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[email protected] NIMAS Accessible Textbooks in the K–12 Classroom (2010 Revision) An Educator’s Guide to the Acquisition of Alternate Format Core Learning Materials for Pre-K–12 Students with Print Disabilities Prepared by Skip Stahl, with support from Chuck Hitchcock, Valerie Hendricks, Mindy Johnson, Susan Christensen, and Mary Ann Siller Version 2.0, updated June, 2010 This report was updated with support from the AIM and NIMAS Centers, cooperative agreements between CAST and the U. S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), Cooperative Agreement nos. H327T090001and H327P090001. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of the U. S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, and no official endorsement by the Department should be inferred. I. Overview This Guide, originally published in 2006, is designed to provide educators—administrators, teachers, and paraprofessionals—with effective strategies for acquiring and using accessible, alternate format versions of print instructional materials in the classroom. Beginning with three brief scenarios in the Reaching Every Student Section below, we describe typical challenges encountered by “print-disabled” students at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. The Guide explores solutions for obtaining alternate format materials in four categories: Braille, audio, e-text, and large print. As a result of the emergence of digital versions of textbooks and related materials, a vibrant commercial market for e-books and e-book players, and a growing array of open source instructional materials, the options for students who struggle to extract meaning from print has both simultaneously expanded and become more challenging.