In this paper, we report the findings of a case study that explored how one State Education Agency (SEA) and two Local Education Agencies (LEAs) in a southern state enacted federal and state policies to provide Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) to students with disabilities, work that is ongoing in the southern state as of this writing.…

This guide addresses the challenge of inaccessible digital learning resources by providing K-12 education stakeholders with actionable information about EPUB, a digital file format. EPUB is a widely adopted format for many digital books and is specifically designed to display text, audio, images and, in some cases, video in a manner usable by all…

The Innovation Configuration for the Quality Indicators with Critical Components for Providing AEM and Accessible Technologies in Higher Education (IC for the AEM Quality Indicators) is designed to assist campus or university system teams with establishing an implementation plan and monitoring progress over time. As described by the CEEDAR Center,…

The National Center on Accessible Educational Materials for Learning (National AEM Center) at CAST is a technical assistance (TA) center funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The purpose of the Center is to improve educational and employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities through TA activities that increase both the…

This practice brief outlines a series of recommendations for improving the timely provision and use of high-quality braille -- both embossed and electronic -- and tactile graphics for state-mandated assessment. The primary target audience for these recommendations is State Education Agency (SEA) assessment leaders and others at the state-and…

Ensuring participation in state-mandated assessments by students who need accessible educational materials (AEM) and related technologies is an extension of the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials for Learning at CAST's (AEM Center) technical assistance activities. The needs of students who rely on AEM for daily learning transfer…

The AEM Navigator facilitates the process of decision-making around accessible formats of educational materials for individual students. It assists teams in making informed, accurate, and multi-step decisions related to determining a student's need for accessible formats, selecting the format(s) needed, acquiring materials, and determining the…

The availability of high-quality Open Educational Resources (OER) plays an important role in addressing equity issues in education. For its full potential to be realized for every learner, however, OER must be more than openly licensed at a reasonable cost. They must also be usable across the variability that learners bring to any learning…

Questions often arise about how accessible educational materials (AEM) might be included in Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). The two purposes of this article are to (1) help families and educators understand the importance of including AEM in the IEPs of students who require them, and (2) to discuss locations in the IEP where it may be…

This guide is for any individual seeking to develop knowledge and practical skills related to the "Quality Indicators with Critical Components for K-12." The target audience includes administrators, educators, and service providers at the state and local levels, as well as families of students with disabilities. As a result of completing…

The purpose of this brief is to help families and educators understand the right of students with disabilities who need accessible educational materials to receive these materials in a timely manner. This right is based on provisions in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as well as in the disability civil rights statutes…

In early 2020, the AEM Center turned its focus to the start of the education continuum by developing Critical Components for providing accessible materials and technologies for children in early childhood programs. Knowledge development activities focused on understanding the complex early childhood educational system, particularly with respect to…

The purpose of the National AEM Center's Quality Indicators with Critical Components for Workforce Development is to assist workforce development agencies and programs with planning, implementing, and evaluating dynamic, coordinated systems for providing accessible materials and technologies for all career seekers who need them. The ultimate goal…

As the Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center states, children with disabilities have the right to participate in everyday activities with their typically developing peers. In inclusive early childhood programs and settings, social and learning activities are designed for the participation of all children. The provision and use of…

The purpose of the National AEM Center's Quality Indicators with Critical Components for K-12 is to assist State and local education agencies with planning, implementing, and evaluating dynamic, coordinated systems for providing accessible materials and technologies for all students who need them. The ultimate goal of an AEM provision system is…