AEM Guide to Accessible Media Producers (AMPs)

Summary Table of Services

Revised: April 2017

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AEM Guide to Accessible Media Producers (AMPs)Summary Table of Services

Introduction

The purpose of this guide is to provide information related to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which requires state and local education agencies (SEAs and LEAs) to ensure that students with disabilities receive accessible formats of print instructional materials when needed. IDEA contains important requirements regarding the timely provision of printed textbooks and related printed core materials in specialized formats (braille, large print, audio and digital text) to students with visual, physical, and other disabilities that prevent reading and using information in traditional printed materials. While SEAs and LEAs also have obligations to provide accessible technology-based materials and technologies under civil rights legislation, this guide focuses on specialized formats of printed materials.

IDEA also established the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS). TheNIMASis a technical standard utilized by publishers to produce source files that may be used to develop multiple specialized formats for students withprint disabilities. Although only students served under IDEA who also meet copyright criteria may use materials sourced through the National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC)─a national repository, IDEA regulations make it clear that all students with disabilities who need access to instructional materials must be provided with them whether or not the NIMAC can be used as a source for the needed materials. IDEA specifically refers to printed materialsthat are written and published primarily for use in elementary and secondary schools and are required by a SEA or LEA for use by students in a classroom.

There are various sources for acquiring accessible instructional materials; however, not all students are eligible to receive materials from each of the different sources. Keep in mind that many students may need more than one specialized format and may need materials from more than one source.In addition, educators should be aware students needingaccessible formats of textbooks and related core materials will typically also require other instructional materials in accessible formats.Learn more about the acquisition of accessible materialson the AEM Center website.

Authorized Users (AUs)

Only authorized users (AUs) registered with the NIMAC may download files directly from the NIMAC or assign them to an accessible media producer (AMP) for conversion to student ready materials. AMPs may also be designated as an AU by a state education agency (SEA).

Accessible Media Producers (AMPS)

Accessible media producers (AMPs) are authorized entities that produce instructional materials in specialized formats such as braille, large print, audio, or digital text. AMPs may use source files formatted according to NIMAS to convert materials into student-ready specialized formats or they may produce materials from a variety of other sources. Materials produced by AMPs are generally available to students and others who meet copyright criteria to receive specialized formats; however, only those students who are dually qualified (meet copyright criteria and are served under IDEA) can receive specialized formats created from NIMAS filesets obtained from the NIMAC.

The Summary Table

There are increasing numbers of private and nonprofit accessible media producers in the U.S., each offering a distinct set of services. For a listing of AMPs, the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) maintains an Accessible Media Producers Database. The Summary Table below presents the services and eligibility requirements for three major AMPs that provide services on a national level: American Printing House for the Blind (APH), Bookshare, and Learning Ally.

American Printing House for the Blind(APH) materials and products are designed primarily for people who are blind or visually impaired. APH supplies educational materials for registered blind and visually impaired students in the U.S. in early intervention, preschool, elementary and secondary education through the Federal Quota Program. APH uses a variety of means, including NIMAS source files from the NIMAC, to produce instructional materials in digital and hard-copy braille, large print, and digital text files for e-readers. APH materials may require the use of mainstream technology as well as assistive technology devices.

Bookshare is a national, nonprofit organization that maintains an online accessible library of copyrighted e-books for people with print disabilities. Through an award from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), memberships are free for U.S. students with qualifying print disabilities and the schools serving them. Bookshare contains more than 547,000 titles, including educational materials, NIMAC-sourced textbooks, children’s books, bestsellers, newspapers and magazines. These materials are available in accessible formats such as DAISY, EPUB, BRF (Braille Ready Format), and MP3 that enable students to listen to words read aloud, follow along with word highlighting, and read in enlarged fonts or braille on a wide variety of reading tools such as computers, tablets, smartphones, assistive technology devices and more. Bookshare also offers free reading software to members.

Learning Ally is a largely volunteer organization that provides an extensive accessible audio book library. Learning Ally serves qualifying individuals of all ages who cannot read or use standard print. Learning Ally’s collectionof textbooks and literature titles are primarily digitally recorded human speech. Materials are downloadable and accessible on mainstream technology and e-readers as well as assistive technology devices.

How to Use this Table

The AEM Guide to AMPs Summary Table presents an overview of the services provided by each AMP to students who meet copyright criteria for specialized formats of printed materials. Review the table to determine if the AMP listed provides the types of services needed and use the links to get more detailed information on the AMPs’ websites. You may also want to refer to the separate FAQ documents for each AMP on the AEM Guide to AMPs webpage. Please note that services listed are those directly provided by the AMP; however, files obtained from the AMP may be converted into other specialized formats using other software and hardware solutions.

