The IMC saves both time and money by maintaining a library of materials and a network of vendors across the country which allows us to obtain accessible educational materials at the lowest possible price. Because the IMC is a part of state government, it does not make a profit and can focus on doing the best possible job for students, schools, and taxpayers.
In the examples below the IMC was able to purchase the braille textbooks as a braille reproduction. Textbooks are returned to the library collection and are available for free to another student to use during the next school year and subsequent school years. As part of our braille library collection, these textbooks are available for any Iowa School District to borrow for student use.
When the IMC handles textbook procurements, taxpayers save tens of thousands of dollars each year. Here are two examples of how this works:
Example 1
A student needed the textbook: “SOCIAL STUDIES ALIVE! AMERICA’S PAST”. This textbook consists of 529 print pages, 1,142 braille pages, and 110 tactile graphics. The IMC was able to purchase this textbook as a reproduction through its vendor network. The student used this textbook in the 2020–2021 school year and then returned it to the IMC. The next year (2021-2022) another student was able to borrow this textbook from the library.
Because the IMC handled this procurement and each of the two local districts that needed this textbook did not reinvent the wheel by ordering it to be made from scratch from a vendor or by having it transcribed by a para-professional, taxpayers saved between $4,970 and $5,936 over the course of those two years. The savings will increase as future students borrow the textbook in later years.
| Cost to Produce From scratch | $2,960 – $3,443 |
| Cost To Purchase as a Reproduction | $950 |
| Savings | $4,970 – $5,936 |
Example 2
A student needed the textbook: “BRIDGES IN MATHEMATICS, STUDENT BOOK, VOLUMES 1 AND 2”. This textbook consists of 350 print pages, 866 braille pages, and 217 tactile graphics. The IMC was able to purchase this textbook as a reproduction through its vendor network. The student used this textbook in the 2020–21 school year and then returned it to the IMC. The next year (2021-2022), another student was able to borrow this textbook from the IMC.
Because the IMC handled this procurement and each of the two local districts that needed this textbook did not reinvent the wheel by ordering it to be made from scratch from a vendor or having it transcribed by a para-professional, taxpayers saved between $3,958 and $5,368 over the course of those two years. The savings will increase as future students borrow the textbook in later years.
| Cost to Transcribe from scratch | $2,275 – $2,980 |
| Cost to Purchase as Reproduction | $592 |
| Total Savings | $3,958 – $5,368 |
IMC Staff
Instructional Materials Center (IMC) has five certified braille transcribers on staff to ensure that materials are high quality. The IMC staff transcribe materials, place projects, track progress, manage volunteers, answer questions from teachers and paraeducators, ship materials, and prepare invoices. These hard working and highly knowledgeable staff coordinate the production of hundreds of projects each year. They work with 42 national vendors and volunteers to place materials, provide quality control, and excellent customer service.
The IMC provides all Iowans access to accessible materials that are timely, high quality, and cost effective for their educational and vocational needs.
Athena
Through the implementation of Athena, ordering and production tracking software, the IMC has streamlined the production of accessible educational materials of all types through a web-based portal. Athena leverages the current library system/catalog, the breadth of the library collection and the expertise of the IMC staff to provide quality accessible materials for Iowans. Ensuring blind and low vision students have the materials they need to maximize their educational success.
The Instructional Materials Center also provides a website with information and training for Iowa educators working with students who use accessible educational materials. Along with the website the IMC staff provide various online training and learning opportunities for educators.
The IMC Team will provide answers to the questions we have received during the week in our FAQ Friday posts. We hope these are helpful!
