Pacific CIMAP The Pacific CIMAP, which stands for Pacific Consortium for Instructional Materials Accessibility Project, facilitates the collaborative commitment of the six Pacific Basin entities to build local and regional capacity for the development and implementation of the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standards (NIMAS) and the National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC) requirements, including educational media activities for those children with disabilities who do not meet the NIMAC eligibility requirements, but who need accessible versions of educational materials as determined pursuant to Section 614(d) of IDEA. The implementation of the NIMAS and NIMAC requirements is a very complex process and is developmental in nature (NIMAS Q&A, 2007). School districts throughout the nation, including the Pacific Basin, have been working towards complying with these requirements to ensure that the needs of children with disabilities, preschool age through 21, who need instructional materials in accessible formats are met. Project Outcome & Goals The overall outcome of Pacific CIMAP is to implement and/or enhance each entity’s system for providing timely educational materials in appropriate accessible formats for students with disabilities who are eligible for services under Part B of IDEA. 
Goal 1: To increase the understanding and implementation of the NIMAS and NIMAC requirements through the development of Jurisdiction Implementation Teams (JITs) to serve as the local ìcadreî for technical support. 

Goal 2: To create and/or enhance each jurisdiction’s system to address the NIMAS and NIMAC requirements, as appropriate, as well as to meet the accessibility requirements of Section 614(d) of IDEA that addresses children with disabilities who do not meet the NIMAC eligibility requirements, but who need accessible versions of educational materials. 

Goal 3: To increase the knowledge and skills of local Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams for determining how student needs for accessible materials will be identified and how the need for NIMAC materials will be documented. 
 Goal 4: To develop and/or enhance each jurisdiction’s data management and tracking systems for managing NIMAS files and providing educational materials in appropriate accessible formats. 

Goal 5: To develop the capacity of the Pacific Basin to provide accessible materials for students with visual disabilities and other print disabilities through centralized coordination with Federal technical assistance providers, as well as vendors. 
 Project Activity Updates Guam CEDDERS facilitated the following activities: October 2007-January 2008 On-Site Visits Guam CEDDERS' Pacific CIMAP staff conducted an on-site needs assessment to each island entity, which included visiting nine island communities within the six Pacific entities. February 2008 Regional Leadership Meeting Representatives, including the special education director and curriculum chief, from each Pacific entity engaged in a 3-day leadership meeting on Guam that focused on the policy and procedural requirements for meeting NIMAS and coordinating with NIMAC, which included a review of the needs assessment results from the October 2007-January 2008 on-site visits. The meeting brought to the region project partners and collaborators, including Bookshare.org and the NIMAS-Technical Assistance Center, to assist each entity with identifying considerations for policy and procedural changes. Summer 2008 Institute Filled with excitement and awe, a two-week institute designed for JIT members from each island entity was filled with practical and meaningful experiences for crafting and transforming accessible formats for classroom application. Each team received a range of tools and devices utilized during the institute to create accessible materials. Demonstration of NIMAC and Bookshare.org coordination included accessing their websites. The institute was co-facilitated by project staff and eight project partners, collaborators, and consultants, including the Project Manager for the Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM) Consortium and the Director of Bookshare.org. More to Come Follow-up on-site island visits to address entity-specific policy issues and to provide technical support for classroom application of accessible materials. Follow-up regional leadership meeting to provide an update of the policy and procedural status of each entity. About the Consortium The consortium is composed of six Pacific Basin entities: The U.S. Territory of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), the U.S. Territory of Guam, and the three Freely Associated States (FAS): The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), and the Republic of Palau (ROP). Spanning a geographic area far greater than that of the entire United States mainland, these U.S. affiliated jurisdictions represent the outlying areas and freely associated states in the South and Western Pacific regions, with the majority population being the minority ethnic group of Asian/Pacific islanders in geographically remote and rural island communities. With endorsements from the six Pacific Basin entities, the University of Guam Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (Guam CEDDERS) will serves as the facilitator of the Pacific CIMAP. Guam CEDDERS is responsible for ensuring that the project goals are met for each Pacific Basin entity through accessing national experts and organizations on appropriate accessible formats, such as Bookshare.org. Contact Information June De Leon, Project Director, Pacific CIMAP University of Guam CEDDERS Phone: 671-735-2494 Fax: 671-734-5709 n Email: jdeleon@ite.net www.guamcedders.org Supported by the IDEA Technology and Media Services Grant No. H3278S070011 from the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of the U.S. Department of Education. Cover Photo taken in Pohnpei, FSM by Pacific CIMAP partner Jim Fruchterman, CEO and Founder of Benetech Initiative and Bookshare.org, during his visit to the islands with Donna McNear, Pacific CIMAP lead consultant.