Inclusion of all learners in classrooms begins with access to curriculum. Diverse learners include those who have a perceptual or reading disability, are blind, visually impaired or are unable to hold or manipulate a printed book. Federal and Oregon regulations require all materials for these eligible persons to be made available in alternative formats such as digital or recorded text, braille, or large print, captioning and video description to ensure Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) are provided in a timely manner and at the same time as non-disabled peers. Accessible versions of educational materials can turn learning barriers into learning opportunities. This guide was developed to assist IEP, 504 and other student support teams in Oregon to determine whether a student requires accessible formats of their educational materials, ways to acquire and provide them and strategies for their use across educational environments.

This interactive and conversational session will focus on increasing awareness of AEM to families of students who receive special education. We’ll talk about barriers that can impede access, such as ableism and bias, and how increasing their knowledge can support their advocacy so their youth receive access and accommodations that create opportunities and possibilities!

This eighth and final session takes a look at the materials developed by the Oregon AEM Cohort. We will dive into the archived resources in the cohort OER Commons communications page. Join us as we explore the IEP Teams’ Guide to Accessible Educational Materials in Oregon and Advocating for My Accessible Educational Materials: An AEM Guide for Students. You too can be an AEM evangelist as we partner to dismantle barriers and empower learners across the lifespan through access to their education and their dreams.

An infographic showcases statistics and trends in accessible learning in the US, types of disabilities, and accommodations and modifications for each type.This work is created for a college project.

Oregon Department of Education's Program Analyst and Instructional Materials Coordinator Aujalee Moore shares the states processes and guidelines for school district purchases of accessible curriculum and supplemental materials for K-12.

This webinar presents information about Bookshare and how the service can be used to ensure timely access to accessible instructional materials.

The process of leaving the support systems put in place by our high school can sometimes be difficult to navigate. As AT Specialists, we have a wealth of experience in assisting and witnessing the varied paths people take to find meaningful work and/or post-high school education after leaving high school. This presentation focuses on the technology that has opened doors for people that have successfully transitioned to the adult world.

This workshop, offered by the AEM Center, will explore the challenges and opportunities of transition and programmatic accessibility for workforce developmen...

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.

Understanding the VPAT®
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You may come across the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) as you research vendors of digital materials and technologies and consider their products for procurement. The VPAT is meant to help U.S. federal government agencies determine how well the products they purchase meet the Section 508 accessibility standards. Many organizations outside the federal government now require the submission of a VPAT in their procurement process, especially if they receive any kind of federal funding. This includes K-12 schools and institutions of higher education.

Start with general information about the VPAT, then review a sample Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) similar to one a vendor would submit for your consideration. Each section of the sample ACR (which is just a filled out VPAT) includes comments to help you understand the information you would find in that section of an ACR.

Material access is a topic that both school library staff and assistive technologists are deeply connected with and passionate about. However, there are often times in which professionals in these fields are disconnected. In this session, Kasey Fernandez, MEd shares policy and practice changes the Tigard-Tualatin School District has made as a result of collaboration between the assistive technology and school library leads.

Sarah Statham, MEd Transition Network Facilitator (TNF) Multnomah, Washington, Columbia & Clatsop counties | Lon Thornberg, MEd Transition Network Facilitator (TNF) Eastern Oregon with InterMountain ESD |The Transition IEP contains post-secondary goals in education, training, employment, and independent living. This session will share universal tech tools for transition that support and accommodate transition age students on the journey to reaching their post-secondary goals. This session will also highlight collaborative and coordinated relationships between students, educators, specialist’s and outside agencies that can be enhanced by the understanding of student’s use and past history with AEM & AT. Use of tools and AEM strategies to access transition activities and resources will be shared.

Session #1 of 8 AEM Across the Lifespan with OTAP - An Accessible Educational Materials Virtual Mini-Conference (recorded 12.07.23)Presented by Debra FitzgibbonsSession Description: Inclusion of all learners in all Early Childhood environments begins by ensuring equal access to learning activities for all children. Timely provision of accessible options ensures learners with disabilities can access the same information, engage in meaningful participation, and enjoy the same services as non-disabled students, with equivalent ease of use. This session will review common vocabulary, reference relevant state and national legislation related to AEM in the early years and connect the dots by sharing examples of Assistive Technology and Accessible Educational Materials in Early Childhood Environments. It is never too early to help learners explore and discover what works for them.

Sheila Hoover, MA, CAGS, CRC, CVE | VR Field Services Specialist | Oregon Department of Human Services/Vocational Rehab |Nathaniel (Nathan) Baniqued, OTD | OT/AT NWRESD

Join this session to gain insight on easy-to-implement techniques to create educational materials and vet technology tools for accessibility. Participants will learn how to create accessible Google and Word docs and how to quickly decide which tools should be used and which ones should be left on the curb! While it is important to ensure ed tech tools meet accessibility requirements, we recognize that educators and practitioners have many demands already placed on them. Our goal for this session is to have simple ways to create accessible educational materials with immediate implementation and to demystify vetting for accessibility. That way, we can direct our limited resources to those tools that will better meet the needs of all of our learners. Learning Objectives: 1. Define what it means for an educational tool to be “accessible” 2. Perform a simple test of keyboard (or switch) accessibility to identify any significant barriers on an educator selected tool that might keep groups of learners from using the app for learning. 3. Use a built-in accessibility features on devices to quickly test how well an educational app meets basic accessibility requirements before it can be considered for use with learners 4. Create accessible materials using Google and Word docs

AEM for Inclusion session #2 with Jennifer SouthSession Description: This AEM session will review the meaning of accessibility, and look at why standard formats can create barriers for certain learners. In contrast, we will outline and explore the basic accessible formats. Ideally, educators would provide materials that their students can access, but when that doesn’t happen, learners need a solution. Additionally, some accessible formats may require the use of an assistive technology tool to allow the student to fully interact with the materials being presented. This session will focus on free or low-cost accessible technology tools available on a variety of devices and platforms. Having the right tool for the task can mean the difference in a student’s meaningful and successful participation in their education!

AEM Across the Lifespan session #6 | Gayl Bowser, M.Ed.Independent Consultant | Session Description: When students with disabilities are provided with print based educational materials in accessible formats, their ability to succeed in inclusive educational settings increases significantly. One-to-one technology options for students have resulted in environments where most of the needed resources to provide AEM are available. Yet without administrative support and agency guidelines, it is unlikely that Oregon’s classrooms will be able to provide the accessible learning environments that are mandated by federal and state laws. This presentation will discuss specific roles and actions that school administrators can take to ensure accessible learning environments for students who need accessible educational materials.

When the team has assessed a student's need for AEM, chosen formats and acquired them, it is only the beginning of the effective use of AEM. In this session we will explore ideas about how teachers and students use AEM in real classroom settings. We will share ideas about questions like "How do students develop skills to use AEM independently?" and "What do teachers need to know about teaching in classroom groups where some students require accessible formats?" When you join this session you will have the opportunity to explore basic concepts of classroom management for AEM and apply them to real students and educators in your own practice.

Rebecca Arce, Inclusion and Equity Specialist | HECC-Higher Ed Coordinating Commission | Felicia Arce, Disabilities Coordinator | Disability Resource Center (DRC) | Clackamas Community College