ACE believes that equal access to higher education for students with
disabilities is a critical issue. That is why ACE strongly supports the
Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education (AIM HE) Act,
which was introduced in the House Friday by Reps. Phil Roe (R-TN) and
Joe Courtney (D-CT).
The AIM HE Act
will create a commission charged with developing voluntary
accessibility guidelines for instructional materials used in
postsecondary educational programs. The commission also will develop a
list of existing information technology standards on accessibility as a
resource for colleges and universities and the companies that work with
them.
“Inclusion is a core value of higher education. We believe this
legislation provides a path forward to better serve students with
disabilities by working to increase accessibility and equal
opportunities to learn,” said Terry W. Hartle, ACE senior vice president
for government and public affairs. “We are grateful to Reps. Roe and
Courtney for leading on this issue. We look forward to the work of the
commission that is created by this legislation and will work with
Congress and our member institutions to ensure that this important bill
is passed.”
ACE is working to pass this legislation in collaboration with the
National Federation of the Blind, the Association of American Publishers
and the Software and Information Industry Association.
The bill also has broad higher education community support and is
backed by a wide array of higher education associations, including:
EDUCAUSE; the Association of Research Libraries; the National
Association of College and University Attorneys; the Association of
American Universities; the American Association of Community Colleges;
the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities; the American
Association of State Colleges and Universities; and the National
Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.