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Acquiring Accessible Printed MaterialsJust in Time!

Joy Zabala, Ed.D., Director of Technical AssistanceDiana Carl, MA, LSSP, Special Projects CoordinatorCenter for Applied Special Technology (CAST) and

the National Center of Accessible Educational Materials for Learning

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Purpose and Big Ideas of this Session

The purpose of this webinar is related to the timely acquisition of specialized formats of printed materials needed by students who have disabilities that prevent their effective use of print.

Part One will focus on the following main ideas:– A very brief review of foundational information included in the

AEM webinar conducted on August 17– Print Disabilities– The four Specialized Formats of Printed Materials– Five sources of specialized formats and the criteria that must be

met to obtain materials from each source.

Part Two will directly address questions and comments submitted by participants throughout the session

The New Center:National Center for Accessible

Educational Materials for Learninghttp://aem.cast.org

October 2014 to October 2019

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Materials are Materials

Instructional=

Educational=

Learning

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AEM Center Goal

To build the capacity of states, districts, postsecondary institutions, families, publishers, and other stakeholders to increase the availability and use of high-quality accessible educational materials (AEM) that support improved learning opportunities for students with disabilities.

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http://aem.cast.org

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A Very Brief Review of Foundational Issues

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Relationship of AEM to FAPE?

“Timely access to appropriate and accessible instructional materials is an inherent component of [an LEA’s/SEA’s] obligation under [IDEA] to ensure:

• that FAPE is available for children with disabilities and • that children with disabilities participate in the general

education curriculum as specified in their IEPs.”

Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), 71 Fed Reg. 46618

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IDEA Fed. Reg. Section 300.172

Provisions require state and local education agencies to ensure that printed textbooks and related core instructional materials are provided to students with print disabilities in specialized formats in a timely manner.

Legal requirement is placed on state and local education agencies. IDEA cannot place requirements on publishers

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Print Disability Clearly Defined...or not

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Print Disability

• Term appears in IDEA and specifies who has a print disability

• Term is not specifically defined

• In general usage, it refers to being unable to read or use standard print materials because of blindness or other disability

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Pratt-Smoot Act (1931), as amended (1962)

“1931 Act to Provide Books to the Adult Blind”

• No formal definition of “print disability.” • Statute states that Library of Congress property can be

loaned to “blind and to other physically handicapped readers certified by competent authority as unable to read normal printed material as a result of physical limitations, under regulations prescribed by the Librarian of Congress for this service.”(2 U.S.C. 135a, 135b).

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Higher Education Opportunity Act

Print-disabled (noun)

• “A student with a disability who experiences barriers to accessing instructional material in non-specialized formats, including an individual described in Title 17 of the Copyright Act.”

• Note: All 351 pages of Title 17 can be downloaded from http://copyright.gov/title17/circ92.pdf

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Reading Rights Coalition

Print-disabled (noun)

• “A person who cannot effectively read print because of a visual, physical, perceptual, developmental, cognitive or learning disability

http://www.readingrights.org/definition-print-disabled

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Three Acts

Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) and amendments (2008) and Rehabilitation Act (1973), as amended Title IV of Workforce Investment Act (1999)

• Do not define or refer to “print disability.”

• Students receive appropriate auxiliary aids and services if they meet the federal definition of disability and are determined eligible by the postsecondary education institution.

“Print disability” is not a recognized disability category

Lesson Learned

A print disability is related to FUNCTION rather than to a specific disability category.

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What OSEP says about AEM in 2015

“Accessible educational materials” means print- and technology-based educational materials, including printed and electronic textbooks and related core materials that are required by SEAs and LEAs for use by all students, produced or rendered in accessible media, written and published primarily for use in early learning programs, elementary, or secondary schools to support teaching and learning.”

CFDA 84.327Z, Footnote #10

Point to Ponder

Given the OSEP expanded interpretation of accessible materials, should we really be talking about a “text disability?”

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AEM and Civil Rights

Two federal civil rights acts, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Tittle II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) • prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability• speak to the obligation of public schools to provide

accessible educational materials to students with disabilities who need them.

http://aem.cast.org/navigating/selection-faq.html#p-online

A Brief Introduction to Accessible Materials

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Joint Dear Colleague Letter June 29, 2010Department of Justice and Department of Education

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What are AEM?

• Materials that are designed or enhanced in a way that makes them usable by the widest possible range of student variability regardless of format (print, digital, graphical, audio, video)

• Content may be “designed to be used as print” and require retrofitting

• Content may be “designed to be used digitally” and difficult to retrofit if not accessible from the start

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Leveraging Resources

AIM Simply Said Video

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http://aem.cast.org/about/what-are-aem.html

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When thinking about accessible materials, it is important to understand that the content and the delivery technology are two sides of the AEM coin and both require careful consideration and selection.

Lesson Learned…

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Two Sides of the AEM Coin…

• The information is the content

• Accessible technology is the delivery system that the student uses to perceive and interact with the content

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Making Decisions about AEM

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A Four-Step Process for Decision-Making

1. Establish need for educational materials in accessible format(s)

2. Select format(s) and features needed by a student for educational participation and achievement

3. Commence steps to acquire needed format(s) in a timely manner

4. Determine supports needed for effective use for educational participation and achievement.

The AEM Navigator:http://aem.cast.org/navigating/aem-navigator.html

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Leveraging Resources

The AEM NavigatorA process facilitator to help educators, families, and students make decisions about AIM for an individual student

Not a screening or evaluation tool!

http://aem.cast.org/navigating/aem-navigator.html

Determining the Need for AEM

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The need or preferences for educational materials in accessible formats goes well beyond print and well beyond students with identified disabilities.

