ACCESSIBLE EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS

By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com

 “Accessible Educational Materials, or Accessible Instructional Materials, are print and technology-based educational materials that include printed and electronic textbooks and related core materials that are designed or converted in a way that makes them usable across the widest range of student variability regardless of format (print, digital, graphical, audio, video). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) specifically focuses on accessible formats of print instructional materials.” ~ National Center on Accessible Educational Materials

Who needs AEM?

Print textbooks and instructional materials used in classrooms are not always accessible to students and can present barriers to learning.  Students must be provided with materials in a format that they can access in order to participate and achieve in the general curriculum.  Many students with visual impairments may require one or more specialized formats including braille, large print, audio and/or digital. When specialized formats, paired with support for proper use, are matched to a student's unique learning needs and combined with effective instruction in reading, the result can mean the difference between exclusion and achievement across the curriculum. For students who are blind or visually impaired, the Learning Media Assessment will indicate the student’s primary and secondary modes of learning and the media instructional material should be presented in.  

How are decisions made?

If a student is able to understand content presented in textbooks and related core instructional materials that are used by other students across the curriculum, but is unable to read or use them, that student will need another way to obtain the information contained in the print materials. In this case, the student may need one or more specialized formats of the curricular materials.
 
The National Center on Accessible Educational Materials uses the following indicators to use when determining if the student may need AEM.

• Does the student have a sensory, physical or cognitive disability that impacts the ability to perceive or use standard materials?
• Can the student understand text when it is read aloud but has difficulty reading on his or her own?
• Is there evidence that the student cannot read or use grade level print-based materials at a sufficient rate and with adequate comprehension to complete academic tasks with success, relative to same-age peers?
• Does the student have difficulty reading independently at grade level or across environments and tasks?

If the answer to any of these questions is "yes," the student may need AEM. To learn more about determining if your student needs AEM, visit Need for AEM in Navigating AEM. Decisions need to be made based on a student's needs, the environments in which tasks will be completed, and the nature of tasks the student needs to accomplish. Students may prefer different formats for different learning tasks or in different environments. ​

Large Print ​

Large print provides the same content as standard print in a larger font size. Large print is typically defined as 16pt or 18 pt font size or larger. Large print refers to paper and is either printed on the same size page or more frequently, is presented on larger size pages. Students should participate in a Low Vision Assessment to determine if they have the best optics in place and if optical devices such as magnifiers will allow the student to access standard print sizes.

​Braille

Braille is a tactile system of reading and writing that is made up of a series of raised-dots that is read by using one’s fingers to read from left to right over a line of braille. Tactile perception and discrimination skills are necessary for efficient braille reading. Frequently, braille users will need a combination of formats to access the curriculum as reading rates are typically significantly slower in braille readers. ​

​Audio

The audio format provides content as speech to which the student listens. Audio format may be presented as recorded human speech or synthesized electronic speech. If the audio format is created in a flexible way — for example aligned to NIMAS or DAISY standards — there are many ways in which the speech output can be adjusted. Depending on the technology used, changes in the pitch, volume and speed at which the speech is presented can be made. Depending on the tool the student uses to access the recording, they must learn how to navigate. The student must learn how to go forward and backwards, and jump to page numbers, chapters, titles etc.

Digital Text

​Digital text is presented on a computer or another device and is adjustable, depending on the technology and/or the software that is used. Depending on the tool used, the user can control how the content is presented in relation to size, fonts, colors, and contrast to accommodate the needs of the user. Supported reading software with text-to-speech can provide audio and visual components either separately or simultaneously as well as other scaffolded supports like highlighting, dictionaries, and thesauruses. Students who are visually impaired or blind may need the digital text content delivered via the computer as enlarged text on the screen or as refreshable braille. ​

Additional AME Resources

The National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials features the AIM Navigator. The AIM Navigator is an interactive tool that facilitates the process of decision-making around accessible instructional materials for an individual student. The tool helps teams determine the need of AT; select the format; consider the acquisition of formats; and select the supports for use.