AEM Guide to Accessible Media Producers (AMPs) Summary Table of Services | 1

AEM Guide toAMPs: Summary Table

Contact Information

Contact Information / American Printing House for the Blind (APH) / Bookshare / Learning Ally
Address / 1839 Frankfort Avenue
Louisville, KY 40206 / 480 S. California Ave.
Suite 201
Palo Alto, CA 94306 / 20 Roszel Road
Princeton, NJ 08540
Phone / (502) 899-2370
(800) 223-1839 / (650) 644-3400 / (800) 221-4792
Fax / (502) 899-2219 / (650) 475-1066 / (609) 751-5263
Web / American Printing House for the Blind, Inc. / Bookshare / Learning Ally
Contact for further information / Accessible Tests and Textbooks:
Jane Thompson
Student Eligibility:
Cindy Amback /
/ Member Success

Students Served

Students Served / American Printing House for the Blind (APH) / Bookshare / Learning Ally
Blind / Yes / Yes / Yes
Visually impaired / Yes / Yes / Yes
Physical limitations / No / Yes / Yes
Reading disability/organic / Yes
(Cortical visual impairment) / Yes / Yes
Certification requirements / Any student who is blind or visually impaired in an educational setting below college level. / All registrants must meet eligibility criteria as outlined in copyright law. To receive materials converted from NIMAC sourced files, K–12 students must have an IEP and be eligible under copyright law. See Access to NIMAS Books / All registrants must meet eligibility criteria as outlined in copyright law. To receive materials converted from NIMAC sourced files, K–12 students must have an IEP and be eligible under copyright law.
Student registration requirements / Register through the APH annual census / Register online for Bookshare / Register online for Learning Ally
Individual student memberships / N/A / Yes / Yes
Institution/
Organization memberships / N/A / Yes / Yes
Individual student membership fees / N/A / No charge for qualified U.S. students of any age; currently qualified non-students pay $50.00/year with a one-time sign-up fee of $25.00. See What does it cost? / Depends on circumstances. Annual subscription fee or hardship waiver application available.
Institution/
organization membership fees / N/A / Depends on circumstances. Free to qualifying students of any age in the U.S. and the organizations that serve them. Fees apply to serving qualified non-students. See What does it cost? / Depends on circumstances. Fees waived for certain partner organizations and specialty schools.
Membership description / None. APH is not a membership organization / For further information, see Sign Up / Individual memberships for students or adults who meet copyright criteria for specialized formats. Institutional membership program for schools and others.
Process for accessing services / Contacts:
Federal Quota Services
APH Custom Production Services / Sign up qualified students and adults, then download books. See Sign Up / Register for services, then order books. See the Learning Ally Support page for further details.
Link to instructions for accessing services / APH’s Accessible Tests and Textbooks Department / See Get Startedand Video Tutorials / See Family Membership
See School Membership

Services Available

Services Available / American Printing House for the Blind (APH) / Bookshare / Learning Ally
XML conversion / No / Yes / No
Original transcription / Yes / No / No
Downloads / Yes / Yes / Yes
Scanning / Yes / Yes / No
NIMAS file conversion / Yes / Yes / No
Other / Yes
(optical braille recognition, tactile graphics, accessible tests, and others) / Yes
(Training and Resources) / Yes
(accessible audio recording services)
Services available to authorized users (AUs) / Yes / Yes / Yes
Services available to state education agencies (SEAs) / Yes / Yes / Yes
Services available to local education agencies (LEAs) / Yes / Yes / Yes
Services available to teachers / Yes / Yes / Yes
Services available to parents / Yes / Yes / Yes
Other / Yes
(available for purchase) / Yes
(qualified members) / Yes
(contact for eligibility)