Lesson Learned…

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Who “qualifies” for AEM?

Need comes before qualification!

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Reframing the Question

“Who NEEDS accessible versions of educational materials for participation

and achievement?

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Who Needs AEM?

• Students with disabilities that prevent them from using “typical” instructional materials, such as print or “locked” digital materials, effectively

Students with sensory, physical, or learning-related disabilities

• Students without identified disabilities who cannot make effective use of “typical” instructional materials

Struggling readers; students lacking English proficiency, etc.• Students who simply prefer options for different tasks or for

use in different environments.

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Who Needs AEM?

If any student is unable to read or use grade level instructional materials

at a sufficient rate and with adequate comprehension to complete academic tasks with

success, relative to same-age peers, or cannot do this independently, or cannot do this

across environments and tasks, then the student MAY need AEM.

Selection of Formats

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Specialized Formats of Printed Materials

• Braille, large print, audio, and digital text

• Exactly the same information as the printed materials

• Only the presentation of

the material is different

Lesson Learned

Many students will need more than one format depending upon the impact of their disability, what they need to do and where they need to do it.

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Leveraging Resources

AEM in Action: Meet Juna….Leveling the Playing Field

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http://aem.cast.org/supporting/meet-juna.html

Acquiring Accessible Formats of Printed Materials and Who Can Use Each Source

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There are multiple sources for acquiring accessible versions of educational materials but most sources do not deal all types of AEM and some cannot be used to provide materials to for all students.

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Multiple Sources of Accessible Materials

• NIMAS source files from the NIMAC: Printed materials. Use constrained by copyright AND IDEA

• Accessible Media Producers: Printed materials. Use constrained by copyright restrictions (Bookshare, Learning Ally, APH, etc.)

• Locally Produced: May have constraints and certainly require significant human resources

• Free Sources: No limitations, but may not be the same as used by others

• Commercial Sources: Purchase for anyone, use with anyone!

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Multiple Sources of Accessible Materials

The NIMAC

Students using materials created from NIMAS-source files stored in the NIMAC must:• meet copyright criteria (certified by a competent authority

as unable to read printed materials because of blindness or other disability) AND

• be served under IDEA.

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There are varying interpretations of “Qualifying Disability” under copyright

The National Library Service - Library of CongressA person who cannot read print-based materials because of

Blindness, Visual Impairment, Physical Limitations, or a Reading Disability based on Organic Dysfunction

Multiple Interpretations of Copyright Criteria

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Bookshare Criteria

“In order for you to become a Bookshare member an expert must confirm that you have a print disability that prevents you from reading traditional print materials…

• People with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or emotional or intellectual disabilities or whose first language is not English generally do not qualify based on this criteria unless they also have a qualifying vision, physical or learning disability”

https://www.bookshare.org/cms/bookshare-me/who-qualifies

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Learning Ally – Learning through Listening

• “A print disability can be a learning disability, a visual impairment or a print disability. Although the manners in which the disability occurs are very different, they all share one characteristic: individuals diagnosed with a print disability cannot access print in the standard way.”

http://ltl.learningally.org/About-Learning-Ally/Understanding-Learning-Ally/The-Population-Learning-Ally-Serves/What-is-a-Print-Disability/63

Lesson Learned…

The primary factor to consider in making eligibility decisions is whether or not the student is able to read or use standard educational materials.

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Leveraging Resources

AEM in Action: Meet Bailey….

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http://aem.cast.org/supporting/baileys-story.html

Putting It Another Way…

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Library of Accessible Materials

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Library of Accessible Materials - Past

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Library of Accessible Materials - Present

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Library of Accessible Materials - Future

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As the publishing industry “goes digital” the most promising sources of AEM for widespread use are:• Accessible digital learning materials developed by

publishers and made available for purchase• Accessible open educational resources (OERs)

Lesson Learned…

Where can I get help when I need it?

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http://aem.cast.org

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Stay Tuned for Part 2

Don’t be shy! The only “foolish question” is the one that is not asked.

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“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress,

in every society, in every family.”

Kofi Anan

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What can you do?

• Visit the AEM Center web site at: http://aem.cast.org. Check out the Guide to AMPS, the AEM Navigator and Juna’s and Bailey’s stories.

• Search the NIMAC at http://nimac.us for needed titles then contact you AEM State Contact to find out how to get acquire the materials. Find your state contact at:http://aem.cast.org/policies/aem-state-contacts-and-sea-information.htm

• Search the collections at Bookshare at http://bookshare.org and Learning Ally at http://learningally.org

• Also check other collections at the National Library Service of the Library of Congress and Digital Talking Books

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Join us Thursday!

Acquiring Accessible Digital Materials: What to Look For! What to Ask For!

Thursday, August 27, 2:00-3:00 EDT

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We’re always just a fingertip away!

Joy Zabalajzabala@cast.org

Diana Carldiana.carl@comcast.net

AEM Teamaem@cast.org

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2-Minute Evaluation

Thank you for joining us!

Please take a few moments to complete a brief survey, which is intended to gather information about the quality, relevance, and usefulness of the webinar you just attended. Your responses are completely confidential.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AccessiblePrintAug2015