Accessible Instructional

Materials

June 9, 2015

Removing Barriers, Raising Expectations

HISD At a Glance

215,153 Students

283 schools

301 Square Miles

7th Largest School District in the Nation

Largest School District in Texas

HISD Demographics

7.5% Special Education

29.9% English Language Learners

15.4% Gifted & Talented

75.5% Economically Disadvantaged

Asian; 4% White; 8%

African Amer-ican; 25%

Hispanic; 62%

District Initiatives

• Key members of IMAT attended the Harvard UDL Institute

• UDL framework adopted for IMAT meetings

Process

• CAO informed publishers that all instructional materials must be available in digital format and must meet strict accessibility standards

• Members of the district’s technology, procurement, and special education offices drafted interoperability specifications

Expectations

Digital Platform

• Supplemental IM contract

• Districtwide Kurzweil access

Contacts

• Sowmya Kumar713-556-7025

skumar@houstonisd.org

• Beth Goodrich713-556-7025

egoodric@houstonisd.org