CAST: Universal Design for Learning

WAKEFIELD, Mass.-July 28, 2004-In a landmark announcement for students with sensory and other print disabilities, the U.S. Department of Education has endorsed the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS). The voluntary standard will guide the production and electronic distribution of flexible digital instructional materials such as textbooks so they can be more easily converted to a variety of accessible formats, including Braille and text-to-speech.

Deputy U.S. Education Secretary Eugene W. Hickok made the announcement Tuesday at an event marking the 14th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

NIMAS was developed under the leadership of the federally funded National Center for Accessing the General Curriculum (NCAC) at CAST, a not-for-profit education research and development organization.

Students with disabilities move much closer to full and equal participation in all aspects of learning with the Department of Education's endorsement of NIMAS," says John D. Kemp, cofounder and immediate past Board chairman of the American Association of People with Disabilities. "This forward-thinking, inclusive standard assures that digital instructional materials will be developed and distributed as equitably as possible for ALL students-and that includes students with disabilities. It's a proud day for students, educators, parents, publishers, and governments."

The use of NIMAS-compliant materials will enable schools to meet the mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act and the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) since both laws require that students with disabilities be allowed to access, participate, and progress in the general curriculum. In the past, the almost exclusive use of inflexible print-based materials has limited the ability of students with disabilities to learn the same material as their peers.

Skip Stahl, CAST's Director of Technical Assistance, says: "The designation of NIMAS version 1.0 is a significant milestone in the education of students with special needs. It creates an extensible foundation for the development of universally designed instructional materials."

With funding from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs, NCAC convened the 40-member National File Format Technical Panel in 2003 to produce the standards. The panel included technology specialists, educators, disability advocates, and publishers.

Read the Panel's report at http://nimas.cast.org/about/report/index.html and the technical specification at http://nimas.cast.org/about/technical/index.html.

About CAST
CAST is a not-for-profit education research and development organization based near Boston, Mass., whose mission is to expand educational opportunities for all students, especially those with disabilities, through the development and innovative uses of computer technology. To learn more, visit www.cast.org.

CAST's Mission

To expand learning opportunities for all individuals, especially those with disabilities, through the research and development of innovative, technology-based educational resources and strategies.

Did You Know...?

CAST's research areas include literacy, online learning, assessment, textbook design, accessibility, classroom practice, and education policy.

A Word about CAST

"CAST has made a tremendous contribution to educational policy for all students and especially for students with disabilities."
John Kemp, disability rights lawyer