Use
This section provides information on the practical use of AIM and includes resources on assistive technologies, alternate formats, state-level disability-related organizations and entities, and guidelines for teachers and parents.
Accessible Textbooks
Accessible Textbooks in the K–12 Classroom (2010 Revision). This Guide, originally published in 2006, is designed to provide educators—administrators, teachers, and paraprofessionals—with effective strategies for acquiring and using accessible, alternate format versions of print instructional materials in the classroom.
Accessible Textbooks II
This document is the third in a series related to accessible instructional materials and provides suggested guidelines for administrators, teachers, and paraprofessionals for determining which alternate formats (and which tools to access them and exploit their flexibility) are best suited to a given student's print-related challenges.
Assistive Technology
The National Assistive Technology Technical Assistance Partnership (NATTAP) provides a list of the contacts for each of the programs funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the U.S. Department of Education.- Assistive Technology Act The Assistive Technology Act of 1998 as amended in Public Law 108-364 amends the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 to support programs of grants to states to address the assistive technology needs of individuals with disabilities, and for other purposes.
- Assistive Technology Programs The 56 AT Act program contacts are available at this web page.
- The National Assistive Technology Technical Assistance Partnership (NATTAP) provides technical assistance to the 56 state and territory assistive technology programs as authorized under the Assistive Technology Act of 1998, as amended (P.L. 108-364). Technical assistance is designed to enhance the efforts of state AT grantees.
NICHCY State Resources
NICHCY compiles disability-related resources for each state. This comprehensive resource will help you locate organizations and agencies within your state that address disability-related issues, including state resource lists, state agencies serving children and youth with disabilities, state chapters of disability organizations and parent groups, parent training and information projects, and much more.
http://www.nichcy.org/states.htm
Formats at-a-glance
| Organization | Braille | Human Audio | Digital Text | Large Print |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accessible Book Collection (ABC) | HTML; XHTML | |||
| Books Aloud, Inc. (BA) | analog tape | |||
| American Printing House for the Blind (APH) | embossed; multiple digital formats | |||
| Bookshare for Education (B4E) | embossed; Braille-ready format (BRF) | DAISY 3.0 | ||
| National Library Service (NLS) | embossed; digital files | DAISY 2.0 | ||
| Learning Ally (formerly Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic [RFB&D]) | DAISY 2.0 |
Technologies
- A Pocketful of Sound by Anna Dresner describes and reviews accessible media players.
http://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/POCKET.html - Text-to-MP3. There are several text-to-MP3 format converters available for free (basic/demo versions) online:
- SpokenText.net "allows you to record PDF, Word, plain text, PowerPoint files, RSS news feeds, emails, and web pages, and converts them to speech automatically. You can download your recording as an iPod book or mp3 file" (from the web site). http://www.spokentext.net/
- ReadTheWords is a web-based application where text can be converted via their online conversion, or users can upload documents in the following formats: Word, PDF, txt, and HTML. http://www.readthewords.com/
- Expressivo is a TTS application that converts various format content into audio that can be copied to an MP3 player. http://www.expressivo.com/
- SpokenText.net "allows you to record PDF, Word, plain text, PowerPoint files, RSS news feeds, emails, and web pages, and converts them to speech automatically. You can download your recording as an iPod book or mp3 file" (from the web site).
See also the Accessible Media section of this web site.