Frequently Asked Questions

AEM is designed specifically for K-12 students with print disabilities. A print disability can be a visual impairment or blindness, a learning difficulty, or a physical impairment that limits a student’s use of standard printed materials.

• The student dislikes reading

• The student has below average reading level, shows difficulty with reading aloud, fluency, comprehension

• The student requires extra time to read or complete assignments

• The student cannot hold a book or turn pages independently

• The student has poor posture due to difficulty accessing standard print

• Information from a comprehensive evaluation indicating materials in a specialized format are needed

There are many ways accessible materials can be obtained. Specialized format materials, like textbooks, can be created by Accessible Media Producers (AMPs). Platforms such as Learning Ally or Bookshare offer textbooks, novels, periodicals, magazines, etc. in audio and digital formats. Raw files from publishers can be sent to the NIMAC for conversion into a specialized format later. In many cases, using built-in accessibility features on the student’s device can make content on the screen accessible with no additional alterations.

AEM levels the playing field for students with print disabilities who otherwise are unable to keep up in class. No content is changed when specialized formats (large print, braille, audio, digital) materials are provided.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. There are three main principles of UDL: multiple means of engagement, multiple means of representation, and multiple means of action and expression. These principles work together to provide students with a diverse way to interact with the material and show what they know. Given a variety of ways to learn, each student is more likely to have material presented in a way that is meaningful to them. Learn more about UDL.

The Chafee Amendment (17 U.S.C. 121) provides that “ it is not an infringement of copyright for an authorized entity to reproduce or to distribute in the United States copies or phonorecords of a previously published literary work or of a previously published musical work that has been fixed in the form of text or notation if such copies or phonorecords are reproduced or distributed in accessible formats exclusively for use by eligible persons.”

Assistive technology (AT) is any item, piece of equipment, software program, or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of persons with disabilities. Learn more. AT is a broad category that encompasses any item that helps a person with a disability accomplish a task. This includes mobility equipment, communication devices, hearing devices, vision equipment, etc. AEM is a subcategory of AT. AEM is used in the educational setting to help students with print disabilities read or otherwise access print materials. Often, AEM and AT are used together.