AIM Formats

Source: AIM-VA, https://aimva.org/support/formats

The primary purpose of accessible formats is to provide alternate versions of print-based books that include features that meet the individual learning needs of unique students such as synchronized audio, enlarged text, and embossed paper. More specifically, accessible formats allow an alternate version that functions in much the same way as a print-based textbook. For example, a traditional recording of a book in audio does not allow users to access its content efficiently; these recordings must use cumbersome fast-forward and rewind functions, leading to hit-or-miss access to content. Formats with built in accessibility features eliminate this and other content-access difficulties. Another advantage of an accessible formatted version of a work is that the content is available through the use of a computer; this allows users to be free of many physical constraints involved in accessing print-based content, such as lifting and holding a book and turning its pages.

Click on the tabs below to learn more about the features of each of the formats.