District/School Administration PK-16 Program Support
Educational Technology

National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS)

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires school districts to provide instructional materials to blind persons or other persons with print disabilities in a timely manner. This means that districts must take all reasonable steps to provide print instructional materials in accessible formats to children with disabilities at the same time as other children receive those materials.

What is NIMAS?
The National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) is a technical standard that curriculum publishers began using in 2006. NIMAS is designed to make it easier and faster to obtain accessible instructional materials. Publishers will send NIMAS files to the National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC), when requested to do so through a purchasing contract with a school district. The NIMAS files can then be used to produce alternate formats, including braille, large print, digital text, and audiobooks, for students with disabilities.

How can districts participate in the NIMAC?
To participate in the National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC), a district needs to include a NIMAS provision in its contracts or purchases orders with publishers. When purchasing new textbooks, the district should require the publisher to send NIMAS files to the NIMAC, on or before delivery of the books. By doing this, districts will help to build a library of files at the NIMAC.

What books are available through the NIMAC?
According to IDEA 2004, the NIMAC will maintain a catalog of "printed textbooks and related printed core materials that are written and published primarily for use in elementary school and secondary school instruction and are required by a state educational agency or local educational agency for use by students in the classroom." The NIMAC depends on participation by school districts to help to build its library.

Which students are eligible to use NIMAS materials?
NIMAS files are available only to blind or other students with print disabilities in elementary schools and secondary schools. See Documenting Student Eligibility for Use of NIMAS Files.

How can districts access NIMAS files?
In most cases, districts will access accessible materials created from NIMAS files, rather than accessing NIMAS files directly. The following organizations will coordinate the conversion of NIMAS files into several formats, which districts can access on behalf of eligible students with disabilities:

• Braille and large print
  If a student needs braille or large print, the district (through its Teacher of the Visually Impaired) can contact the Massachusetts Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM) Library to request these materials. NIMAS has not changed the Library's policies and procedures; it just offers a more efficient means of providing textbooks in alternate media. Before a district can request materials, it must submit documentation of student eligibility for services.

• Digital text
  If a student needs digital text for use with text-to-speech software, educators can download files from Bookshare. Bookshare has received a federal grant allowing it to serve schools at no cost. Files are available for many books, including those published before NIMAS went into effect in 2006. Before files can be downloaded, the district/school/organization needs to sign up for a school or group account, certifying that only eligible students will use the materials. For questions, contact staterequests@bookshare.org.

• Audiobooks
  If a student needs an audio CD, the district can order it from Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB & D). CDs are available for many books, including those published before NIMAS went into effect in 2006. Before materials can be ordered, the district needs to sign up for a membership, assuring that only eligible students will use the materials. RFB&D's local office can provide information on state-funded memberships for Massachusetts school districts. To find out if your district has signed up for a membership, contact Jayme Donndelinger at jdonndelinger@rfbd.org or 617-500-2702

Can districts search online to find out what books are available?
Districts needing digital text or audiobooks can search the online libraries of Bookshare (digital text) and Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (audiobooks). If a book is not found, the district can request that the book be added to those libraries.

Must districts purchase a copy of a printed book for every student, even if some students will be using alternate formats?
The Department highly recommends that districts purchase a printed copy of a book for every student, regardless of the format that the student may ultimately use. In many cases, it will be helpful for students to have access to the printed book. In other cases, a copy of the book may be required in order to produce an alternate format, such as braille.

What kind of instruction should be provided to students who received NIMAS-derived materials?
Students will probably need instruction on how to access the NIMAS-derived materials using the appropriate technology devices. It may be helpful to provide this same instruction to the students' teachers and parents. It is also important to continue providing reading instruction (including braille instruction, if appropriate) so that students will be able to access print as they encounter it throughout their lives.

What if a student is not eligible to use NIMAS-derived materials?
School districts are responsible for providing accessible instructional materials to students with disabilities who need them, regardless of whether the students are eligible to use NIMAS materials. Schools can investigate purchasing accessible materials directly from publishers, obtaining permission from publishers to adapt existing materials, or adapting materials that are in the public domain (and thus free of copyright restrictions). The resources below provide suggestions.

For More Information

National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standards (NIMAS)

NIMAS Development & Technical Assistance Centers (at CAST)

National Instructional Materials Access Center

Documenting Student Eligibility for Use of NIMAS Files

Accessible Textbooks in the Classroom

Accessible Textbooks in the Classroom II