Education – Blind and Visually Impaired Students – Textbook Equity

This bill ensures that blind and visually impaired students in Maryland receive textbooks and learning materials in accessible formats like braille, large print, or audio. It requires school districts to coordinate with the state's Instructional Resources Center to provide these specialized materials by a specific date each school year. Publishers must supply electronic files for new textbooks so they can be converted into accessible formats, while the state will cover costs for materials that cannot be produced otherwise. The law also mandates that students with some remaining vision still have the right to learn braille if it is deemed appropriate for their education. Additionally, the bill establishes new certification standards for teachers specializing in working with blind and visually impaired students.