The ADA National Network provides informal guidance on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other disability-related laws. The ten regional Centers that comprise the ADA National Network staff a toll-free information line and respond to inquiries submitted online via email or regional Center websites.

Business owners, architects and designers, representatives of state and local government agencies, employers, people with disabilities and their family members, service providers, educational entities, and others interested in the ADA can receive individualized responses - Find Your Region/ADA Center.

Our ADA Specialists can answer most questions immediately and, if necessary, will research complex questions to provide you the most thorough guidance possible. Referrals to local and state/territory resources for disability issues, which are not addressed by the ADA, can also be provided.

The ADA National Network offers a variety of training opportunities to increase your knowledge of the ADA. We provide training on all ADA topics and on all levels from basic to advanced. Trainings are available in-person, webcast, and online.

AIM or AEM?
Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) are materials designed or converted in a way that makes them usable across the widest range of student variability regardless of format. In relation to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the term AIM refers to print instructional materials that have been transformed into four specialized formats (audio, braille, digital, and large print text). Sometimes students with disabilities have difficulty accessing print in the same way as their peers. To succeed in school, these students need learning materials presented in a way that works for them. In 2014, the term "accessible educational materials" or "AEM" was expanded to include both print- and technology-based educational materials including electronic textbooks, and related core materials. Practically speaking the terms AIM and AEM are often used interchangeably.

In the following video learn from AEM users, educators, parents, and state and national leaders about how AEM can be a game changer for those with print disabilities.

This practice brief outlines a series of recommendations for improving the timely provision and use of high-quality braille – both embossed and electronic – and tactile graphics for state-mandated assessment. The primary target audience for these recommendations is State Education Agency (SEA) assessment leaders and others at the State-and national level who are responsible for ensuring that braille readers are full participants in their state assessment, whether general or alternate. Most desirable is that these recommendations will initiate conversations between and among states, districts, braille service providers, and test developers.

The purpose of the National AEM Center’s Quality Indicators with Critical Components for K-12 is to assist state and local education agencies with planning, implementing, and evaluating systems for providing accessible materials and technologies for all students who need them. States and local school districts will find the Quality Indicators useful for implementing statutory requirements that mandate equitable access to learning opportunities for students with disabilities, including equal access to printed materials, digital materials, and technologies.

AEM Pilot Home
Welcome to the AEM Pilot*, an interactive web-based tool that guides states and K-12 school districts to create more inclusive learning environments for students with disabilities. Building background knowledge about accessible educational materials (AEM), conducting self-assessments, and monitoring continuous progress are all facilitated by the AEM Pilot. If your state or district has work to do to improve the accessibility of the materials and technologies provided to learners with disabilities, take off with the AEM Pilot!

Understanding accessible formats requires some background knowledge of the barriers many learners with disabilities experience when reading or accessing information in print-based and certain digital-based materials.

"Text-based" refers to materials with static or fixed text and images, such as textbooks and supplemental text materials. Both print and digital materials can be text-based. For example, an electronic textbook that replicates a standard print textbook is considered a text-based material.

Books in standard print are common examples of text-based materials. To successfully use print, learners need functional skills related to sensory, physical, and cognitive abilities. Some learners may have visual disabilities that make it difficult to see the text and images on the page. Other learners may be unable to hold printed materials because of a physical disability. Still others may be unable to read or derive meaning from the printed text because of a learning disability.

Certain digital materials also have text and images. Specifically, text-based digital materials are not consistently designed for use with assistive technology (AT). Some learners use AT to read and navigate text and images in digital materials. Screen readers, text to speech, and switches are a few examples of AT devices and software that learners with a wide range of disabilities use. To prevent barriers for learners who use AT, see Vetting for Accessibility.

Because of the frequent barriers presented by text-based materials, some learners with disabilities need alternative forms, known as accessible formats. Examples of accessible formats include audio, braille, large print, tactile graphics, and digital text conforming with accessibility standards.

The term accessible format is defined in section 121 of the Copyright Act, known as the Chafee Amendment:

About the AEM Center at CAST
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National Center on Accessible Educational Materials logo
Based at CAST, the AEM Center is funded by the Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education. We work with states and districts to build capacity for developing and sustaining robust systems for providing accessible materials and technologies for all learners who need them. To us, accessibility means that individuals with disabilities—from early childhood through the workforce—have equal access to materials and technologies for reaching educational outcomes and advancing in employment.

We provide three levels of technical assistance:

Universal technical assistance is available to everyone. You’ll find products and services throughout our website and collected on our resources page. Webinars and conference presentations are listed on our events page.
Targeted technical assistance describes the Center's strategic collaborations to address problems of practice in early childhood programs, higher education, and workforce development. Supports for families are also a part of our targeted technical assistance.
Intensive technical assistance describes the Center's capacity-building activities with a small cohort of states. This partnership is designed to produce practices that can be scaled nationally.

Join Aujalee Moore (ODE), Debra Fitzgibbons (OTAP), Linda Brown (ODE), and Michael Cantino (BVIS) for shared learning about accessibility and instructional materials in Oregon K-12 schools.

NSCC EDITION

Short Description:
The NSCC Edition is a revised version of the BC Campus Accessibility Toolkit - 2nd Edition. The goal of this book is to provide resources for each content creator, instructional designer, educational technologist, librarian, administrator, and teaching assistant to create a truly open textbook—one that is free and accessible for all students.

Word Count: 13596

ISBN: 978-1-77420-030-8

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

This resource contains all of links and materials for the Accessibility in OER Webinar One that is co-facilitated by CAST and ISKME.

This resource contains all of links and materials for the Accessibility in OER Webinar Two that is co-facilitated by CAST and ISKME.

This resource contains all of links and materials for the Accessibility in OER Webinar Three that is co-facilitated by CAST and ISKME.

This resource contains all of links and materials for the Accessibility in OER Webinar Four that is co-facilitated by CAST and ISKME.

This resource contains all of links and materials for the Accessibility in OER Webinar Five that is co-facilitated by CAST and ISKME.

This resource contains all of links and materials for the Accessibility in OER Webinar Six that is co-facilitated by CAST and ISKME.

This resource contains all of links and materials for the Accessibility in OER Webinars One through six that were co-facilitated by CAST and ISKME.

This document provides a list of all the States with link to each state's information in the following areas: procurement policy, State Department of Ed., Accessible Educational Materials, IEP forms, transition and graduation

Think about the diverse learners in your classroom. How do we engage ALL learners in the curriculum content?  In the Accessible Content for All modules, you will learn about Accessible Educational Material (AEM) and tech tools that are hidden in plain sight in your schools.  You will hear teacher accounts of using tools like read-aloud, closed captioning, and translation to increase student engagement.  These modules are self-paced and cover ways to create accessibility within Google, Microsoft, and IOS.  Peruse the modules and explore the topics you want to learn more about.  Create your own learning journey toward building accessibility, equity, and engagement in your classroom.

Some educational materials can create barriers for some students when they are not designed with accessibility in mind. Some students with disabilities may h...