The Iowa Department for the Blind (IDB) is committed to ensuring students have the materials they need to succeed. The Iowa Library for the Blind and Print Disabled (Library) and its Instructional Materials Center (IMC) have worked tirelessly on funding solutions in response to the changes made by the Iowa Department of Education regarding the procurement of accessible educational materials for students.
The IMC will continue, as it has for over 30 years, to serve Iowa’s schools and students in providing accessible materials in alternative formats.
- The Library provides a large library collection with over 175,000 titles. It also includes over 5,000 educational materials (textbooks and workbooks) available and ready for use at no cost.
- As an Authorized Media Producer (AMP) in Iowa for braille, large print, audio and electronic text formats, the Library and IMC have resources to provide timely, quality, and cost-effective materials to schools for their students.
We are pleased to announce that IDB will be able to help fund some material costs as outlined in the following procedures for the 2023-2024 school year.
For Braille Materials
- Non-consumable materials (materials that have an ISBN – textbooks and workbooks):
- The Iowa Department for the Blind will be responsible for the full cost of each project/order if they are returned to the library in good condition including all volumes.
- Consumable materials (worksheets or teacher created materials):
- The School District will be charged $4.00 per print page of braille. If the cost per print page is higher than $4.00 the Iowa Department for the Blind will cover those costs.
For Large Print Materials
- Non-consumable materials (textbooks, literary works):
- The Iowa Department for the Blind will be responsible for the full cost of each project/order if they are returned to the library in good condition including all volumes.
- Consumable materials (workbooks, activity books, worksheets or teacher created materials):
- The School District will be charged the cost of the project.
Information for your review about the IMC, request process, procedures, costs and the new Memorandum of Understanding for school districts is available on the Forms & Procedures Tab.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have. We want to assist in ensuring students receive the accessible educational materials they need to succeed.
