Eligibility for Electronic Source Files

IDEA Eligible Students

NIMAS source files can be accessed by IDEA eligible students who meet National Library Service (2 U.S.C. 135a) requirements.
If a student is IDEA eligible under one of the thirteen disability categories and the IEP team determines the student requires accessible instructional materials, the student can be found eligible under a corresponding National Library Service (NLS) disability category as follows:

Visual Impairment including Blindness

Blind or Vision Disability

DeafBlindness

Blind or Vision Disability

Autism

Physical Limitation or Reading Disability

Deafness

Physical Limitation or Reading Disability

Emotional Disturbance

Physical Limitation or Reading Disability

Hearing Impairment

Physical Limitation or Reading Disability

Mental Retardation

Physical Limitation or Reading Disability

Orthopedic Impairment

Physical Limitation or Reading Disability

Other Health Impairment

Physical Limitation or Reading Disability

Specific Learning Disability

Physical Limitation or Reading Disability

Speech or Language Impairment

Physical Limitation or Reading Disability

Traumatic Brain Injury

Physical Limitation or Reading Disability

Multiple Disabilities

Any/all

So long as Blind, Vision Disability, and Physical Limitation are used as the NLS disability categories, the LEA is a competent authority that can verify eligibility.
If Reading Disability is the NLS category used, a physician must verify organic dysfunction.
If no source file exists, the content of the print instructional materials may be scanned to create an electronic file from which to produce the specialized format(s) as needed by the student to receive an appropriate education as required by IDEA.

If a student is Section 504 eligible, the LEA has determined they have physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity. If these students need accessible instructional materials, they can be determined NLS eligible under any of the four categories Blind, Vision Disability, Physical Limitation, Reading Disability.
Just as with IDEA eligible students, so long as the Blind, Vision Disability, and Physical Limitation are used as the NLS disability categories, the LEA is a competent authority that can verify eligibility.
If Reading Disability is the NLS category used, a physician must verify an organic dysfunction.
Since the student is not IDEA eligible, they cannot access NIMAS source files. They can access other electronic source files such as those in Bookshare that were not derived from NIMAS source files.
If no source file exists, the content of the print instructional materials may be scanned to create an electronic file from which to produce the specialized format(s) as needed by the student to receive an appropriate education as required by Section 504.