About the AEM Center
The National Center on Accessible Educational Materials for Learning at CAST provides technical assistance, coaching, and resources to increase the availability and use of accessible educational materials and technologies for learners with disabilities across the lifespan.
Why accessible materials & technologies?
Accessible versions of educational materials may mean the difference between learning barriers and learning opportunities.
NIMAS & NIMAC
NIMAS is a technical standard used by publishers to prepare “electronic files” that are used to convert instructional materials into accessible formats. NIMAC is a national center that stores NIMAS source files from publishers.
Celebrating Joy
The Joy Zabala Fellowship in Assistive Technology & Accessible Educational Materials will support early career professionals in assistive technology and accessible materials. At CAST from 2007–2021, Joy was internationally known and beloved for her leadership and advocacy for learners with disabilities and their families.
Featured AEM Center Resources
Learn more about AEM Center resources
The Accessible Learning Experience
Turn learning barriers into learning opportunities by exploring the world of accessibility and Universal Design for Learning in this monthly podcast.
Fair Use and Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities
This brief presents an overview of the “fair use” doctrine under copyright law in relation to the provision of accessible texts to persons with disabilities.
J. Karger
2020
Open Education Resources: Ensuring Inclusive Learning in Uncertain Times
Situated at the intersection of where the OER field meets accessibility issues, this guide details a variety of resources useful for evaluating and selecting appropriate and accessible OERs.
A. Hashey, et al.
2021
AEM Navigator
Use the AEM Navigator to make informed, accurate decisions about the acquisition of accessible formats for students who need them.
AEM Center at CAST
2021
Our Impact by the Numbers, October 2019 – July 2021
Learn more about how our work impacts states and individuals through our universal, targeted, and intensive technical assistance.
Upcoming AEM Center Events
Learn more about AEM Center events
Accessibility in Open Educational Resources Academy
The National AEM Center and our partners at ISKME invite teams of educators to learn how to use accessible Open Educational Resources (OER) throughout a six-week Academy series.Tuesday, September 27 – Tuesday, November 1, 2022
Bake the Blueberries In: Designing for Accessibility with POUR
Join us to dive into each of the POUR accessibility principles with practical tips and specific techniques that will have you building in accessibility into your workflows from the start.2:00PM – 3:00PM ET on Thursday, October 6, 2022
#GoOpen National Network: Engaging A Wider Community in K-12 Action
Participants will learn about #GoOpen lead partners and steering committee efforts to develop leadership structures, engagement tools, and strategic plans to support shifts and actions aimed at advancing OER in the K-12 domain. Learn about a new centralized hub to support a broad-based national platform of participation.3:00PM – 3:00PM ET on Monday, October 17, 2022