You are here:

NCAC: Research & Solutions: Policy: State Accessible Curriculum Policy Survey

50 State Accessible Curriculum Policy Survey

Back to Summary Page

KENTUCKY

SB 243 AN ACT relating to the availability of textbooks and instructional materials in accessible formats for students with disabilities.

• The first stage of the law provided preferential procurement language for the 2002 KY textbook adoption. This was a permissive period for publishers to be given preference if they chose to comply with the law.
  • As of July 2003, in order for any textbook to be on this year's adoption, the publisher must comply with the law by providing the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) with a digital file in one of the following formats:
    • Level I- Full Compliance- XML, XHTML or HTML
    • Level II Provisional Compliance- RTF or Word
    • Level III- Marginal Compliance- Unlocked PDF
• This year's adoption is in the content area of Practical Living and Vocational Studies

• Publishers have to provide the KDE with a digital copy of their material by Oct. 15, 2003 for accessibility validation in order to be on the final adoption list to be announced Nov. 15, 2003

• We are currently receiving files and having them reviewed for accessibility compliance. To accomplish this task, we have established the KY Accessible Materials Consortium (KAMC) at the University of Louisville. Staff there are reviewing each file and rendering a profile of accessibility and denoting what must be done to correct files which are not currently accessible to meet the Level which the publisher is trying to meet

• Below is the current accessibility checklist being used by the KAMC to review publisher files that provides the details on each of the three levels. This has also been shared with the publishers

• No extra funds are provided with this bill. Districts receive textbook funds annually (through a separate funding mechanisms).
  The text of SB 243, signed into law in April 2002, can be found at: http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/recarch/02rs/sb243.htm

Links and Contact Information

Department of Education: http://www.kde.state.ky.us/

Special Education: http://www.kentuckyschools.net/KDE/Instructional+Resources/
Student+and+Family+Support/Exceptional+Children/default.htm

Kentucky Assistive Technology Service Network
Tel. (800) 327-5287

Contacts

Preston Lewis, Kentucky Department of Education
Program Services Branch
Tel. (502) 564-4970
E-mail: plewis@kde.state.ky.us

Brenda Hauser, Kentucky Department of Education
Tel. (502) 564-7056
E-mail: bhauser@kde.state.ky.us

Steve Noble, Policy Analyst
Kentucky Assistive Technology Service Network
Tel. (502) 327-0022, Ext. 268
E-mail: Steve.Noble@mail.state.ky.us

Judy Mallory
Tel. (502) 564-4970
E-mail: jmallory@kde.state.ky.us

Back to Summary Page