the Chafee
Amendment to the Copyright Law are those who
have been certified by a competent authority as
unable to read printed materials because of:
 A visual impairment or blindness
 Physical limitations
 An organic dysfunction
Not all students with reading difficulties meet the
criteria for “print disabilities” under the Chafee
Amendment
Visual Impairment or Blindness
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Blind persons whose visual acuity, as determined
by competent authority, is 20/200 or less in the
better eye with correcting glasses, or whose
widest diameter if visual field subtends an angular
distance no greater than 20 degrees
Persons whose visual disability, with correction
and regardless of optical measurement, is
certified by competent authority as preventing the
reading of standard printed material
Physical Limitations
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Persons who are certified by a competent
authority as having physical limitations that
prevent the reading of standard printed material
Examples of may include:
 Difficulty holding a book and turn pages
 Difficulty visually tracking lines of print
 Difficulty obtaining meaning from printed
materials
 Etc.
Competent Authorities for
Blindness and Physical Disabilities
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In cases of blindness, visual disability, or physical
limitations “competent authority” is defined to
include doctors of medicine, doctors of osteopathy,
ophthalmologists, optometrists, registered nurses,
therapists, professional staff of hospitals, institutions,
and public or welfare agencies (e.g., social workers,
case workers, counselors, teachers, and
superintendents)
Organic Dysfunction
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Persons certified by competent authority as
having a reading disability resulting from organic
dysfunction and of sufficient severity to prevent
their reading printed material in a normal manner.
Competent Authorities for Organic
Dysfunction
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In the case of a reading disability from organic
dysfunction, competent authority is defined as
doctors of medicine who may consult with
colleagues in associated disciplines.
This brings up a question…
What about students who are not certified as
having a “print disability” but still have
difficulty obtaining and using information
from printed materials?
What IDEA 2004 says…
The Final Regulations of IDEA 2004 require that
state education agencies make provisions for
providing accessible core instructional materials
to students with disabilities
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Who are not included under the definition of blind or
other persons with print disabilities
When the materials are not producible from NIMAS files
In a timely manner… “at the same time as other
children receive instructional materials” or however
“timely manner” is defined by the state
So what does all this mean to
the IEP Team?
IEP Team Responsibilities
FIRST, the IEP Team determines if the student needs
instructional materials in alternate formats…
1. Review the student’s evaluation information and
present levels of achievement to determine whether
the student has a disability-related difficulty with the
task of gaining meaning from print-based core
instructional materials used in the content areas
2. Determine whether the student been certified as having
a print disability under the Chafee Amendment
3. If the student is not currently Chafee eligible,
determine whether the student needs instructional
materials in alternative formats
IEP Team Responsibilities
THEN, if the IEP Team determines that the student
needs instructional materials in alternate formats, it
must…
4.
Determine the alternate formats needed by the
student
5.
Identify instruction, supports, services, and/or
training will be needed by the student and others to
use the materials effectively
6.
Take steps to obtain and/or prepare alternate formats
So how does an IEP Team meet
these responsibilities?
Using the SETT Framework to
Guide IEP Team Decisions about
Accessible Instructional Materials
The SETT Framework
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The SETT Framework helps teams explore:
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the Student’s needs and abilities
the Environments in which the student learns
and grows,
the Tasks the student needs to do
BEFORE trying to determine
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the Tools that are needed by the student (and
others) to do the tasks in the environments
where they need to be done
The SETT Framework
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Has been used by IEP Teams to consider a student’s
possible need for assistive technology devices and
services during the development of the IEP
Can be used effectively to help IEP Teams to make
decisions about accessible instructional material
Key questions when applying the SETT
Framework to Accessible Instructional Materials
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Does this STUDENT need instructional materials in
alternate formats to access the curriculum and receive
a free, appropriate, public education?
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In which ENVIRONMENTS will alternative materials
be used?
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For which TASKS will the student require materials in
which alternate format?
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What TOOLS will the student and others need?
Formats? Teaching? Technology? Training?
Accommodations? Modifications?
