[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 177 (Tuesday, September 14, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55789-55790]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-22883]


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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 a Partially Closed Meeting.

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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: September 27-28, 2010.

TIME: September 27, 2010: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The Commission will meet in 
closed session between the hours of 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.; September 28, 
2010: 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The Commission will meet at the Office of Special Education 
and Rehabilitative Services, United States Department of Education, 
Potomac Center Plaza, 10th Floor Auditorium, 550 12th Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20202.

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 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 swear in the members of the 
Commission, provide the members with ethics and other administrative 
training, and elect a Chair and Vice-Chair of the Commission. In 
addition, the Commission, at the direction of the Chair and Vice-Chair, 
will meet to discuss their plans to complete the study within the one-
year framework provided by Congress. On September 27, the Commission 
will meet in closed session from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. to discuss the 
qualifications of members to serve as Chair and Vice-Chair. These 
discussions pertain solely to internal personnel rules and practices of 
an agency and will disclose information of a personal nature where 
disclosure would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal 
privacy. As such, the discussions are protected by exemptions 2 and 6 
of section 552b(c) of Title 5 U.S.C. This notice is appearing in the 
Federal Register less than 15 days before the meeting due to efforts to 
schedule the meeting before the end of the fiscal year.
    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 within 14 days of the 
meeting. 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 attend 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 September 20, 2010. We will make 
every attempt to meet requests for accommodations after this date, but 
cannot guarantee their availability. The meeting site is 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

[[Page 55790]]

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: September 9, 2010.
Alexa Posny,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services.
[FR Doc. 2010-22883 Filed 9-13-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P