Principal Investigator
David Rose, Ed.D.
Project Director
Chuck Hitchcock, M.Ed.
Funder
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (CFDA 84.327T)
Timeframe
2009-2014
Description
The National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials (or AIM) carries forward CAST’s five years of experience and leadership in developing and implementing the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS), a technical specification which guides publishers in preparing digital source files for their copyrighted content. The Center also carries forward the work of the 15-state AIM Consortium, funded by OSEP and led by CAST from 2007-2009.
The Center will provide technical assistance (TA) to State Educational Agencies (SEAs), Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) and other stakeholders: (1) to improve the implementation of NIMAS; and (2) to develop and implement unified distribution systems in SEAs that will improve the timely delivery of high-quality accessible instructional materials to all children with disabilities who need instructional materials in accessible formats.
The project objectives are organized within three major categories:
- Knowledge Development
- Technical Assistance and Dissemination
- Leadership and Coordinated Activities
The intended outcomes include:
- The Center services will pave the way for improved learning outcomes and the development and distribution of accessible instructional materials directly from K-12 publishers.
- State administrators and AIM/NIMAS Coordinators will have access to high-quality models and technical support for implementing effective and efficient decision making and distribution systems for accessible instructional materials.
- The three major national accessible materials producers (Bookshare, RFB&D and American Printing House for the Blind will house most of the needed specialized formats.
- States and districts will have the knowledge needed to support students who do not qualify for NIMAS materials.
- Key collaborators will acquire the skills and knowledge needed to support states, districts and families when appropriate and aligned to their goals.
Websites:
- Current: http://nimas.cast.org
- To launch in January, 2010: http://aim.cast.org
