Accessible Instructional Materials or AIM are materials that are designed or converted in a way that makes them usable across the widest range of student variability regardless of format. IDEA focuses on accessible formats of print materials. In relation to IDEA, the term refers t print instructional material that have been transformed into the specialized formats of Braille, large print, audio, or digital text. For some students, printed materials can be a barrier to participation and achievement in the general education curriculum.

1. Prepared by:
Glydelle E. Cataluña
BEED-SPED 3A

2. Introduction:
 Accessible Instructional Materials or AIM are
materials that are designed or converted in a way
that makes them usable across the widest range of
student variability regardless of format. IDEA
focuses on accessible formats of print materials. In
relation to IDEA, the term refers t print
instructional material that have been transformed
into the specialized formats of Braille, large print,
audio, or digital text. For some students, printed
materials can be a barrier to participation and
achievement in the general education curriculum.

3. Some questions a team may explore to determine if a
student may not be able to make effective use of
standard print-based materials
 Can the student see the material well enough to
read the information?
 Can the student physically manipulate the material
without undue effort?
 Does the student have the necessary physical
stamina to read for extended periods of time?
 Can the student decode letters and words at or
near grade level?
 Can the student read with fluency at or near grade
level?

4. Is there a general indicator that a student could use
or learn to use a specialized format effectively?
 A primary indicator would be that the
student understands the content of print
materials when the information is presented
in another format. For example, when
printed material is read aloud to the
student, the student understands the
content and can use the information.

5. What are some of the benefits of providing
curriculum materials in a digital format?
 Digital formats are listed below:
 Text-to-speech decoding and comprehension
support.
 On-demand reading aloud of typed responses for
editing.
 Options to customize text font size and page
layout.
 Multimedia glossary to provide vocabulary
support.
 Learning supports and stud skill supports built-
in.

6. What if the team knows that the student already
uses one or more specialized formats?
 If specialized formats are currently being
used by the student, the team can indicate
that the student needs one or more
specialized formats and can justify the
decision by noting a continuing need for the
specialized formats currently provided to the
student. As the team proceeds, there will be
opportunities to consider whether currently
used formats are sufficient or if additional
or different formats are needed.

7. What is the difference between a specialized format
and an alternative format?
 Specialized Format
 Includes exactly the same content as the print
material. The specialized format does not change
the content, only the way in which the content is
presented to the student. The specialized format
neither adds nor change any information.
 Alternative format
 May address the same goals, but the content of
the material is modified or changed in some way
so that I can be understood by the student.

8. Sources of information
 Trials with materials in specialized formats using the
same content and trials using the alternative materials
 Reading diagnostic information
 Informal observations by teachers and parents
 Formal measures conducted by a psychologist,
psychological associate, or educational diagnostician
 Outside evaluations or reports from a doctor or other
medical or educational professional(s)
 Determination by the IEP team that the student requires
alternative state-wide or district-wide assessments
 Determination by the IEP team that the student requires
an alternative educational curriculum

9. How are AIM selected?
 The selection process includes the following
checkpoints:
1. List the print materials that are used across
the curriculum
2. Consider the instructional context in which
they are used
3. Select which formats the students needs
4. Determine which materials are needed in the
selected formats

10. 1. List the print materials that are used across the
curriculum
 The team gathers information about the
print instructional materials used across
the curriculum in which their student will
participate and makes a list.

11. 2. Consider the instructional context in which they
are used
 The team considers their student’s skills,
needs, and preferences; the environments in
which the student will be working; and the
tasks for which specialized formats will be
needed.

12. 3. Select which formats the student needs
 The team determines which specialized
formats will be most useful for their
students. They select the format needed by
this student based on matching the
students needs and the instructional
context needs with the features that can be
manipulated in the specialized formats.
More than one may be needed and selected.

13. 4. Determine which materials are needed in the
selected formats
 The team uses the information gathered to
select which print instructional materials
are needed in which formats.

14. Frequently Asked Questions
 What are print materials?
 IDEA defines “print instructional materials” as
printed “textbooks and related printed core
materials that are written and published
primarily for use in elementary and secondary
school instruction and are required by a state
education agency or local education agency for
use by students in a classroom” (IDEA
[674(e)(3)(C)]).

