[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 245 (Wednesday, December 22, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80481-80482]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-32094]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional Materials in
Postsecondary Education for Students with Disabilities
AGENCY: U. S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services, Advisory Commission on Accessible
Instructional Materials in Postsecondary Education for Students with
Disabilities.
ACTION: Notice of an Open Meeting via Conference Call.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The notice sets forth the schedule and agenda of the meeting
of the Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional Materials in
Postsecondary Education for Students with Disabilities. The notice also
describes the functions of the Commission. Notice of the meeting is
required by section 10 (a) (2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act
and is intended to notify the public of its opportunity to attend.
DATES: January 7, 2011.
TIME: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The Commission will meet via conference call on January 7,
2011. The Executive Director of the Commission will serve as the
``host'' of the meeting and will initiate the teleconference meeting at
approximately 10:45 a.m. EST on January 7, 2011. The Dial-In number for
members of the public for the call is 1-800-860-2442 or 1-412-858-4600
for individuals calling in from outside of the United States.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Elizabeth Shook, Program Specialist,
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, United States
Department of Education, 550 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20202;
telephone: (202) 245-7642, fax: 202-245-7638.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Advisory Commission on Accessible
Instructional Materials in Postsecondary Education for Students with
Disabilities (the Commission) is established under Section 772 of the
Higher Education Opportunity Act, Public Law 110-315, dated August 14,
2008. The Commission is established to (a) conduct a comprehensive
study, which will--(I) assess the barriers and systemic issues that may
affect, and technical solutions available that may improve, the timely
delivery and quality of accessible instructional materials for
postsecondary students with print disabilities, as well as the
effective use of such materials by faculty and staff; and (II) make
recommendations related to the development of a comprehensive approach
to improve the opportunities for postsecondary students with print
disabilities to access instructional materials in specialized formats
in a time frame comparable to the availability of instructional
materials for postsecondary nondisabled students.
In making recommendations for the study, the Commission shall
consider--(I) how students with print disabilities may obtain
instructional materials in accessible formats within a time frame
comparable to the availability of instructional materials for
nondisabled students; and to the maximum extent practicable, at costs
comparable to the costs of such materials for nondisabled students;
(II) the feasibility and technical parameters of establishing
standardized electronic file formats, such as the National
Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard as defined in Section
674(e)(3) of the
[[Page 80482]]
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, to be provided by
publishers of instructional materials to producers of materials in
specialized formats, institutions of higher education, and eligible
students; (III) the feasibility of establishing a national
clearinghouse, repository, or file-sharing network for electronic files
in specialized formats and files used in producing instructional
materials in specialized formats, and a list of possible entities
qualified to administer such clearinghouse, repository, or network;
(IV) the feasibility of establishing market-based solutions involving
collaborations among publishers of instructional materials, producers
of materials in specialized formats, and institutions of higher
education; (V) solutions utilizing universal design; and (VI) solutions
for low-incidence, high-cost requests for instructional materials in
specialized formats.
The purpose of the meeting is to receive updates from two of the
Commission's task force groups. The Commission will receive updates
from the Technology and Legal task force groups. The Commission will
also review its upcoming meeting schedule and the timeline for
completing its report.
Given the limited meeting time, the Commission does not anticipate
that there will be an opportunity for public comment during the
teleconference meeting. Members of the public are encouraged to submit
written comments to the AIM Commission Web site at
[email protected]. Members of the public may also join the
Commission's list serv at [email protected].
Detailed minutes of the meeting, including summaries of the
activities of the closed sessions and related matters that are
informative to the public and consistent with the policy of section 5
U.S.C. 552b(c) will be available to the public. Records are kept of all
Commission proceedings and are available for public inspection at the
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, United States
Department of Education, 550 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20202,
Monday--Friday during the hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Individuals who will need accommodations for a
disability in order to listen to the meeting (e.g., interpreting
services, assistive listening devices, or material in alternative
format) should notify Elizabeth Shook at (202) 245-7642, no later than
January 4, 2011. We will make every attempt to meet requests for
accommodations after this date, but, cannot guarantee their
availability. The conference call will be accessible to individuals
with disabilities.
Electronic Access to this Document: You may view this document, as
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister/index.html. To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is
available free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF,
call the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free at 1-866-512-
1800; or in the Washington, DC area at 202-512-0000.
Dated: December 16, 2010.
Alexa Posny,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services.
[FR Doc. 2010-32094 Filed 12-21-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P