Technology-savvy teachers can integrate digital text and other
accessible formats into classroom routines and activities in ways that
generally do not require major shifts in their instructional practices.
AIM for All Students
While the sources mentioned above
go far to help students with disabilities
who meet the criteria for their use,
materials from those sources are not
available to all students. Educators can
turn to three additional resources to
acquire materials not only for students
with disabilities but also for struggling
students, like Dylan, and for students
who simply prefer digital materials for
some reading tasks. ;ey include:
• Purchased materials
• Free materials
• Teacher-created materials
Purchased Materials
Many more students need AIM
than statutory requirements suggest,
and publishers are working to develop
;exible instructional materials for
those students. Although what
is available for purchase may not
address the needs of all students,
publishers are beginning to develop
digital materials alongside their
printed materials. Some publishers
(e.g., Houghton Mi;in Harcourt,
McGraw-Hill, Pearson, Prentice
Hall) include online or CD-based
digital editions of printed textbooks
that include options, such as audio
support. However, some of these
products are not currently accessible,
and some do not match the printed
content exactly. Some companies
o;er licenses for digital versions
of their textbooks at the same or
lower prices than printed texts.
When digital materials are designed
in a ;exible way and used with feature-rich delivery systems, students can
listen to the text either with or without
the visual component. Be sure that the
appropriate delivery system is available
and that it contains the same content
as the printed textbooks.
Free Materials
Although published textbooks are not
free, the landscape is changing with
the rapid increase in the availability
of digital open source instructional
materials. In addition, there are numerous free digital sources—typically
online—for content such as classic
novels and other instructional materials. When looking for free materials,
it is important to compare resources
from several sources to get the most
usable, accurate, and aesthetically
pleasing options.
Create Your Own
Finally, when no other source is available, schools may need to create accessible formats by whatever means
are available and appropriate, such as
scanning printed materials to create a
digital ;le, recording lectures to create
an audio ;le, or enlarging on a copy
machine. Teachers will certainly need
this method for unpublished materials, such as teacher-made handouts
and tests.
When published materials are in-
volved, respect copyright. ;is means
that the resulting AIM can be used
only by students who meet copyright
criteria for using specialized formats
or under the “fair use” provision. Use
local production only when no other
source is available.
Call to Action
As we move toward a world in which
instructional materials are primarily
digital, we must give serious thought
to the actions necessary to meet students’ needs now and to prepare for
the shi;. We should ensure that manufacturers have universally designed
materials that are ;exible, accessible,
and usable across the broadest range
of student variability. ;ere are many
things that we can do to ensure that
instructional materials—present and
future—do not present unacceptable barriers to the participation and
achievement of struggling students
and students with disabilities. Here
are just a few:
Increase awareness of current resources.
Many of the electronic resources that
textbook companies provide go unused because educators are not aware
of them, do not know how to get access to them, or do not ask for them.
Technology leaders and innovators
can help teachers become aware of
and use the accessible formats that
are already available.
Provide professional development about
AIM for struggling students. Instructional technology is based on the idea
that educators must have technologi-
Although published textbooks are not available free of charge,
the landscape for this source is changing with the rapid increase
in the availability of digital open source instructional materials.
