This fall, Utah State University (USU) will launch the National Center on Accessible Digital Educational Materials and Instruction (NCADEMI), which aims to ensure students have accessible digital resources.
The $7.2 million center – housed within the USU Institute for Disability Research, Policy, and Practice (IDRPP) – will serve public schools, parents, and early intervention professionals across the country. USU says the new center combines the expertise of two national programs at the IDRPP, WebAIM, and the Center for Technical Assistance and Excellence in Special Education, or TAESE.
“The new center provides both universal technical assistance and targeted technical assistance to state and local school systems,” said Matthew Wappett, executive director of the IDRPP.
The center’s new director Cynthia Curry said the broad goal of NCADEMI is making sure that individuals with disabilities, from preschool to transitioning from high school, receive digital educational materials in a way that they can effectively use them.
“It’s a really exciting merger of both TAESE and WebAIM,” Curry said. “The way that TAESE will support NCADEMI is by leveraging a long history of providing technical assistance to state departments of education on implementing IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. … And then WebAIM will apply deep expertise in web accessibility standards.”
NCADEMI will help ensure that school districts are providing accessible digital resources in their schools. In a press release, USU specifically mentioned that NCADEMI will help schools ensure their websites are easy to navigate, ensure all digital documents are capable of being read by a screen reader, and ensure that mobile apps can be used by individuals with disabilities.
In addition to ensuring accessibility so students have access to needed resources, NCADEMI will also help make sure that school districts are compliant with Federal regulations. USU cited a recent Justice Department rule that says state and local governments – and agencies that operate under them – must ensure their websites and mobile apps are accessible by 2026 or 2027, depending on the government entity’s size. NCADEMI will help schools and related agencies comply with that and other policies requiring accessibility of educational materials.
In addition to providing services to state school agencies, NCADEMI will also advise: Part C lead agencies that serve children aged 0-2 with disabilities and developmental delays; parent information centers that serve families of children with disabilities; and pre-service educator (teacher training) programs. Additionally, USU said the center will also have a website with searchable resources on a variety of topics.
The center’s operations are slated to begin on Oct. 1.
