a11y-nimas mastera division of Digital Media Initiatives
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Accessibility production for publishers

Print books in.
Certified NIMAS out.

We convert print titles into validated NIMAS filesets and carry them through to NIMAC certification. We also remediate PDFs to PDF/UA, audit web applications against WCAG 2.x AA, and issue conformance reports in VPAT format.

Start a project Production portal

Already working with us? Track your titles in the production portal.

Inside a NIMAS fileset dtbook 2005-3
  • <dtbook>
    • <head> dc:Title, dc:Identifier
    • <frontmatter>
    • <bodymatter>
      • <level1 class="chapter">
        • <h1> Cells and Heredity
        • <p> Every living thing is…
        • <imggroup>
          • <img alt="Diagram of a plant…">
          • <caption> Figure 3.1
        • <table> headers + scope
    • <rearmatter> glossary, index

Validated against the NIMAS DTD · package.opf and images bundled · uploaded on NIMAC and followed through to certified.

What we do

Five things, done properly

Accessibility work is unforgiving: a fileset either validates or it doesn't, a report either holds up in procurement or it doesn't. This is all we do.

NIMAS

NIMAS XML production from print books

Text-based print PDFs converted to a complete, validated NIMAS fileset — including alt-text authoring and upload to NIMAC under our vendor access.

PDF/UA

Accessible PDF remediation

Tag trees, reading order, table headers, bookmarks, language and metadata — remediated to PDF/UA and delivered with a conformance report.

Documents

Remediation of other document types

Word, PowerPoint, Excel and EPUB files brought up to standard so the same content works for every reader, on every device.

WCAG 2.x AA

Web application audit and remediation

Manual and assistive-technology testing against WCAG 2.x Level AA, with prioritised findings, code-level fixes, and a re-test to confirm each one.

ACR / VPAT

Accessibility Conformance Reports

Honest, defensible ACRs in the requisite VPAT format — the document your buyers, state adoption teams and legal reviewers will actually read.

How it works

Two routes from the same source file

Send us one set of text-based print PDFs with high-resolution images and the cover page. We can take that same source down either route, or both.

NIMAS fileset

Source
Text-based print PDF with high-resolution images, including the cover page.
Delivery
Validated NIMAS fileset with authored alt text, uploaded on the NIMAC portal.
  1. We check the source. Our production team confirms the files are suitable for conversion to a NIMAS XML fileset before any work begins.
  2. We write the alt text. Descriptions for the images that carry meaning are drafted by us and sent to you to correct or approve.
  3. We produce the files. Once alt text is approved, we build and validate the fileset.
  4. We see it through. Using our vendor access we upload to NIMAC and follow up until each title is duly certified.

Accessible PDF

Source
Text-based print PDF, including the cover page.
Delivery
PDF/UA-conformant file, plus an ACR for each product.
  1. Same files, no extra work for you. We use the PDFs already supplied for NIMAS production.
  2. We remediate the document. Structure, reading order, alternative text, tables and metadata are corrected to meet PDF/UA.
  3. We report on it. You receive an Accessibility Conformance Report per product in a standard VPAT format.

What we work to

The specifications behind the work

Every deliverable is measured against a published standard, not an opinion.

  • NIMAS 1.1
  • DTBook / dtbook-2005-3
  • NIMAC
  • DAISY & DTB
  • PDF/UA — ISO 14289
  • WCAG 2.1 & 2.2 Level AA
  • Section 508
  • VPAT 2.5
  • EPUB Accessibility 1.1

Track record

Built on complex, deadline-bound curricula

Our team handles layered instructional material — from single chapter books to multi-thousand-page K–6 literacy programmes dense with charts, images and tables — on aggressive schedules.

Brijesh and his team are very knowledgeable about this work, and provided recommendations when needed. All work was turned in on schedule in spite of an aggressive timeline, and the team was flexible when we hit snags on our end.

Publisher — Texas K–6 literacy curriculum project

Common questions

What publishers ask us first

What is a NIMAS fileset?

A NIMAS fileset is the source package a publisher submits under the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard. It contains a valid DTBook XML file marked up to the NIMAS DTD, a package file (OPF) with the title's metadata, and the full-resolution images referenced by the text. Accessible Media Producers then convert that source into braille, large print, audio or digital text for students with print disabilities.

What source files do you need to start?

A text-based print PDF with high-resolution images, including the cover page. Before any production begins our team checks that the source is genuinely text-based and suitable for conversion — scanned or image-only PDFs need a different approach, and we tell you that up front rather than after invoicing.

Do you upload titles to NIMAC, or do we?

We do. We hold vendor access to the NIMAC portal, upload the fileset on your behalf, and follow up on any validation issues until each title is duly certified.

Who writes the alt text for images?

We do. Our team drafts descriptions for the images that carry instructional meaning and sends them to you for correction or approval. Production of the fileset only starts once you have signed off on the alt text.

What is the difference between NIMAS and an accessible PDF?

NIMAS is a source format: structured XML intended to be converted into student-ready formats by an Accessible Media Producer. An accessible PDF conforming to PDF/UA (ISO 14289) is an end-user format — the reader opens the file itself with a screen reader or other assistive technology. Many publishers need both, which is why we produce them from the same set of source files.

Do you provide a VPAT or an ACR?

Yes. A VPAT is the template; an Accessibility Conformance Report is the completed document. We issue an ACR per product in the requisite VPAT format, covering WCAG 2.x Level AA and Section 508 as applicable, so your buyers and state adoption reviewers have something defensible to evaluate.

Can you audit a web application as well as documents?

Yes. We audit web applications against WCAG 2.x Level AA using manual and assistive-technology testing, deliver prioritised findings with code-level fixes, and re-test to confirm each issue is genuinely resolved.

Get in touch

Send us a title and a deadline

Tell us the format you have and the format you need. We will tell you plainly whether the source will convert cleanly, and what it takes.

New enquiry Open the contact form Send us your title list, source format and deadline. We reply with a scope and a quote. Existing clients Sign in to the production portal Submit source files, review alt text, and follow each title through to NIMAC certification.
New projects & general enquiries hello@nimas.pub

Quotes, sample conversions, scheduling and NIMAC questions.

Direct line bk@nimas.pub

For contracts, escalations, and anything that needs a decision.