Iowa Department of Education

On August 14, 2006, the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) was published in the Federal Register. With this official publication of the NIMAS, accessible instructional materials have become part of the regulatory requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA).

The overall purpose of the NIMAS is to help increase the availability and timely delivery of print instructional materials in accessible formats (Braille, Large Print, Audio, Digital Text) to blind or other persons with print disabilities in elementary schools and secondary schools.  NIMAS, a standard required by federal IDEA regulations, outlines a set of consistent and valid specifications for document source files created by K-12 curriculum publishers or other content producers that can then be used to create accessible specialized formats of print instructional materials.  Instructional materials covered by NIMAS include printed textbooks and printed core materials that are written and published primarily for use in elementary and secondary school instruction and that are required by a school district for use by students in the classroom.

IDEA anticipates that publishers will provide materials in NIMAS - conformant files to a national central repository called the National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC).  The NIMAC is housed at American Printing House for the Blind.  The digitally NIMAS-formatted materials can then be downloaded by an authorized user and transformed into student-ready versions and delivered to students who are blind or have other print disabilities via their school or teacher.

State Education Agency (SEA) Responsibilities
To comply with IDEA Regulations, every state is required to adopt the NIMAS and must provide required assurances within the state’s IDEA application for federal funds. Iowa has provided an assurance that students who need curriculum materials in accessible formats are provided with the materials in a timely manner to ensure access to the general education curriculum.

In order to meet its responsibility under IDEA Regulations, SEAs are required to ensure that children with disabilities who need instructional materials in accessible formats are provided those materials in a timely manner. The SEA must ensure that all public agencies take all reasonable steps to provide instructional materials in accessible formats to children with disabilities who need those instructional materials at the same time that other children receive instructional materials.

Local Education Agency (LEA) Responsibilities
The LEA is responsible for ensuring that each child who requires instructional materials in an accessible format will receive the materials in a timely manner.

For More Information
Visit the NIMAS website at http://nimas.cast.org/.

Documents

 National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (2006-10-24) - This document addresses statutory and final regulatory requirements regarding NIMAS.

 NIMAS Guidance 2007-2008 (2008-01-16) - This document provides a process to use so NIMAS studands can receive materials in accessible formats.