Decision-Making Tools and Supports

Interactive tools that can be used by teams to help with decisions about accessible instructional materials, including 1) identification of student need, 2) selection of specialized formats, 3) acquisition of specialized formats, and 4) determination of supports for use of AIM (technology, strategies, etc.) for participation and achievement.

AIM Navigator

The AIM Navigator facilitates the process of decision-making about accessible instructional materials for an individual student by IEP or other decision-making teams. The four major decision points in the process include 1) determination of need, 2) selection of format(s), 3) acquisition of formats, and 4) selection of supports for use. The AIM Navigator provides extensive support for decision-making at each point by providing guiding questions, resources, and links to other tools. The AIM Navigator collects all decisions and all supporting information entered by a team and creates a summary that can be printed or saved to a local computer, along with a running To Do List.

AIM Explorer

The AIM Explorer is a free downloadable simulation tool that combines grade-leveled digital text with access features common to most text readers and supported reading software. Settings for magnification, colors of text and background, text-to-speech (synthetic and human), text highlighting, and layout options can be manipulated to help educators, families, and struggling readers decide ways in which these supports can be configured to help with access to and understanding of text. The AIM Explorer collects information and prepares a summary that can be printed or saved to a local computer.

AIM Product Tutorials

The AIM Product Tutorials include one hundred and one (101) captioned videos and other supports that provide detailed, practical instruction for classroom and home use of ten AIM-related assistive technology products. The AIM Product Tutorials include videos, video transcripts, and an at-a-glance AIM Products Features Chart with links to the manufacturers of each product so that users of the tutorials know where to find information about updates and new releases of the products.

AIM Guide to AMPs

The User’s Guide to Federally Funded Accessible Media Producers provides detailed and “at-a-glance” format of in-depth information about the three federally funded accessible media producers—Bookshare, Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D), and the American Printing House for the Blind (APH). The Guide includes each organization's role, available resources, information on students served, and detailed step-by-step instructions on how to access those resources.