Authorized Entities may access NIMAS filesets, convert them to specialized formats, and distribute them to qualified students with print disabilities after registering with the NIMAC as Accessible Media Producers (AMPs) and signing a Limitation-of-Use Agreement provided by the NIMAC. In addition, a textbook and/or core print-related materials must be requested by an Authorized User assigned by a State Education Agency. Then it will be possible for an authorized entity to obtain NIMAS filesets (source files) from the NIMAC.
These entities qualify for a special exemption to copyright law and are thus able to distribute content for which electronic rights may not have been provided to educational publishers in order to improve access for qualified individuals with disabilities. A defintion for "authorized entity" is provided within Public Law 104-197 (also known as the Chafee Amendment), Section 121(c)(1):
(c) For purposes of this section, the term—
(1) 'authorized entity' means a nonprofit organization or a governmental agency that has a primary mission to provide specialized services relating to training, education, or adaptive reading or information access needs of blind or other persons with disabilities;
In addition, the NIMAS and NIMAC language in IDEA 2004 applies to K–12 education, so NIMAS content preparation and distribution pertains to K–12 educational materials. To learn more about organizations that qualify as authorized entities, please refer to the 
NLS fact sheet on the Copyright Law Amendment.
A tentative list of these entities is provided below. Additional recommendations should be emailed to nimas@cast.org.
Authorized entities include—American Printing House for the Blind (APH)Bookshare.orgInstructional Resource Centers for the Blind and Visually Impaired (IRCBVI)Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D)Please note: The National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC) has established terms and procedures related to the secure conveyance of files to qualified authorized entities. Once files have been converted to specialized formats, they should be available to any elementary or secondary education student who qualifies. In some cases, a membership by a district, school, or student may be required. The list of organizations generated by the NIMAS centers does not imply any obligation with respect to the NIMAC and its operations.
The NIMAS Development and Technical Assistance Center, supported by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), works with states, TA systems, disability advocates, national associations, technology experts, publishers and content conversion houses to improve the timely delivery of high quality accessible educational materials to students with disabilities.The NIMAS Center was launched on October 1, 2004.The project officer for both the Development and TA Centers is Bonnie Jones, Ed.D. Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent the Department of Education's position or policy.