The Students
Students who have
difficulty making meaning from text to the
extent of being print disabled
If the IEP Team determines that the student has a
print disability…
 Check to see if the student has been certified as
having a print disability by a competent authority
based on:
 Blindness or visual impairment
 Physical limitations that prevent the reading of
standard printed material
 Organic dysfunction of sufficient severity to
prevent reading printed material in a normal
manner
Students who are certified as Chafee
Eligible
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If the student has been previously certified as
having a print disability and is eligible for
alternate formats under the Chafee Amendment,
The IEP Team:
1. Initiates steps for obtaining materials in the
required formats through the state system that
ensures the delivery of AIM in a timely manner
2. Determines how materials not available through
the system will be obtained or developed in the
alternate format in a timely manner
3. Identifies instruction, supports, services, and/or
training will be needed by the student and
others to use the materials effectively
Students who are not certified as
Chafee eligible
If the student has NOT been previously certified as
eligible for alternate formats under the Chafee
Amendment, the IEP Team:
 Considers whether the student’s difficulties with print
materials are due to lack of sufficient instruction or
limited English proficiency
 If the answer the answer to either of these is “yes”,
specialized instruction may be more appropriate than
materials in alternate format. (NOTE: some alternate
format materials could be used temporarily as
supports while the student is learning, but the
procurement process would be different)
Students who are not certified as
Chafee eligible
If the student has NOT been previously certified as eligible
for alternate formats under the Chafee Amendment, the IEP
Team:
 Proceeds with determining which materials are required
and how to obtain them
 Identifies instruction, supports, services, and/or
training will be needed by the student and others to
use the materials effectively
If the student is not certified as Chafee
eligible
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NIMAS files may not be accessed through the NIMAC
If the IEP Team determines that a student needs
materials in an alternate format but the student is not
Chafee-eligible the state system may be able to provide
guidance on how to acquire the needed specialized
formats if the materials are:
 Available for purchase
 Available from other libraries that allow access to
students with IEPs who are not Chafee certified
Consider these possibilities…
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Some interpretations of “physical disability” or
“organic dysfunction” might include a broader range
of students
In IDEA 2004, Specific learning disability is defined as
“a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological
processes involved in understanding or in using
language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself
in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read,
write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations,
including conditions such as perceptual disabilities,
brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and
developmental aphasia.”
Using the IDEA 2004 definition of specific learning
disability, a strong case could be made that specific
learning disabilities have a physical cause
If the student is not certified as Chafee
eligible
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If the IEP Team has determined that a student
requires alternate formats, the possibility that the
student could be certified as Chafee eligible should be
pursued
If a link can be made between the definition of
“learning disability and a physical disability, a
competent authority may one of several district
employees (see slide #13)
Only a doctor or medicine can certify a student as
Chafee eligible under the “organic dysfunction”
category
SEA or LEA officials may be able to provide
information about the correct procedure for pursuing
certification
Whether or not the student is Chafee eligible,
the IEP Team must…
 Determine the alternate formats needed by the
student
 Identify instruction, supports, services, and/or
training will be needed by the student and others
to use the materials effectively
 Take steps to obtain and/or prepare alternate
formats
The Environments and Tasks
One format does not fit all…
Different alternate formats may be needed
for different tasks in different environments
The Environments
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When considering alternate formats, Environments
include all in which making meaning from print is
required in order to receive a free, appropriate,
public education. For example,
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Core academic classes
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Community-based programs
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Home
The Tasks
When considering alternate formats, the TASKS
include any task for which the student is required to
gain meaning from print materials to participate and
achieve. For example,
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Gaining information from short text
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Gaining information from large bodies of text
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Producing text
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Learning to use the format effectively (reading?)
The Tools
Tools that are needed by the student
(and others) to do the tasks
in the environments where
they need to be done
Alternate Formats, Technology, Specialized Instruction,
Training, Accommodations, etc.
Selecting Alternate Formats
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When the IEP Team has decided that and alternative
format is needed, they must decide which format would
be most appropriate for the student
o
Braille (with tactile graphics)
o
Large Print
o
Audio
o
Digital
Braille
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If the student is blind or visually impaired a certified
teacher of the visually impaired should be involved in
this decision
Review the results of the student’s functional vision
evaluation, learning media assessment, and informal
reading assessment to determine the most effective
format for the student. Some students who are blind or
visually impaired do not need braille
Input from an occupational therapist will be important
if the student also has physical disabilities
Braille
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Think about…
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Instruction - braille instruction is critical until the
student becomes fluent (generally over a period of
several years)
Braille instruction must be provided by a teacher
certified in that area
Supports –
 Technology needed by the student for written
output tasks – (report writing, note-taking, etc)
 Portability for using text in multiple environments
Large Print
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Review the results of the student’s functional vision
evaluation and learning media assessment to
determine the most effective format for the student
Document specifics of large print required
• Most effective and efficient print size – 18-20 points
are typical. Some need larger.