Formats Provided

Braille Formats Provided / American Printing House for the Blind (APH) / Bookshare / Learning Ally
Contracted embossed / Yes / No / No
Uncontracted embossed / Yes / No / No
-.brf (BANA compliant) / Yes / No / No
-.brf (other) / Yes / Yes / No
Tactile graphics / Yes
Hard copy, electronic and digital 3D files / No / No
Hard copy / Yes / No / No
Electronic / Yes / No / No
Other / Yes
Transcriptions using the Unified English Braille Code (UEB) / No / No
Large Print Formats Provided / American Printing House for the Blind (APH) / Bookshare / Learning Ally
Large print
(over-sized) / Yes / No / No
Font sizes / 14 point and up / N/A / N/A
Large print (standard-sized) / Yes / No / No
Font sizes / 18 point and up / N/A / N/A
Large print (digital files) / No / No / No
Audio Formats Provided / American Printing House for the Blind (APH) / Bookshare / Learning Ally
-.mp3 / Yes / Yes / No
-.mp4 / Yes / No / No
-.wav / Yes / No / No
DAISY 2002 (digital talking book) Formats Provided / American Printing House for the Blind (APH) / Bookshare / Learning Ally
Text / Yes / No / Yes
Images / Yes / No / Yes
Image descriptions / Yes / No / Yes
Human-voice audio / No / No / Yes
Pre-recorded synthetic audio / Yes / No / No
Other / No / No / No
DAISY 2005 XML (digital talking book) Formats Provided / American Printing House for the Blind (APH) / Bookshare / Learning Ally
Text / Yes / Yes / No
Images / Yes / Yes / No
Image descriptions / Yes / Yes
(limited # books) / No
Human-voice audio / Yes / No / No
Pre-recorded synthetic audio / Yes / Yes / No
Other / No / Yes
(text-to-speech) / No
Digital Text Formats Provided / American Printing House for the Blind (APH) / Bookshare / Learning Ally
-.pdf / Yes / No / No
-.rtf / Yes / No / No
Word / Yes / No / No
HTML / No / Yes / No
EPUB 2 / Yes / No / No
EPUB 3 / Yes / Yes / Yes
Other / Yes
(digital large print textbooks; digital large print textbooks with image descriptions) / Yes
(-.txt; out of copyright works) / No
Mobile Devices and Assistive Technology / American Printing House for the Blind (APH) / Bookshare / Learning Ally
iOS / Yes / Yes / Yes
Android / Yes / Yes / Yes
Windows phone / No / Yes / No
Symbian / Yes / No / No
Blackberry OS / No / No / No
Other / No / No / Yes
Windows Tablets running full Windows 8.0 and up,Chromebook
Apps needed for mobile devices / Yes / Yes / Yes
Where acquired and what is the cost? / iTunes Store - free app
Google Play Store - free app / See Member Preferred Tools
New: iBooks Installed on iOS devices and Macs / Learning Ally Link─ free app
Assistive Technology Required / No - Hard copy braille and large print
Yes - digital braille files / Yes - Files can be read on a wide variety of reading tools. See Reading Tools. / Yes –Playback on computers and devices using the Learning Ally Link. Supported software lists are available on the Learning Ally website.
Provided by AMP / No - Can be purchased at APH or from other sources / Yes - Several free reading tools provided to members. See Reading Tools. / Yes - Software provided with membership
Available from other sources / Yes / Files can be read on a wide variety of reading tools. See Reading Tools. / Playback options provided free fromLearning Ally or can be purchased from other sources.

Other Information

Other Information / American Printing House for the Blind (APH) / Bookshare / Learning Ally
Average time from order to receipt of book / Varies. Contact the Accessible Tests and Textbook Dept. at or details. / Books in Bookshare collection including NIMAC books: immediate download
Other NIMAC books: 1 week
Other books: 2 months / NIMAS files and downloadable booksdepend on book length and reader needs. Immediatedownload once available.
Digital rights management (DRM) policies / Specific agreements with AUs for downloading files from the APH File Repository and inscription on certain products. / Digital fingerprint, electronic watermarking, proof of print disability, and signed user agreement required; copyright notice included in books. / Files are protected by DRM and only available to members who agree to terms of service. Books include copyright notices.
Return of books when no longer needed / No returns on materials purchased from APH. Check with state Ex Officio Trustee for state policies. / Books can be keep by students but may not be transferred to another user. / Downloaded books do not need to be returned
Data collected / Aggregate annual APH census results are published.
Individual customer information is not shared. FERPA compliant. / Proof of disability; valid email address. Individual customer information is not shared. FERPA compliant. See Privacy / Aggregated statistical information is public; no personally identifiable membership information is shared. FERPA compliant.
Link to FAQ on the AEM Center Website / For more details, all FAQs can be found on the AEM Guide to AMPs page.
Designated Contact for this Survey / Jane Thompson / Christine Jones / Sarah Smirnoff
Email / / /

AEM Guide to Accessible Media Producers (AMPs) Summary Table of Services | 1