Fiscal Highlights 2014

The Utah State Instructional Materials Access Center (USIMAC) was established in January 2009 to help Utah schools meet the requirements of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), which was reauthorized in 2004. IDEA makes the state responsible to ensure all students with print disabilities receive accessible instructional material at the same time as their non-print disabled peers.

The USIMAC is a part of the Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind. It provides accessible instructional material to K-12 students with print disabilities throughout the state, including: blindness and visual impairment, physical limitations, and other organic diagnosed reading disabilities. Materials are provided to students in braille, large print, digital formats, and audio. The USIMAC program currently has 37 school districts and charter schools and 195 students using its services.

The USIMAC received 531 orders in its first year, and now they are receiving over 2,500 new orders each year. The USIMAC and the Utah State Office of Education have developed a cost-sharing option that Local Education Agencies can opt into each year. This option helps cover the costs of the program that are not covered by the $490,000 Education Fund appropriation provided by the Legislature.