• Most effective font –APHont or san serif are clearer
• Level of contrast between print and background
• Environmental lighting – glare, level of light
Large Print
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Think about…
• Instruction – probably minimal for this format other
than instruction in reading skills similar to that
provided to other students at the same level
• Supports o Assistive technology supports such as magnifiers
and CCTVs that may be more needed if student
needs print considerably larger than “standard”
large print
o Assistive technology may be more effective and
efficient than making the print extremely large
Audio
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Consider conducting a listening assessment
Think about…
• Level of understanding and comprehension when
text is read aloud
• Length of time student can listen with
understanding
• How student will “take notes” on longer listening
assignments
• Instruction - How and by whom use of audio text
will be taught
• Supports - The software that will be required to
convert NIMAS, the technology needed to play
audio files
Digital
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Digital text can simultaneously provide audio, video,
and, if needed, large print.
Think about…
 Provides support for gaining meaning from text AND
increasing reading skills
 Flexibility – changes in size, rate, contrast, etc
 Supports - Technology that is required to use the
text when and where it is needed – Hardware and
software are typically required
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Instruction and ongoing support
Documentation in the IEP
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When a student with a disability does need a
specialized format, the following information should be
specified in the IEP
 The specific format(s) to be provided
 The services and/or assistive technology that the
student needs to use the specialized format
 The individual(s) responsible for providing the
specialized format
 Whether or not the format is required to be used in
the student’s home or other setting for the student
to receive a free, appropriate, public education
Obtaining Alternate Formats
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If the student meets the criteria for eligibility for alternate
formats under Chafee, check to be sure that the
certificate is on file
If the IEP Team has determined that a student does not
meet Chafee criteria but requires an alternate format,
consider pursuing certification by a competent authority
in according with district procedures
Follow state and district procedures to request the
alternate format required
Obtain the needed materials in the requested format if
available
Obtaining Alternate Formats
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Not all materials used in instruction will be available in a
NIMAS-created alternate format from the state system
or other external source
For some printed materials it may be necessary to
present some materials in other ways, such as:
 Audio tapes/CD/etc. prepared by the teacher or
others
 Text read aloud to students
 Digital versions created by scanning
 Large print versions prepared by hand or through
copy machine enlargement
In Summary
In Summary
The IEP Team determines if the student needs
instructional materials in alternate formats by:
1. Reviewing the student’s evaluation information and
present levels of achievement to determine whether
the student has a disability-related difficulty with the
task of gaining meaning from print-based core
instructional materials used in the content areas
2. Determining whether the student been certified as
having a print disability under the Chafee Amendment
3. If the student is not currently Chafee eligible,
determining whether the student needs instructional
materials in alternative formats
In Summary
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If the student has difficulty gaining meaning from printbased instructional materials and the IEP Team
determines that the difficulty is disability-related rather
than due to lack of instruction or limited English
proficiency:
o The alternative formats can be selected and provided
through the NIMAC or alternate state and local
system if the student has been certified as having a
print disability by a competent authority and there is
a certificate on file,
o The alternate formats must still be provided even if
the students is not Chafee eligible or NIMAS files are
not available for the needed materials.
In Summary
• The IEP Team also has the responsibility to think
about the instruction, supports, and devices that the
student will require in order to use the materials for
educational gain
• Decisions made by the IEP Team should be
documented in the IEP with enough detail so that
those implementing the IEP will be clear about the
intent of the committee
 The specific format(s) to be provided
 The services and/or assistive technology that the
student needs to use the specialized format
 The individual(s) responsible for providing the
specialized format
 Whether or not the format is required to be used in
the student’s home or other setting for the student
to receive a free, appropriate, public education
Resources
Resources
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NIMAS at CAST – http://nimas.cast.org
Office of Special Education Programs
NIMAS Training Materials–
http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot
%2Cdynamic%2CTopicalArea%2C10%2C)
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The SETT Framework–
http://www.joyzabala.com