Specialized formats include:

• Braille
• Audio
• Digital Text
• Large Print

Once the local school-based team has identified a student has having a print disability, the next question is deciding what kind, or kinds of Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM) and related assistive technology (AT) the student will need.

The selection of specialized format(s) must be carefully matched to the needs and preferences of the student. In addition to the expertise of the school-based team, specialists and service providers can support the decision through consultations and assessments of the student's needs.

The SETT framework (Student  - Environment - Tasks - Tools) developed by Joy Zabala, is available to provide an organizational structure, and to guide teams through the decision-making process of selecting the appropriate specialized format(s) for a student. The SETT framework was developed and typically used for considering a student's need for Assistive Technology (AT), but it can be adapted for the purpose of AIM.

For more information about this topic, we encourage you to view the free one-hour webinar: Selection of Accessible Instructional Materials.

Need Help?

In addition to the Resources and Help on this website, there are several Maine organizations offering Technical Assistance to schools.

Special Resource

Developed and maintained by the National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials, the AIM Explorer is a free simulation that combines grade-leveled digital text with access features common to most text readers and other supported reading software. Magnification, custom text and background colors, text-to-speech (synthetic and human), text highlighting, and layout options are presented in a logical sequence to help decide which of these supports might help students access and understand text. Go to the AIM Explorer

Next Step> The Acquisition of AIM