15.  What is meant by the term “related printed core
materials”?
 As stated above, these materials are “written and
published primarily for use in elementary and
secondary school instruction and are required by
a state education agency or local education
agency for use by students in a classroom” (IDEA
[674(e)(3)(C)]). They are generally thought to be
materials that are published and packaged as
accompaniments to a textbook and included in a
contract with a publisher.

16.  What are some examples of print
instructional materials that might be listed
in this section?
 Textbooks and related printed core materials that
are used in each of the student’s classes should
be listed by title and publisher. It is also very
helpful to have the ISBN, as that will be needed
to search for the material in the formats needed
by the student.

17.  What would not be considered a textbook or
related printed core instructional material?
 Books and other materials published for public
consumption such as trade books, magazines,
and newspapers are not considered instructional
materials under the definition included in IDEA.

18.  Are news magazines and other periodicals which
are produced by a publisher for elementary and
secondary education and required by an SEA or
LEA for use in a classroom considered related
printed core instructional materials?
 Yes, if, as part of the curriculum, the state
education agency (SEA) or local education agency
(LEA) requires the use of such materials which
are published primarily for use in elementary
and secondary school instruction, they would be
considered part of related printed core
instructional materials.

19.  If a school district’s foreign language classes use
literature and other works published in other
countries as a part of the core curriculum, are
these works considered related printed core
instructional materials? Does U.S copyright law
apply to these works?
 U.S. copyright law applies to works published in
another country and used as part of the
curriculum. However, unless these works are
published primarily for use in education, they
would not fall under the definition of related
print instructional materials. While it would be
an effective practice to provide such materials to
the student, there is no requirement to do so in
IDEA.

20.  Some of the published curricula used in school
districts provide online instructional materials,
games, exercises, and other materials. Must online
resources for students be provided in accessible
formats?
 The mandate in IDEA to provide related core
instructional materials in specialized formats
only applies to materials which have a print-
based source and are provided in the form of
print on paper.

21.  If otherwise qualified students attend post-
secondary classes at a community college or
university as a part of their K-12 program, what is
the school district’s responsibility to provide AIM
for these curricula?
 State educational agencies and local educational agencies
have the responsibility under IDEA to provide specialized
formats of print instructional materials to students served
under the Act who need them in a timely manner. This
responsibility would extend to all courses which the SEA
and LEA offer for elementary or secondary school credit,
even if they are provided by another entity through a
contract or other arrangement. The SEA or LEA could, as a
part of its contract with other entity, require that entity to
provide specialized formats of materials to students who
need them.

22.  Some publishers provide CDs with their textbooks.
Are these CDs accessible?
 Not all CDs are accessible; in fact, most CDs
provided by publishers are locked and contain
non-editable PDF files that are not accessible. It
should be noted that the requirement to provide
specialized formats to students with print
disabilities included in IDEA only applies to
printed materials.

23.  Can a CD that comes with a textbook for students
be copied? What if there is one CD provided for the
teacher and there are multiple students with print
disabilities who need the text in a digital format?
 U.S. copyright law applies to these materials.
They cannot be freely reproduced. Teams should
refer to the licensing agreement between the
school district and the publisher to determine
whether or not CDs can be copied. They can also
request permission to copy directly from the
publisher.

24. Instructional Context
 Common student skills:
 Cognitive skills:
 Since specialized format are made up of exactly the
same content as traditional print instructional
materials presented in different ways, it is important
to revisit a student’s ability to understand the content
and gain information from presentation of the content.

25. Importance of the report
 It is important because it provide accessible
versions of instructional materials to students who
are blind or otherwise unable to use printed
materials. It afford the flexibility to meet the needs
of a broad range of students, even those without
disabilities. Thinking about the student, the team
understand how materials are used so that the
team can make a good decision about which
specialized formats, or combination thereof will
work for the student.

26. Recommendation
 I recommend to use the accessible materials that
are generally discussed in terms of four types of
specialized formats: Braille, large-print, audio, and
digital text. In selecting accessible instructional
materials, you can visit the related sections of All
About AIM. This section provides detailed
information and resources related to the process of
selecting accessible instructional materials to meet
the needs of the student.