American Printing House for the Blind Federal Quota

The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) Federal Quota Program was initiated in 1879 by the Federal Act to Promote the Education of the Blind. This program is a means whereby a per capita amount of money is designated for the purchase of educational materials for each eligible student registered through an established Federal Quota account. These Federal Quota accounts are maintained and administered by APH and its Ex Officio Trustees (EOT). Library Director Carrie Brasier is the EOT for the DESE AIM Library APH Federal Quota Accounts.

Eligibility for Federal Quota Registration

For a student to be eligible for the Federal Quota Program, they MUST meet one of the following visual criteria as outlined in An Act to Promote the Education of the Blind:

MDB = Meet the definition of blindness —a central visual acuity of 20/200(Snellen chart or acuity in Snellen equivalents) in the better eye with the best correction or a peripheral field of vision no greater than 20 degrees,

OR

FDB = Function at the definition of blindness—When visual performance is reduced by a brain injury or dysfunction when visual function meets the definition of blindness as determined by an eye care specialist or neurologist. Students in this category manifest unique visual characteristics often found in conditions referred to as neurological, cortical, or cerebral visual impairment.

OR

IDEA = Qualify under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act definition of blindness: an impairment in vision, that, even with correction, adversely affects a child’s educational performance. IF the student is NEITHER MDB or FDB, they may be eligible if they qualify under the IDEA definition as it includes partial sight (visually impaired) and blindness. (34 CFR §300.8(c)(13). Student must be on an IEP, 504 does not qualify.

Eligible students must also have a Consent to Release Information Form on file. Consent is to be signed by parent, guardian, or student over 18 managing their educational rights, to allow the AIM Library to exchange pertinent information with the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, American Printing House for the Blind, and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Every infant, preschool, or school-aged student must have signed consent.

There is NO chronological age limit for eligibility. The federal law limits registration to persons working at less than college level but places no restriction on the ages of eligible students.

The actual education plans and medical documentation are not kept by APH. It is the responsibility of the Ex Officio Trustee to ensure eligibility documentation in the event that an audit requires evidence of the student’s educational program or visual acuity. The AIM Library Assurances Form documents a student’s eligibility, and they are kept on file at the AIM Library.

Consent forms do not need to be collected on an annual basis. Consents are good until FERPA and IDEA no longer apply, student changes schools, or turns 18 and needs to sign updated Consent.

For each student, the following information must be reported:

  • Name
  • Date of birth
  • School system or agency in which student is enrolled
  • Grade Placement
  • Identify the visual eligibility criteria =MDB, FDB, IDEA
  • Primary and Secondary reading media
  • Primary Instructional Language of Learner

The APH Federal Quota Census window opens each year on the first Monday in January and closes on the last Friday in February. Students are reported to APH and cross checked nationally for duplicates as students may only be registered in 1 account.  Once students are approved in each account, they will be included in the following Federal Quota fiscal year which opens every October on the first. The per capita amount per student changes every year. In Massachusetts, certified teachers of students with visual impairments are responsible for reporting students to the AIM Library for the Federal Quota Census. Not reporting and providing required documents for a qualified student by last Friday in February will result in students not generating Federal Quota and therefore not being eligible for APH materials for the upcoming fiscal year.