What are Accessible Instructional Materials?
Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM) help to remove barriers for students with varying types of disabilities who are accessing printed information. AIM may include books in braille form or large print, as well as electronic text that can be accessed in a variety of ways, including text converted to speech. Read here to see what the difference is between audiobooks and text to speech. AIM also includes material that is in an audio form without any text component, like an e-book. Contact your child's special education team if you think your child may benefit from accessible materials. This manual published by the Pacer Center is a useful guide for parents and advocates. Also, watch the video below for an even better explanation of what AIM is, who may benefit from it, and how it may be implemented.
Bookshare is the world's largest online library of accessible e-books for people with print disabilities. It is free for U.S. students who have a qualifying print disability.
Learning Ally is a national non-profit dedicated to helping students with print disabilities, including blindness, visual impairment and dyslexia. Learning Ally improves the way students learn at home and in the classroom.
American Printing House for the Blind produces textbooks in Braille and large type, educational tools such as braille typewriters and microcomputer software and hardware, teaching aides such as tests, performance measures and other special supplies.
Colorado Talking Book Library CTBL provides audio, Braille and large print books free of charge.
The Accessible Textbook Finder helps you search various vendors to find accessible titles. Each vendor has their own policies and accessibility features.