1. 2018 OSEP Project Directors’ Conference
Slide 1
2018 OSEP Project Directors’ Conference
DISCLAIMER:
The contents of this presentation were developed by the presenters for the 2018 Project Directors’ Conference. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e-3 and 3474)

2. Accessibility Means Access for All:
How 5 OSEP Projects Are Making a Difference
National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC)
Bookshare
DIAGRAM Center (DIAGRAM+)
Center on Inclusive Software for Learning (CISL)
National Center on Accessible Educational Materials for Learning (AEM Center)
OSEP Project Directors’ Conference
July 24, 2018

3. Presenters
Tara Courchaine, OSEP Project Officer: NIMAC, Bookshare, CISL, AEM Center
Glinda Hill, OSEP Project Officer: DIAGRAM+
Daniel McNulty, State Director, PATINS Project
Nicole Gaines, Co-Director, NIMAC
Fred Slone, Director of Operations, Bookshare
Sue-Ann Ma, Project Director, DIAGRAM Center
Boris Goldowsky, Principal Investigator, CISL
Cynthia Curry, Director, AEM Center

4. PATINS Project, Indiana
Daniel G. McNulty, Director
The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is dedicated to improving results for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities ages birth through 21 by providing leadership and financial support to assist states and local districts.
@danielgmcnulty

5. PATINS Project Technical Assistance
Daniel G. McNulty, Director
Universal Design for Learning
Assistive Technology Lending Libraries (6 week loans)
Technical Training, Workshops, Professional Development
Consultation on Accessing the Curriculum
Accessible Educational Materials Intensive Technical Assistance Grants
Statewide Conferences: Fall Implementation, Spring Tech Vendors
Refurbished Technology Program
NIMAS/Indiana Center for Accessible Materials
No Cost to Indiana Public Schools for Our Services
@danielgmcnulty

6. Access in Indiana UDL AEM AT
Designed from ground up with access in mind. Principles that address problems with the curriculum & environment, rather than with the student.
UDL
The educational materials themselves that are flexible enough to support specialized formats
AEM
Individualized, provisional, necessary for some to perceive, interact with, & respond to AEM, even within a universally designed environment. AT
@danielgmcnulty

7. Access in Indiana: History
1995: Assistive Technology through PATINS Begins
2002: Universal Design for Learning Pilot Schools through PATINS
October 2006: Indiana Center for Accessible Materials (ICAM) Opens
2010: AEM Targeted Technical Assistance Begins
2015: Indiana Joins CAST’s AEM Best Practices Cohort
2015: AEM Grant Significantly Revised: “AEMing for Achievement”
@danielgmcnulty

8. PATINS AEMing for Achievement Grant
Application Process: 8 school districts selected per school year
Full Day of Orientation to accessibility, UDL, ICAM and AEM in August
Two PATINS Specialists assigned to each district
In-Depth Needs Assessment with each district
Action Plan developed with each district
Weekly meetings on Implementation with PATINS Specialists and/or Daniel
Mid-year online progress gathering in January
Weekly meetings and action plan implementation continues
Collaboration and Show & Tell day in late May, with data and stories
@danielgmcnulty

9. A Few PATINS Success Stories
Kayle
Sam
Emily
Mathew
Ben
@danielgmcnulty

10. Irresolute Obstacles:
The Promise of IDEA & The Support of Five OSEP Projects
Importance of Standardized Source Files
Non-textbook materials & “born digital” materials
Flexibility of materials to wide range of specialized formats
Open Educational Resources (OER) & teacher created materials
Science, Engineering & Math Accessibility
AWARENESS, AWARENESS, AWARENESS, Policy Adoption & Training!
@danielgmcnulty

11. Connect with PATINS Website: www.patinsproject.org
Phone:

12. National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC)
Created by IDEA 2004, NIMAC is a national repository of digital source files (NIMAS format) for K-12 print instructional materials.
These files require further conversion before use and are not distributed directly to students.  
SEAs and LEAs require NIMAS files from publishers in their print book adoption contracts and purchase agreements.
Publishers then submit files, helping ensure that  source file is available to produce an accessible format when needed by a student
States designate users to access these files, which are used to produce accessible formats such as braille, large print, audio, and digital text (e.g., DAISY).
NIMAC works with over 140 publishers and now has almost 50,000 source files.
All 50 states, plus 7 outlying areas work with the NIMAC.

13. Connect with the NIMAC Website: http://nimac.us
Phone:

14. Bookshare
Offering 600,000 accessible ebooks for students who read differently
The Bookshare library includes textbooks, literary works, non-fiction, and much more
Every book is available in multiple accessible formats, including text to speech, audio, and digital braille
Bookshare delivers over one million accessible books every year to students around the world

15. Connect with Bookshare
Website:
Phone:

16. DIAGRAM Center
Identifying and building tools & technologies to facilitate the production of AEM content & alternatives
Working with a community of stakeholders
Exploring ways to make STEM accessible for all learners

17. Connect with the DIAGRAM Center
Website:
Phone:

18. Center on Inclusive Software for Learning (CISL)
Exploring and creating tools to ensure that K-12 students, especially those with disabilities, have access to engaging, high-quality digital learning materials, including Open Educational Resources.
Increasing adoption of OERs creates challenges for accessibility and learning supports; better tools and positive examples are needed.
Results of market scan so far reveal a very wide variety of resources and tools.
Free software and content creates a baseline that commercial publishers will need to meet and exceed. We will encourage and help them do so.

19. Connect with CISL Website: http://cisl.cast.org
Phone:

20. National Center on Accessible Educational Materials (AEM Center)
To build the capacity of
states and districts,
higher education institutions,
workforce development agencies,
families,
publishers and developers,
and other stakeholders to increase the availability and use of high-quality accessible materials and technologies (AEM) that support improved learning opportunities and outcomes for learners with disabilities.

21. Connect with the AEM Center
Website:
Phone:

22. Questions?

23. 2018 OSEP Project Directors’ Conference
Slide 23
2018 OSEP Project Directors’ Conference
DISCLAIMER:
The contents of this presentation were developed by the presenters for the 2018 Project Directors’ Conference. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e-3 and 3474)