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The NIMAC is an acquisition system for specialized formats of textbooks and related core instructional materials sold after July 18, 2006. The NIMAC is a national repository of electronic files of textbooks and core instructional materials that are submitted directly by publishers. These files, once downloaded from the NIMAC, are then available to be converted to any of four specialized formats (Braille, digital text, audio, or large print). Although the process of downloading files is limited to authorized individuals, the NIMAC is freely searchable by anyone.
The electronic files that are submitted to the NIMAC by publishers are based on the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS), and are known as NIMAS source files. The NIMAS is a technical standard used by publishers to produce source files of their textbooks and related core instructional materials. A single file based on the NIMAS is built once and then, upon download from the NIMAC, rendered many times in multiple formats. The NIMAS and NIMAC significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to get specialized formats of core instructional materials to the students who need them.
NIMAS and the NIMAC originate from a provision within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA 04). The law requires that printed textbooks and related core instructional materials be provided to students with print disabilities in specialized formats in a timely manner. In Maine, “timely manner” means, “that SAUs will ensure that children with print disabilities have access to specialized instructional materials at the same time as students without print disabilities.” Instructional materials are textbooks and related core materials published with texts that are primarily for use in elementary and secondary school instruction and required by state or location education agencies for use by students in the classroom.
NIMAS at CAST http://nimas.cast.org
NIMAC http://www.nimac.us
The process begins with educators requesting that the instructional materials they are using in their school be deposited in the NIMAC. Request are usually made formally by including language in the school's purchase order, but the school may also make the request directly to the book publisher through their sales representative.
When a student has been identified as having a Print Disability and is eligible for receiving instructional materials through the NIMAC system, the school makes a formal request to one of Maine NIMAC Authorized Users (AU):
For support in the acquisition of AIM or requesting a search through national repositories including the NIMAC, please contact the Maine Accessible Instructional Materials Resources Center (coming soon).
There is no cost to school districts to have the instructional materials sent to the NIMAC.
There is no cost to the school district to request a search of the NIMAC or to contact the AU.
The only cost may be in the conversion of the instructional materials into accessible instructional materials by the AMP.
Some AMPs such as the Bookshare, The American Printing House for the Blind, and the Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic may be free.
For other conversions, there may be a cost involved. Please contact the Maine Accessible Instructional Materials Resource Center (coming soon) for more information.
How does a teacher know how to use AIM in their classroom?
National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials