American Printing House for the Blind, Inc. (APH) with support from the U.S. Department of Education has established the National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC). Authorized users can search the NIMAC database and download the files they need to convert to accessible instructional materials for students with qualifying disabilities.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) of 2004 requires states to address the critical difficulty in obtaining accessible textbooks for students with disabilities by adopting a new file format, the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS). The legislation specifies this requirement is for elementary and secondary school level students.

The combination of a standard format and a central repository should significantly expedite the time frame in which instructional materials are delivered to students who need them in the classroom.

Legislation does not seem to require that publishers send these special format files directly to the NIMAC. Educational agencies must include language in contracts with publishers directing them to send NIMAS files of textbooks and related core print instructional materials to the center.

For further information, see http://www.nimac.us/