Clearinghouse for Specialized Media & Technology - CalEdFacts
This content is part of California Department of Education's information and media guide about education in the State of California. For similar information on other topics, visit the full CalEdFacts.The Clearinghouse for Specialized Media & Technology (CSMT) makes instructional materials available in accessible formats to students with visual impairments and other disabilities.
Local assistance funds finance the conversion and production of textbooks, workbooks, literature, and assessment books into a variety of specialized media including braille, large print, American Sign Language video books, digital talking books, and electronic files. The distribution of various specialized media to public schools provides general education curricula to students with disabilities. Members access the CSMT website to order materials for qualified educational agencies using the Instructional Materials Ordering and Distribution System (IMODS) 
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The CSMT also manages a repository of the federally funded American Printing House for the Blind (APH) materials and equipment designed for students who are blind or visually impaired. Through the IMODS, eligible educational agencies can order APH materials.
The CSMT also administers the Federal Quota program, established by the 1879 Act to Promote the Education of the Blind, for California public schools and other private, not for profit agencies. The Federal Quote Program, overseen by APH, ensures the most appropriate educational aids, tools, and supplies get in the hands and lives of each person who is visually impaired.
More information about the CSMT can be found on the CSMT web page.