AIM for ALL Kids from Kittery to Fort Kent

Accessible Instructional Materials

Winter/Spring 2009

With support from their local school districts and the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI), increasing numbers of Maine educators are learning how to use technology to differentiate learning opportunities.

The more ways that students can independently access the curriculum, the more likely they are to be fully engaged and successful learners. Yet most instructional materials used in classrooms remain text-based and in print format, making them inaccessible to some students. Providing accessible instructional materials (AIM) means that all students have equitable access to learning.

This MLTI content meeting presents a framework for guiding and supporting the acquisition of AIM in a timely manner.

Skills include:

acquiring instructional materials in digital text and audio formats from free Web-based libraries
using Bookshare.org as a free source of accessible digital text versions of copyright books and periodicals for students with print disabilities
understanding Maine’s workflow for acquiring textbooks and core instructional materials in specialized formats from the National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC) (http://nimac.us)
scanning existing print materials with OCR software
converting digital text materials to audio format
considering a student’s need for AIM in the IEP process
understanding the role of assistive technology in students’ uses of AIM

Sessions will start promptly at 9:00am and end by 3:00pm. Please arrive at 8:30 for check-in and connectivity testing to ensure we start in a timely fashion. Contact hours will be available and ALL sessions are free of charge.

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Locations/Dates

Cumberland/York: February 9 - Saco Middle School

Western: February 13 - Lewiston High School

Penquis: February 26 - Piscataquis High School

MidCoast: March 26 - Boothbay Elementary School

Downeast/Washington: April 9 - Eastport Elementary School

Aroostook: April 16 - Washburn Elementary School

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Directions to each location can be found here.