Resources
State Guidelines Checklist for the Blind or Visually ImpairedDeveloped by the American Foundation for the Blind, this checklist was designed as a tool to help states identify current systems for providing instructional materials to students who are blind or visually impaired.  http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=58&TopicID=255&DocumentID=2944 [1]Instructional Resource Centers for the Blind and Visually Impaired (IRCBVI) IRCBVIs are nonprofit organizations or governmental agencies that have a primary mission to provide specialized services relating to training, education, or adaptive reading or information access needs of blind or other persons with disabilities in local school districts or special school settings. Additional services are often included. These Centers and their respective representatives are considered authorized entities by the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) for the production and delivery of textbooks and instructional materials to students who are blind or have low vision and should be names as authorized users of the NIMAC by states.  http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=58&TopicID=255&DocumentID=2964 [2]Assistive TechnologyInformation regarding the Assistive Technology Act, links to AT resources, and information related to federally funded programs.  http://aim.cast.org/resources/assistivetechnology [3]Content Development and DesignRecommendations, standards, and guidelines; production and tools, including Braille production software and services; information about making Math and Science accessible; accessible PDF development; and scanning.  http://aim.cast.org/resources/contentdesigndevelopment [4]
Description KeyDescription Key is a set of guidelines created for alternate-format description, "the verbal depiction of key visual elements in media and live productions. Also known as 'audio description' or 'video description,' the description of media involves the interspersion of these depictions with the program’s original audio" (from the Description Key web site [5]). Description Key guidelines were "developed through a partnership between the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) and the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)" in 2006 and "began as recommendations, suggestions, and best practices" (from the web site).  Guidelines that have been developed include a "how to describe" web page [6] and a "what to describe" web page [7], as well as various other resources.