[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 27 (Wednesday, February 9, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7181-7182]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-2833]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional Materials in 
Postsecondary Education for Students With Disabilities

AGENCY: Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional Materials in 
Postsecondary Education for Students with Disabilities, Office of 
Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of 
Education.

ACTION: Notice of an open meeting and public hearing.

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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: Open Meeting: February 24-25, 2011.
    Public Hearing: February 24, 2011.

TIME: February 24, 2011: The open meeting will occur from 8:30 a.m.-
3:30 p.m. and the public hearing will occur from 4 p.m.-9 p.m.
    February 25, 2011: The open meeting will occur from 8:30 a.m.-4 
p.m.

ADDRESSES: Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront Hotel, 225 East 
Coastline Drive, Jacksonville, Florida 32202.

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 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 Commission will meet in open session on Thursday and Friday, 
and will discuss the work of Commission to date. The Commission will 
also discuss the structure and content of the Commission report and 
review the timeline for completing the report. The Commission's 
discussion will address the four areas that members have identified as 
being crucial to the development of the report: Legal, Technology, 
Market Model and Low Incidence/High Cost. The Commission will focus on 
an analysis of Legal and Technology issues.
    The purpose of the public hearing is for the Commission to receive 
information from its stakeholders on issues pertaining to accessible 
instructional materials in postsecondary education. The public hearing 
session will address issues related to law, technology, the market 
model, and low-incidence/high-cost materials. Additionally, the public 
hearing will focus on individual experiences related to accessible 
instructional materials in postsecondary education.
    Detailed minutes of the meeting and hearing, 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 February 18, 2011. 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.

[[Page 7182]]

    Participants who wish to comment at the public hearing are 
encouraged to register in advance by calling Janet Gronneberg at CAST 
at 781-245-2212 (voice) or 781-245-9320 (TTY) or [email protected] 
by February 18, 2011. The Commission requests that organizations with 
multiple participants designate no more than one individual to speak on 
its behalf. Participants who register in advance, including remote 
participants, must report to the hearing registration desk at least 
thirty minutes prior to their scheduled time. A period of time will be 
reserved for individuals who choose to not register in advance. 
Participation in the hearing for unregistered participants will be 
subject to availability. Comments should be limited to five minutes per 
person or organization, but participants have the option of 
supplementing their testimony with written statements that will be part 
of the official hearing record. Technology to facilitate PowerPoint 
presentations will be available.
    Members of the public who would like to offer comments as part of 
the public hearing remotely may submit written comments to 
[email protected] or by mail to Advisory Commission on Accessible 
Instructional Materials in Postsecondary Education for Students with 
Disabilities, 550 12th St., SW., Room PCP-5113, Washington, DC 20202. 
All submissions will become part of the public record. Members of the 
public also have the option of participating in the open meeting and 
public hearing remotely. Remote access will be provided via an internet 
webinar service utilizing VoiP (Voice Over Internet Protocol). Login 
information will be provided via the Commission's public listserv at 
[email protected] and posted at the following site: http://www2.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/aim/index.html.
    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: February 3, 2011.
Alexa Posny,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services.
[FR Doc. 2011-2833 Filed 2-8-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P