This page and subpages provide basic information and URLs for those interested in learning more about laws, regulations and guidelines that pertain to the rights of individuals with disabilities within early learning and K-12 education settings.  It includes information about accessible educational materials and technologies.

IDEA & NIMAS

IDEA includes language about accessible formats of print-based instructional materials for pre-K through grade 12 within educational settings.  Under 612(a)(23) and 613(a)(6) [300.172 and 300.210] the State Education Agency and Local Education Agency have the responsibility to provide specialized formats of print instructional materials to blind and other print disabled persons in a timely manner. NIMAS was included in the IDEA reauthorization as the original technical standard used by publishers to produce files. Specific references to Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM) pertain to the requirements noted within IDEA. It is important to note that AEM includes AIM.

• NIMAS Terms Clarified Post Marrakesh
• NIMAS and AIM in IDEA
• Authorized Entities
• Eligibility for NIMAS-Sourced Formats
• NIMAS FAQ
• SEA SPED Responsibilities

IDEA, AEM and the IEP (Endrew F.)

The Supreme Court’s landmark decision, Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District, determined that under IDEA a school must provide an IEP that offers more than minimal educational benefit, and “to meet its substantive obligations under the IDEA, a school must offer an IEP that is reasonable calculated to enable a child to make progress appropriate in light of the child’s circumstances.” Furthermore, every child should have the opportunity to meet challenging objectives. This decision raises the bar for determining educational benefit for students with disabilities.  

What does this mean related to AEM? For a student to be challenged, they must have access to the curriculum and learning materials used in the classroom and other learning environments.  Accessibility means that a student with a disability should have the opportunity to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as students without disabilities with substantially equivalent ease of use. 

• Read the decision, Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District, Supreme Court of the United States   
• See the Q&A by the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS)   Questions and Answers (Q&A) on U. S. Supreme Court Case Decision Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District
• Download the Endrew F. Advocacy Toolkit by Understood which includes Talking Points to Advocate for Your Child and the Endrew F. Worksheet for Improving Your Child’s IEP. 
• Understanding the Endrew F. Decision and What it Means for Your School is a white paper by News-2-You.
• OSEP Symposium, High Expectations and Appropriate Supports:  The Importance of IEPs, 

ESSA

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) reauthorizes the 50-year-old Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the nation’s national education law and longstanding commitment to equal opportunity for all students.

• US Department of Education: Every Student Succeeds Act
• White House Fact Sheet on ESSA
• The ESSA Education Act Enacted December 10, 2015

Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA)

COPPA imposes certain requirements on operators of websites or online services directed to children under 13 years of age, and on operators of other websites or online services that have actual knowledge that they are collecting personal information online from a child under 13 years of age.

• COPPA: Federal Trade Commission
• Text of the Rule

Guidance from the DOJ, OCR and OSERS

Guidance for educators regarding access and learner rights.

• Equal Access to Learning
• Equal Access to Assessment
• Federal Guidance on Students with Learning Disabilities
• Equal Education Opportunity
• IDEA and Virtual Schools Guidance from OSERS

Local Purchase Order and Contract Language

Local Education Agencies play a critical role in ensuring that all instructional media that is procured is accessible and usable by all students. IDEA includes important specifications related to the provision of print instructional materials which mean printed textbooks and related printed core materials.

• Local Purchase Order & Contract Language Guidance

State Education Technology Directors Association (SETDA)

The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) is an AEM Center partner. It is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit membership association launched by state education agency leaders in 2001 to serve, support and represent their emerging interests and needs with respect to the use of technology for teaching, learning, and school operations.Current work is guided by a strategic plan, Leading, Inspiring and Empowering: The 2017-20 SETDA Strategic Plan, adopted by the SETDA Board of Directors in October 2016 after extensive consultation with the membership.

• SETDA Membership and Contact Information
• Digital Instructional Materials Acquisition Policies for States (DMAPS)

National Education Technology Plan (NETP)

The National Education Technology Plan is the flagship educational technology policy document for the United States. The 2016 Plan, Future Ready Learning: Reimagining the Role of Technology in Education, articulates a vision of equity, active use, and collaborative leadership to make everywhere, all-the-time learning possible.

• The National Education Technology Plan
• Future Ready Learning (NETP)