[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 51 (Wednesday, March 16, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14385-14386]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-6089]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


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

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 via conference call.

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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: April 1, 2011.
    Time: 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.

ADDRESSES: The Commission will meet via conference call on April 1, 
2011. Members of the public have the option of participating in the 
open meeting remotely. Remote access will be provided via an Internet 
webinar service utilizing VoiP (Voice Over Internet Protocol). The 
login address for members of the public is https://aimpsc.ilinc.com/join/ccszfyh. This login information is also 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.

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 timeframe 
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;

[[Page 14386]]

(V) solutions utilizing universal design; and (VI) solutions for low-
incidence, high-cost requests for instructional materials in 
specialized formats.
    During the meeting, task force 3 (Market Model) and task force 1 
(Best Practices) will brief the entire Commission on their work and 
initial recommendations. The Commission will also receive an update 
from representatives of the Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) on 
the status of its higher education grant program for students with 
disabilities. The Commission will discuss the status of the final 
report and will receive updates from the other two Commission task 
forces.
    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], and the Commission will respond to the comments 
if possible.
    Members of the public who would like to offer comments as part of 
the meeting 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 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 8:00 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 March 28, 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: March 10, 2011.
Alexa Posny,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services.
[FR Doc. 2011-6089 Filed 3-15-11; 8:45 am]
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