[Dtb-talk] More On Accessible Documents Front

[David Andrews]

>
> >>> "Kim Moccia" <Kim.Moccia at state.mn.us> 10/4/2007 7:23 AM >>>
>Minnesota and 14 other states awarded grant to speed delivery of
>accessible instructional materials to students with disabilities.
>________________________________
>
>
>FOR RELEASE: October 2, 2007
>
>
>
>
>OSEP Funds 15-State Consortium to Speed Delivery of
>
>Accessible Instructional Materials to Students with Disabilities
>
>CAST to coordinate $4.9 million, 18-month effort to implement IDEA
>2004
>mandate
>
>
>
>WAKEFIELD, Mass.-The U.S. Department of Education's Office of
>Special
>Education Programs (OSEP) has awarded 15 states and CAST, a
>leading
>education research and development organization, $4.9 million to
>launch
>the Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM) Consortium to improve
>the
>quality, availability, and timely delivery of accessible
>instructional
>materials to K-12 students with print disabilities. The office of
>Sen.
>Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) notified CAST of the award, which covers
>an
>18-month span, by telephone last week.
>
>The Federal grant will cover 100% of the costs associated with AIM
>Consortium activities.
>
>
>
>The AIM Consortium will explore the most efficient means to
>provide
>students with disabilities the materials they need to access,
>participate, and achieve in the general educational curriculum.
>The
>major federal special education and general education laws-the
>Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the No Child
>Left
>Behind Act (NCLB), respectively-both call on states to guarantee
>such
>access. IDEA 2004, in particular, mandates that all state
>education
>agencies adopt the National Instructional Materials Accessibility
>Standard (NIMAS).
>
>
>
>"With this work, the AIM Consortium member states will blaze a
>trail for
>all U.S. states and territories by determining how best to meet
>the
>mandates of IDEA and NCLB and help improve academic outcomes for
>students with print disabilities," said Chuck Hitchcock and Skip
>Stahl,
>the project's Co-Directors. "The AIM Consortium will develop a
>system to
>efficiently and effectively acquire and deliver general education
>materials in accessible formats, such Braille, digital audio,
>electronic
>text, and large print."
>
>
>
>The AIM Consortium includes Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana,
>Maine,
>Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York,
>Pennsylvania,
>Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Their efforts will be
>coordinated
>and supported by CAST, a nonprofit educational organization with a
>decade's worth of experience leading major federal centers to
>improve
>access to the curriculum.
>
>
>
>The goals of the AIM Consortium are to-
>
>
>
>*          Develop state systems for increasing the timely
>provision of
>accessible instructional materials for student with print
>disabilities,
>
>*          Ensure that state systems for identifying, acquiring,
>and
>using accessible instructional materials employ high-quality
>procedures
>and practices, and
>
>*          Produce related products and services scalable and made
>available to all U.S. states and territories, thus contributing to
>nationwide efforts to improve academic outcomes for all students
>with
>disabilities.
>
>
>
>Most of the $4.9 million in funds will be distributed among 15
>state
>partners to develop and share systems and best practices for
>procuring
>appropriate materials. Project Co-Directors Chuck Hitchcock and
>Skip
>Stahl of CAST also direct the NIMAS centers at CAST, which
>facilitate
>the implementation of the national Standard. Joy Zabala, Ed.D., a
>nationally known specialist in educational and assistive
>technologies,
>will join CAST's staff as project manager. Dr. Zabala brings more
>than
>three decades of experience as a general and special educator,
>consultant, and professional developer to her role.
>
>
>
>
>
>###
>
>CAST is a non-profit education R&D organization that works to
>expand
>learning opportunities for all individuals, especially those with
>disabilities, through the development of innovative,
>technology-based
>educational resources and strategies. CAST is host of the
>federally
>funded NIMAS Development and Technical Assistance centers for the
>delivery of accessible instructional materials. To learn more, go
>to
>www.cast.org.

David Andrews and white cane Harry.