Oklahoma ABLE Tech 
Accessible Instructional Materials and Assistive Technology 

Assisting Oklahoma's elementary and secondary schools in providing accessible instructional materials for students with print disabilities.

How can I learn more about Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM) and assistive technology in Oklahoma?

Oklahoma State Department of Education Technical Assistance Document 

What are Accessible Instructional Materials?  

AIM is a specialized format of curricular content that can be used by and with print-disabled learners. They include formats such as:

• Braille  
• Audio 
• Large print
• Digital text

Who are Accessible Instructional Materials for?
AIM is for students with sensory, physical, cognitive and learning differences that have difficulty accessing printed materials and their teachers. Students with prints disabilities can include students that have: 

• low vision or are blind, 
• a reading disability such as dyslexia, 
• a physical limitation such as cerebral palsy

Did you know? It’s the law...
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) requires that states and school districts provide accessible versions of instructional materials to students with disabilities in a timely manner, typically at the same time as their peers. Receiving accessible instructional materials in a timely manner is an essential component of FAPE or a free appropriate public education.

What is NIMAS? The National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) is a provision listed in the IDEA 2004. NIMAS is a uniform electronic format for textbooks and related materials from which accessible formats can easily be made. 

What is the National Instructional Materials Access Center? The NIMAC receives source files in NIMAS format from textbook publishers, and makes these files available for download to Authorized Users in the United States through an online database. The public can freely search the NIMAC to find the textbooks they need.  

What will be required of state and local education agencies? 

In addition to ensuring that all print-disabled students receive appropriate accessible versions of core curriculum materials in a timely manner, SEAs and LEAs will play an important role in obligating publishers to submit essential source materials to the NIMAC. This will be accomplished by contract or by including appropriate language in purchase orders that require publishers to submit NIMAS-conformant files to the NIMAC, or provide assurances that they have already done so, for a specific title and version that is to be purchased. A sample statement that could be included in a contract or purchase order follows:

Sample Language for Adoption Contracts and LEA Purchase Orders

By agreeing to deliver the materials marked with "NIMAS" on this contract or purchase order, the publisher agrees to prepare and submit, on or before ___/___/_____ a NIMAS fileset to the NIMAC that complies with the terms and procedures set forth by the NIMAC. Should the vendor be a distributor of the materials and not the publisher, the distributor agrees to immediately notify the publisher of its obligation to submit NIMAS file sets of the purchased products to the NIMAC. The files will be used for the production of alternate formats as permitted under the law for students with print disabilities.

This is page __ of __ of this contract or purchase order.

For additional information about NIMAS, please refer to http://aim.cast.org/collaborate/NIMASCtr.
For additional information about the NIMAC, please refer to http://nimac.us

How do I request a NIMAS file?

Contact one of the following Authorized Users to request the NIMAS file you need:

1. Oklahoma ABLE Tech AIM and Assistive Technology Center 800.257.1705. Complete and sign the NIMAS eligibility form or NIMAS Eligibility Online Form and return to ABLE Tech.
   Fax 405-744-2487.
2. Department of Rehabilitation Services AIM Center 405.522.0523
3. Oklahoma School for the Blind for in-house students. 877.229.7136
4. Bookshare: digital text used with text-to-speech software or braille display devices. No cost when registered for K-12 textbooks. www.bookshare.org
5. Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic: audiobooks (CDs and downloadable books). www.rfbd.org

Assistive Technology and AIM
Students may need the additional support of an assistive technology (AT) device in order access their instructional materials. Examples include, refreshable Braille display devices, a computer with screen reading software or literacy software to read text aloud, a book holder, an MP3 player with audio files, a portable reading device, or screen magnification software.

ABLE Tech Loan Library of AIM Assistive Technology. ABLE Tech loans AT devices for 4-6 weeks - FREE! 
Please complete our LOAN FORM or call us at (800) 257-1705.

How Do Oklahoma Schools Provide AIM?
When schools order textbooks in April, they also should order materials in the appropriate accessible format for students whom they know will attend the following year. To expedite the acquisition of alternate formats, the school may directly contact one of Oklahoma’s authorized users (AUs) to specify what is needed (see above list of AUs). The State Department of Education also maintains a list of AUs who can provide these services.

Who can I contact for more information?
Oklahoma State Department of Education
2500 North Lincoln Boulevard Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105-4599
(405) 521-3301 Web: sde.state.ok.us/ 
Maintains a list of Oklahoma Authorized Users

Oklahoma ABLE Tech
OSU Seretean Wellness Center
1514 W. Hall of Fame
Stillwater, OK 74078
1-800-257-1705 or 405-744-9748
http://www.ok.gov/abletech/Our_Programs/NIMAS.html

National Center on AIM at CAST
40 Harvard Mills Square, Suite 3
Wakefield, MA 01880-3233
Telephone: (781) 245-2212 TTY: (781) 245-9320
Web: aim.cast.org