Georgia

The Georgia Instructional Materials Center (GIMC), a project of the Georgia Department of Education has provided accessible textbooks to students who are blind or visually impaired for almost ten years. Through funding provided through the AIM Consortium, the center will be able to greatly expand the types of accessible materials that will be made available to students who are blind a visually impaired as well as those students with other print disabilities.

AIM funding will be used to upgrade the information management system, develop and conduct professional learning, and expand the format types to increase accessibility to appropriate instructional materials.

AIM State Program Manager

Jim Downs, Program Manager
Georgia Instructional Materials Center
Georgia Department of Education
890 N. Indian Creek Dr.
Clarkston, GA 30021
404-298-3653 local
866-245-1048 toll free
404-298-3675 fax
jdowns@doe.k12.ga.us

AIM State Project Director

Kim Hartsell
Director, Division for Special Education Supports
Georgia Department of Education
1870 Twin Towers East
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone: 404-463-4451
Fax: 404-651-6457
khartsel@doe.k12.ga.us

Textbook Acquisition

Georgia is a textbook recommendation state. The Department of Education has established a procedure for evaluating and recommending textbooks in state-funded courses. Each year publishers of record are given notice of courses and grade levels for which textbooks will be recommended. Texts submitted for recommendation are reviewed by an advisory committee appointed by the State Board of Education. Following the review, the advisory committee submits a recommended list of textbooks to the State Board of Education for state recommendation. Following approval by the Board, a list of recommended textbooks is then prepared and distributed to Georgia’s school districts. Schools may choose to purchase materials on the recommended list or they may select materials that are not included on the recommended list.

Policy Positions & Documents

Any book or core instructional material that is included on the state recommended textbook list must be provided in a NIMAS conformant file to the NIMAC. The requirements for the provision of these files are found in the Publishers’ Agreements which are available on the Georgia Department of Education website at http://www.gadoe.org/ci_services.aspx?PageReq=CIServBooks.

Georgia has chosen to coordinate with the NIMAC and has strongly encouraged school districts to also coordinate. As a part of the Comprehensive Local Improvement Plan districts must document their coordination. At the present time 97% of the 180 school districts have selected to coordinate with the NIMAC.

Definition of Timely Manner

The Georgia Department of Education expects that students who are blind and other print disabled will receive their materials at the same time as their peers. Understanding that events beyond the control of the district may impact the district’s ability to provide the materials at the same time, the State Rules and Regulations for Special Education include the following language regarding timely manner. “LEAs will take all reasonable steps to ensure that children with print disabilities have access to their accessible format instructional materials at the same time as students without print disabilities.”

The provision of materials in a timely manner is greatly impacted by the timely submission of requests. Deadlines for timely submission of requests are posted each year on http://www.gimc.org/ and emailed to all persons responsible for requesting alternative format materials.

Parent Information & Advocacy Resources

The Family Engagement Specialist at the Georgia Department of Education can assist parents in obtaining information about accessible instructional materials. Information about the department’s family engagement initiatives can be found under the Parent mentor links on the special education page of the DOE website at http://www.gadoe.org/.

Web Links

Georgia Department of Education
http://www.gadoe.org/

Georgia Department of Education Textbook Page
http://www.gadoe.org/ci_services.aspx?PageReq=CIServBooks

Georgia Instructional Materials Center
http://www.gimc.org/

Georgia Project for Assistive Technology
http://www.gpat.org/