[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 121 (Thursday, June 23, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36907-36908]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-15721]


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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 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: July 11-12, 2011.
    Public Hearing: July 12, 2011.
    Time: July 11, 2011: The open meeting will occur from 8:30 a.m.-5 
p.m.
    July 12, 2011: The open meeting will occur from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
    The public hearing will take place from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The Sheraton Seattle, 1400 6th Avenue, Seattle, Washington 
98101.

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 Monday and Tuesday, and 
will review and discuss the first draft of the Commission's report to 
the Secretary and Congress. The Commission will also receive briefings 
from subject matter experts on several different topics of interest.
    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 June 30, 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. 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 June 30, 2011. The Commission requests that 
organizations with multiple participants designate no more than one 
individual to speak on its behalf. Participants who will be testifying 
in person must report to the hearing registration desk at least thirty 
minutes prior to their scheduled

[[Page 36908]]

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. The 
Commission will have technology to facilitate PowerPoint presentations 
as needed.
    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). For the July 11th, 2011 portion of the meeting from 
8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., the URL is https://aimpsc.ilinc.com/join/yvbmysr. The 
login will be available to the public starting at 8 a.m. (Pacific). On 
July 12th, the URL will be https://aimpsc.ilinc.com/join/bbmtzsh for 
the Commission meeting from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., and the login will be 
open to public at 8 a.m. (Pacific).
    The URL for the public hearing portion of the meeting from 4 p.m.-9 
p.m. will be https://aimpsc.ilinc.com/join/yvbmyjr. The login will open 
to public at 3:45 p.m. (Pacific). 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.
    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: June 20, 2011.
Alexa Posny,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services.
[FR Doc. 2011-15721 Filed 6-22-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P