Resources

Bell, E. C., & Silverman, A. M. (2018). Rehabilitation and employment outcomes for adults who are blind or visually impaired: An updated report. Journal of Blindness Innovation & Research, 8(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.5241/8-148

CAST. (2023). A person with a disability can… [Infographic]. https://aem.cast.org/get-started/defining-accessibility

Deniz, F., Nunez-Elizalde, A. O., Huth, A. G., & Gallant, J. L. (2019). The representation of semantic information across human cerebral cortex during listening versus reading is invariant to stimulus modality. The Journal of Neuroscience, 39(39), 7722–7736. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0675-19.2019

High, P. C., Klass, P., Donoghue, E., Glassy, D., DelConte, B., Earls, M., Lieser, D., McFadden, T., Mendelsohn, A., Scholer, S., Schulte, E. E., Takagishi, J., Vanderbilt, D., & Williams, G. (2014). Literacy promotion: An essential component of primary care pediatric practice. The American Academy of Pediatrics, 134(2), 404–409. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2014-1384

Jackson, R., Karger, J., Stahl, W. M., & Curry, C. (2022). Audio-supported reading & students with learning disabilities: Giving voice to all learners. National Center on Accessible Educational Materials at CAST. https://aem.cast.org/binaries/content/assets/common/publications/aem/asr-students-ld-givingvoice-20221206-a11y.pdf

Keelor, J. L., Creaghead, N., Silbert, N., & Horowitz-Kraus, T. (2020). Text-to-speech technology: Enhancing reading comprehension for students with reading difficulty. Assistive Technology Outcomes & Benefits, 14(1), 19–35. https://www.atia.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/ATOB-V14-A2-Keelor_etal.pdf

Krashen, S. D. (1993). The power of reading: Insights from the research (2nd ed.). Libraries Unlimited.

Lundh, A. (2022). “I can read, I just can’t see”: A disability rights-based perspective on reading by listening. Journal of Documentation, 78(7), 176–191. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JD-10-2020-0169/full/pdf?title=i-can-read-i-just-cant-see-a-disability-rights-based-perspective-on-reading-by-listening

McLaughlin, R., & Kamei-Hannan, C. (2018). Paper or digital text: Which reading medium is best for students with visual impairments? Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 112(4), 337–350. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482X1811200401

Silvestri, R., Holmes, A., & Rahemtulla, R. (2022). The interaction of cognitive profiles and text-to-speech software on reading comprehension of adolescents with reading challenges. Journal of Special Education Technology, 37(4), 498–509. https://doi.org/10.1177/01626434211033577

Whitten, C., Labby, S., Sullivan, S. (2016). The impact of pleasure reading on academic success. The Journal of Multidisciplinary Graduate Research, 2(4), 48–64. https://jmgr-ojs-shsu.tdl.org/jmgr/article/view/11/10

Wilhelm, J., & Smith, M. (2014, January 22). Don’t underestimate the power of pleasure reading. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-dont-underestimate-the-power-of-pleasure-reading/2014/01

Wood, S. G., Moxley, J. H., Tighe, E. L., & Wagner, R. K. (2018). Does use of text-to-speech and related read-aloud tools improve reading comprehension for students with reading disabilities? A meta-analysis. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 51(1), 73–84. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219416688170

U.S. Department of Education. (2024). Myths and facts surrounding assistive technology devices and services. https://sites.ed.gov/idea/files/Myths-and-Facts-Surrounding-Assistive-Technology-Devices-01-22-2024.pdf

This government document aims to clarify assistive technology (AT) requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), to correct any misunderstandings about AT, and to provide examples of these devices and services for eligible children.

Office of Educational Technology. (2024). A call to action for closing the digital access, design, and use divides: 2024 national educational technology plan. U.S. Department of Education. https://tech.ed.gov/files/2024/01/NETP24.pdf

This report provides an analysis, as well as examples, of how technology can enhance learning and foster equitable educational environments for elementary and secondary students.

American Printing House for the Blind. (n.d.). Louis database of accessible materials. APH Louis. https://louis.aph.org/#/

This web page features a searchable database of accessible educational materials that include audio, braille, electronic file format, and large print.

CAST https://www.cast.org/

This website includes a detailed explanation of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as well as links to examples and resources to support UDL implementation, among other tools to help educators develop accessible curricula.

Chafee Amendment, 17 U.S.C. §§121–121A (1996). https://www.loc.gov/nls/who-we-are/laws-regulations/copyright-law-amendment-1996-pl-104-197/#:~:text=The%20amendment%20allows%20authorized%20entities,use%20by%20print%2Ddisabled%20persons

This part of U.S. copyright law establishes guidelines for providing accessible materials to people with print disabilities.

National Center on Accessible Educational Materials https://aem.cast.org/

This website includes information regarding the acquisition and use of high-quality AEM, in addition to offering technical assistance and outlining available products and services.

National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC) https://www.nimac.us/

This website features a searchable database of more than 80,000 files for K–12 instructional materials, which can be used to create texts in accessible formats.

National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) https://www.ed.gov/sites/ed/files/policy/speced/guid/idea/tb-accessibility.pdf

This provision of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) clarifies guidance regarding the timely conversion and distribution of accessible materials to ensure equitable learning opportunities for students with visual impairments or print disabilities.