AIM Connector Newsletter - Latest info on copyright, legal basis for AIM

October, 2010

Greetings from the AIM Center:

Hot off the presses! See below for information about three papers just released and now available on the AIM Center web site offering the most comprehensive discussion of copyright, eligibility and the legal basis for accessible instructional materials that we know of. All are available for download in Word and pdf.

We gratefully acknowledge the work of Joanne Karger, J.D., Ed.D. in preparing these resources and hope that you share them with your colleagues and families.

Questions and comments regarding the contents of the papers? Contact Chuck Hitchcock, Director of the National Center on AIM (chitchcock@cast.org).

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NIMAS/NIMAC Brief

An Examination of the NIMAS and NIMAC Provisions in IDEA 2004: A Brief for Families and Educators

This 4-page brief provides a summary of the challenges faced by educators, families, and learners regarding the timely provision of accessible instructional materials for K-12 students who may benefit from the use of specialized formats.

The paper provides concise and clear explanations of the complex legislative language in IDEA 2004 related to AIM. Get the NIMAS/NIMAC brief.

photo of a woman in a library on a laptop

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Right of
Students Brief

The Right of Students to Receive AIM

This 7-page brief will help families and educators understand the legal requirements regarding the right of students with disabilities who need accessible instructional materials to receive these materials in a timely manner.

This right is based on provisions in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as well as in the disability civil rights statutes Section 504 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The brief is written in the form of Frequently Asked Questions and will be useful to families and educators wondering about legal rights and procedures. Read the Right of Students brief.

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NIMAS Legal Issues

NIMAS and NIMAC: A Discussion of Legal Issues

This 30+ page paper is the source document from which the shorter briefs described above were developed.

Part I examines the Chafee Amendment and the provisions establishing the NIMAS and the NIMAC. Part II discusses the right of students with disabilities who need AIM to receive these materials in a timely manner. Part III analyzes

questions about eligibility and what kinds of digital text constitute acceptable specialized formats under the NIMAS/NIMAC process. Get the NIMAS/NIMAC Legal Issues paper.

computer with a notepad and pen next to it

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NCAC Publications

NCAC Publications Now Available on AIM Center Web Site

The AIM Center web site is now hosting our archive of National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum (NCAC) Publications. Here you will find articles on effective classroom practices, curriculum enhancements, teacher practices and planning, and more.

Find these resources in the History and Archives section of the AIM web site, under Background Papers, NCAC Publications.

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Meet the AIM Center Team

Chuck Hitchcock, AIM Center

Chuck is the Director of the AIM Center and "Chief Guy in Charge" of the work we do with state education agencies, local education agencies and other stakeholders to develop systems to speed the delivery of high-quality accessible instructional materials to students with print disabilities.

Chuck was instrumental in leading the charge for the development of the legal briefs we highlight in this month's newsletter. He also worked closely with the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) and Joanne Karger, J.D., Ed.D. to provide NCLD with an advocacy perspective on AIM for students with LD. We encourage you to visit their website and read the policy brief, AIM: Ensuring Access for Students with LD,

TA Tips

AIM Center staff and colleagues collaborated with participants at Closing the Gap in Minneapolis last week and are now en route to Chicago for ATIA Chicago where we will spend time with participants interested in learning more about AIM and the supports and services available to families and state and local education agencies. Shortly a .pdf version of the presentation materials used at these two conferences will be available on the AIM Center web site. We invite you to download and explore these materials at your leisure.

We hope that many of you will have the opportunity to attend one or more of the upcoming conferences at which AIM will be discussed. Although it is always good to hear from you online and in teleconferences, we would love to see your faces!

And, for sure, take the time to read the documents that are the highlight of this issue of the AIM Connector! They represent some very insightful work on the complex issues that surround the timely provision of AIM.

Joy Zabala
Director of Technical Assistance

Visit our other sites to learn more about CAST and Universal Design for Learning