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TVI's Guide Complete Set Bundle + BONUS Resources

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TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC: An Activities Based Curriculum for Teaching Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired
The TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC is a digital pdf available for download. It is designed specifically for fellow itinerant Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI’s), and consists of over 400 activities and topic areas of discussion for instructing students in the Expanded Core Curriculum. The activities are age-neutral and multi-sensory and therefore can meet the needs of the broad range of students served on an itinerant caseload serving. The activities can be individualized to the students various learning modalities and scaffold in order to challenge students but ensure success. Select those activities that align with the student’s learning objects based on the student’s unique visual needs and academic and developmental level. In addition to the core activity areas, each of the 32 Thematic Units incorporates additional unique ECC concepts and skills providing you with a years’ worth of activities. These units are cyclical and can be used repeatedly to help students build on prior knowledge and develop a deeper understanding of concepts. Each unit includes suggestions for activity adaptation associated with the unit. These include lists of objects, possible community-based experiences, environmental print, poems, children & young reader books, children's songs, pop culture songs, movies, and websites.


In addition to the book, the following two supplements are included:
·      TVI’s Guide to the ECC Concept Checklist
·      TVI’s Guide to the ECC Activities Checklist


For complete product details and additional images, visit the TVI's Guide product page.


TVI's Guide to the ECC Product details
·      Digital pdf download: 346 pages (11 pt font)
·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
·      Author: Carmen Willings
·      Language: English


Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheets: TVI's Guide to the ECC Grab and Go Supplements
The Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheets is a Grab and Go supplement to the TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC. This workbook is a pdf download that can be printed on demand for use with students. It contains five different types of worksheets for developing visual motor skills and near magnifier fluency skills particularly with the use of a video magnifier. As a companion to the TVI’s Guide to the ECC, the worksheets correspond to each of the 32 ECC Thematic units. The worksheets, along with a list of environmental print for each thematic unit, are designed to help students refine their visual motor skills while reinforcing ECC concepts presented in the thematic units.  


For complete product details and additional images, visit the Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Product Page.


Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheet Details:
·      Digital pdf download: 210 pages
·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
·      Author: Carmen Willings
·      Language: English


Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency and Maintenance Worksheets: A TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC Grab & go Supplement
The Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency and Maintenance Grab and Go ECC worksheet packet is a print on demand workbook that contains worksheets in print and simulated braille to use for data collection. Present the student with a hard braille copy and use the worksheets to document accuracy and fluency in reading braille. As a companion to the TVI’s Guide to the ECC, the worksheets correspond to the ECC Thematic activities presented in the curriculum guide. These word lists and sentences will help the student refine their keyboarding or braille reading skills while bridging ECC concepts presented in the thematic units. Although the lists and passages can be produced using a manual braillewriter, you may also copy and paste the passages into any braille translation software for quick production on an embosser. They may also be entered into a typing program such as APH’s Talking Typer to build keyboarding fluency.


For complete product details and additional images, visit the Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency & Maintenance Product Page


Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency Worksheet Details:
·      Digital pdf download: 338-page print and simulated braille worksheets
·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
·      Author: Carmen Willings
·      Language: English


Thematic Vocabulary Cards and Checklists: Grab & Go ECC Supplement
The Thematic Vocabulary Cards and Checklists Grab and Go ECC supplement is a 446 page pdf downloadable print on demand workbook that includes 2940 vocabulary card on 3 1/2" x 2" templates divided by each of the 32 Thematic Units along with a checklist of each unit words in print and simulated braille. As a companion to the TVI's Guide to the ECC, the vocabulary cards correspond to the ECC Thematic activities presented in the curriculum guide. 


Additional Use:
Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments can have a extremely varied caseloads. It is possible to go several years without having a student on your caseload who requires braille instruction. Like other skills, if you do not practice your braille regularly, it is easy to lose those skills. Use these checklists and cards to maintain your braille skills. Fold the checklist along the line dividing the print from the braille. Choose to either read the print and produce the word in braille using a braillewriter or read the simulated braille and decode it. Finally, these vocabulary cards and checklists may be used with family members or peers who are interested in learning and practicing the braille code.


For complete product details and additional images, visit the Thematic Vocabulary Cards & Checklists Product Page


Thematic Vocabulary Cards and Checklists Details:
·      Digital pdf download: 446-page print on demand resource
·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
·      Author: Carmen Willings
·      Language: English


BONUS!
Lotto Cards
The LOTTO Cards Grab and Go Supplement includes 37 theme related unit cards along with activity suggestions that support activities within the TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC.


On My Way File Folder Cards
Print and use these cards to represent locations the student may visit that are related to the current thematic unit. Use these with the On My Way File Folder Game outlined in the TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC p. 27.

NEW! Access to TVI's Guide Bonus Membership Pages

Note:
All products are digital pdf downloads. Once you make your purchase you will be directed to an order confirmation page where you will find the download link. This download will also be included on the receipt sent to the email address you provide. The pdf download can be found directly under the order number. If you encounter any difficulty, please let me know and I can assist you.

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