Provisions introduced to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 2004 help to improve the delivery of accessible instructional materials (AIM) to students with print-related disabilities. It is important to recognize, however, that access to content does not, by itself, guarantee a quality learning experience. Paying closer attention to the ways in which students interact with AIM and to insights from the learning sciences can inform efforts to improve the quality of learning experiences for all learners, including students with print-related disabilities. This paper also pertains to the more general accessible educational materials (AEM) which includes print sourced materials, those which are born digital and the technology used to deliver them to the learner. Five concepts from the learning sciences are highlighted--purpose, demand, control, challenge, and context--that can be leveraged to amplify the impact of AEM to support greater self-directed learning and to improve educational outcomes for all learners.