Get Started

Sometimes the hardest part of making change is getting started. The CITES framework offers districts a step-by-step process for identifying and removing any barriers to student or staff success caused by learning disabilities by planning for and implementing inclusive technology practices. The process requires a coordinated effort by district teams to move forward seamlessly with the framework and its practices.

To get started with the terms and concepts we use throughout the CITES framework, visit our Glossary.

Learn about the benefits of EPUB, a standard for creating accessible publications, as well as how to find, use and create EPUB content.

The purpose of the National AEM Center’s Quality Indicators with Critical Components for Higher Ed is to assist institutes of higher education, both at the system and campus level, with planning, implementing, and evaluating systems for providing accessible materials and technologies for all students who need them. Higher Ed institutions, both universities and community colleges, will find the Quality Indicators useful for implementing statutory requirements that mandate equitable access to learning opportunities for students with disabilities, including equal access to printed materials, digital materials, and technologies.

Leadership in Inclusive Technology Systems
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Effective technology leadership promotes the development of a balanced and inclusive technology infrastructure that examines assistive technology (AT), educational technology (EdTech), and information technology (IT) as part of a technology ecosystem.

The Center for Inclusive Technology in Education Systems (CITES) has utilized a design-thinking process, in partnership with local districts, to refine a set of leadership practices that enhance the development of a balanced and inclusive technology infrastructure.

CITES leadership practices include:

Create vision & goals
Develop a strategic plan
Measure progress
Develop learning outcomes
Plan infrastructure

Self-paced module on the selection, use and creation of videos with high-quality captions that support access and learning for everyone.

On May 26, 2020 the U.S. Department of Education issues a Notice of Interpretation (NOI) permitting the National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC) to accept files derived from digital instructional materials. These FAQs will be updated as more is learned about the implementation of the NOI.

Information and video tutorials to help teachers and students take advantage of built-in features, apps and extensions on a variety of devices to support a personalized and accessible reading experience for everyone.

The Protocol for Curating Accessible OER is provides detailed yet easy to implement techniques for evaluating the accessibility of OER content in a number of formats.

Provide Accessible Educational Materials
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The ability to curate and share high-quality, digital learning content is identified as an important component of a robust infrastructure and crucial to delivering engaging and relevant learning experiences based on the NETP. It is imperative that all students have equal access to digital content that is not only high-quality, but also accessible. When high-quality educational materials are designed to be accessible without retrofitting, all students have the opportunity to gain the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as students without disabilities with substantially equal ease of use (Office of Civil Rights).

Actions to support access to accessible learning materials include:

Select a learning management system that includes accessibility features and its own accessibility checker.
Provide accessibility tools as an option for all educators and students to support individual learner needs and preferences (screen readers, dictation, or video tools).
Choose accessible educational materials so all students may “acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services.” (Joint Letter US Department of Justice and US Department of Education, June 29, 2010).

Ensuring accessibility of materials and technologies for learners with disabilities starts with a high-quality procurement system. The AEM Center’s Quality Indicators describe the essential elements of such a system, including compliance, guidelines, professional development, data procedures, and resources. The indicators can be used by decision makers in K-12, higher education and workforce development agencies to develop new procurement systems or to self-evaluate an existing system that may be absent best practices for accessibility.

Resources to help educators enhance and enrich their teaching with accessible videos that include captions and/or audio description.

Ten tips for creating high-quality, accessible videos that also engage learners and promote understanding.

The theory behind Universal Design for Learning inspires many educators. However, there are some common stumbling blocks teachers face when they start applying UDL to their instructional design. With years of experience implementing UDL in her own work at the University of Kentucky’s Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching and as a CAST National Faculty member, Jennifer Pusateri offers six steps to jumpstart your practice. These easy-to-implement steps can help you meet the needs of the diverse learners in your classrooms.

The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST. The UDL Guidelines can be used by educators, curriculum developers, researchers, parents, and anyone else who wants to implement the UDL framework in a learning environment. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

This past December, Congress passed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaces No Child Left Behind. And for the first time, the nation’s general K-12 education law defines and endorses Universal Design for Learning.

After a decision-making team has selected the accessible format(s) needed and identified where to acquire them, the team considers what types of supports are needed for a learner to use the accessible materials for school, at home, at work, or in the community.

In order to be successful with using accessible formats, learners will need a number of supports.

A set of questions that can be used to evaluate the accessibility of materials considered for procurement.