Information

FILE TYPES

Accessible Digital formats containing text and graphics can be read on the screen, or listened to via a computer generated voice, or both. Read More about Digital Text.
DAISY Digital files may contain text only, audio only, or both. DAISY files require specific readers such as Victor Reader Steam, Kurzweil and others. Read More:· Daisy
Learning Ally Audio files are human voice recordings with no text or graphics associated. The recording contains descriptions of pictures and graphs in the printed text.

FILE EXTENSIONS

NIMAS (National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard) - NIMAS files are the national standard for accessible k12 textbooks, and can be opened and read "as is" in Read:OutLoud. NIMAS files are the most versatile digital files, because they can be used to create many other file formats including PDF, ePub, and BRF. The NIMAS fileset consists of the following parts: an XML content file, an OPF package file, a PDF copy of the title page, ISBN, and copyright information, and a folder containing the full set of content images.
PDF (Portable Document Format) - Accessible PDF files contain hidden tags which provide navigation of text and graphics for screen readers.
ePub (Electronic Publication) - ePub files are designed for reflowable content, allowing the text display to be optimized for the preferences of the reader. This format can be used with e-readers or computer software. Calibre is an example of a computer software which can be used to open files with ePub extensions.
BRF (Braille Ready Format) - Braille-ready files contain a format which can be read by a braille refreshable display, or transmitted to a braille embosser to create a hard copy Braille book. This code allows people without sight to read electronic documents from computer disks or from the internet.
HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) - HTML files contain a set of files with an index file that links all of the associated files together.
TXT/RTF (Text and Rich Text) - Text files are plain text versions of the file with no images associated, and no online navigation. The book may contain multiple chapters as separate text files.
DOC (Microsoft Word Document) - A DOC file is a Microsoft Word document which may or may not include images. When the document is formatted using styles, document properties, alternative text for images, and descriptions for charts and graphs, the document becomes accessible for the visually impaired.

The ICAM continues to develop partnerships with agencies that share our goal of helping you acquire AEM for your students who have a print disability. Learn more about our services as you look through these pages.

Don Johnston

National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC)

MACKIN

American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.

Louis Database - Accessible Materials and APH File Respository

National Center on Accessible Educational Materials

The ICAM was designed to provide support to Indiana Local Educational Agencies in meeting the NIMAS regulations of the Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act of 2004.

Our mission is to assist Indiana's Local Education Agencies (LEA) in meeting the NIMAS regulations of the IDEA reauthorization of 2004 by securing accessible textbooks and core curriculum materials in accessible formats in a timely manner, for students with a documented print disability.

The ICAM system is owned, maintained, and provided to all Indiana schools by the Office of the Associate Superintendent, the Indiana Department of Education. Access to the system, technical support, and professional training is provided through the ICAM and PATINS projects without a fee.

Project Overview:

In October 2006, the Indiana Department of Education, Department of Special Education, established a grant to fund the Indiana Center for Accessible Materials (ICAM) Project with the mandate to provide a state repository to coordinate with the National Instructional Materials Center (NIMAC) for obtaining accessible textbooks and core instructional materials, in the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS), for use by students with print disabilities.

The NIMAC, in Louisville, Kentucky, will receive and catalog publishers' electronic files of print instructional materials in a standard format: the NIMAS. The center will provide these standardized files to those who have been authorized by states to obtain the files to produce textbooks and other core print instructional materials for students who are blind, visually impaired, and print-disabled.

The PATINS Project has been appointed by the Indiana Department of Education, to serve as the oversight agency for the ICAM operations and as the authorized agency for coordinating with the NIMAC for the state and its local educational agencies.

ICAM services are available to Indiana educational agencies at no cost, and the staff will work to assist Indiana’s educational agencies in building their capacity to provide access to print instructional materials in accessible formats for the student who has been determined as having a print disability.

ICAM Services to Local Education Agencies:

Offer training and technical assistance on accessible technology tools and the use of accessible content in curriculum delivery.
Serve as a state repository for textbooks and core curriculum instructional material in accessible formats and tangibles for K – 12 students with qualifying print disabilities.
Fulfill requests for accessible formats of textbooks and core curriculum instructional materials in a timely manner.
Utilize a statewide tracking system.
Assure protection of copyrighted material.
Report statewide data on ICAM requests to the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE).