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The Grants to States Program as described in IDEA part B section 611 provides formula grants to assist states in providing a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment for students with disabilities ages three to 21. Grant projects under this program may use funds for state-level activities such as technical assistance, personnel preparation, positive behavioral interventions and supports, and improving the use of technology in the classroom.

Illinois has three grant projects which address the use of assistive technology in schools: AT Technical Assistance and Resources (AT-TA), AT Device Loan and Evaluation (AT-LE), and AT Exchange Network (AT-EN). These projects seek to build capacity and awareness of professionals at all levels of education, students, parents and families, and community members around use of Assistive Technology in education. Additionally, these projects increase availability of quality assistive technology devices, computer systems, durable medical equipment, AAC, and other AT items to support students’ access to curriculum throughout the state.​

The purpose of the Assistive Technology Guidance Manual is to provide guidance to school systems regarding the processes associated with effective AT use by students with disabilities. The manual is intended to inform the practices of schools systems to promote successful outcomes related to AT use by students with disabilities and to serve as a point of reference for school administrators, teachers, related service personnel, students, and parents of students with disabilities.​​

• Assistive Technology Guidance Manual: Accessible text 
• ​Assistive Technology Guidance Manual: Braille (A braille software program is needed to read this version)
• Assistive Technology Guidance Manual: Large print version
• Assistive Technology Guidance Manual: Frequently Asked Questions​​​​
  

STATEWIDE ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE   

STATEWIDE ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT SERVICES

​​​Obtaining Accessible Instructional Materials via NIMAC for Eligible Students with an IEP and Qualifying Disabilities

Important Updates, Clarifications, and New Definitions as of Spring 2021

• Types of Works and Instructional Materials
• As per the OSEP Notice of Interpretation, the term “print instructional materials” means printed textbooks and related printed core materials that are written and published primarily for use in elementary school and secondary school instruction and are required by a State Education Agency or Local Education Agency for use by students in the classroom.
• The term “specialized formats,” which was limited to specific technologies, has been changed to “accessible formats,” which is defined more broadly as an “alternative manner or format” that allows an eligible person to have access to a work that is equivalent to a person without a disability.
• While NIMAS/NIMAC previously addressed only hard copy printed materials and materials of specific categories, the scope of works and instructional materials now available for conversion to accessible materials via NIMAS/NIMAC has been expanded to include a variety of literary works, musical works fixed in the form of text or notation, materials in digital format with no printed equivalent, etc.
• When eligible students are not able to use materials in the digital format distributed to other students, NIMAS can be a starting point for producing Braille and other accessible formats.
• The NIMAS 1.1 format, based on the DAISY Standard, has not changed. It is designed to capture the content, structure, and linear reading order of printed books. Digital materials must meet the requirements of NIMAS specifications -- including metadata requirements -- to be submitted to the NIMAC. At this time, this includes having an International Standard Book Number.
• Note that not all instructional materials are compatible with NIMAS. For example, digitized materials with static displays and text may be compatible with NIMAS; however, interactive instructional materials (e.g., educational games, software, or apps) and multimedia audio or video files cannot be converted to NIMAS files. Standardized tests, whether print or digital, also remain outside the scope for NIMAS.
• Digital materials that are “born accessible,” meeting WCAG 2.0 AA requirements, are exempted from the requirement of being supplied to NIMAC.
• Though there is a NIMAS exemption for digital instructional materials that meet the WCAG 2.0 AA standard, some students may still need hard copy Braille materials and it may be necessary for publishers to provide a source file for Braille conversion.
• Eligible Students (Note: Students must have a current IEP to be eligible for NIMAC services.)
• The term “blind or other persons with disabilities” has been updated to “eligible person,” which is defined as someone who is either blind, has a “visual impairment or perceptual or reading disability” rendering them unable to read printed works “to substantially the same degree as a person without an impairment or disability,” or has a physical disability making them unable to hold or manipulate a book or focus or move their eyes to read. As per 17 U.S.C. 121 and the NLS, sources for the NIMAC definition, an “eligible person is an individual who, regardless of any other disability, meets the following criteria:
• Is blind;
• Has a visual impairment or perceptual or reading disability that cannot be improved to give visual function substantially equivalent to that of a person who has no such impairment or disability and so is unable to read printed works to substantially the same degree as a person without an impairment or disability; or
• Is otherwise unable, through physical disability, to hold or manipulate a book or to focus or move the eyes to the extent that would be normally acceptable for reading.”
• The list of professionals (“competent authorities”) who can determine eligibility for NIMAC services has expanded.
• Eligibility must be certified by one of the following: doctor of medicine, doctor of osteopathy, ophthalmologist, optometrist, psychologist, registered nurse, therapist, and professional staff of hospitals, institutions, and public or welfare agencies (such as an educator, a social worker, case worker, counselor, rehabilitation teacher, certified reading specialist, school psychologist, superintendent, or librarian).
• The new guidelines remove the requirement for certification by a medical doctor for those with reading disabilities. These individuals may now be certified by the same persons who are authorized to certify other print-disabled individuals for participation in the program.
• Note: Only students with IEPs and qualifying disabilities, as determined by a competent authority, can access and use NIMAS/NIMAC-sourced materials. These materials, whether in hardcopy/concrete, virtual, digitized, or any other accessible format, must not be made available to students who are not eligible for NIMAS/NIMAC-sourced materials nor distributed broadly.  Consumers who do not have an IEP and NIMAC-qualifying disability can find information about other pathways for obtaining materials in accessible formats in the documents and resources that follow.
  

OBTAINING AEM FROM NIMAC AND OTHER SOURCES

Click on the document links, Illinois’ Authorized Users (AUs) tab, and Other Resources tab below for more in-depth information about the processes for obtaining AEM or AIM through NIMAC and other sources.

• The US Department of Education FAQ Document Questions and Answers on the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS)​​ -Updated on the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Program’s site on August 9, 2021.
• Obtaining NIMAC Materials or AEM in Illinois (09/24/2021)

Illinois' A​uthorized Users (AUs)

The entities below have an individual registered and authorized to access NIMAS files through the NIMAC repository. It is important to contact the individual listed below for assistance in obtaining the needed materials in accessible formats.​