Recommendations with General Agreement:
Please note:
- Prior Recommendations have been directly pulled from the document circulated for the July 6th meeting called: Seattle Recommendations COMBINED DRAFT 7 6 11
- Current Recommendation have been directly pulled from the document circulated on August 24th called: Combo4
Access Board (Disagreement over the details still exists)
Prior recommendation
Recommendation 11: With respect to digital materials, Congress should facilitate the creation and/or adoption of specific, voluntary performance criteria and technical standards, possibly developed by a standards board comprised of key members of the ecosystem.
Current recommendation
Recommendation 1: Congress should, via an expansion of Section 502 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, expand the scope of the United States Access Board to establish guidelines, standards and enforcement provisions associated with digital instructional materials used in postsecondary academic settings. This aspect of the Board's work should be comprised of key stakeholders involved in the creation, production, distribution and use of instructional materials, and tasked with:
Market Incentives
Prior recommendation
No prior recommendation
Current recommendation
Recommendation 4: Congress should consider incentives to accelerate innovation in the area of adopting accessibility standards by publishers, manufactures of hardware and software – by offering market supply incentives (such as tax incentives) with respect to the production, sale and purchase of accessible instructional materials and devices.
Clarify certification and re-certification process
Prior recommendation
Recommendation 18: The Department of Education and the Department of Justice should consider reviewing, clarifying and, as appropriate, conducting a rulemaking concerning the requirements for students to obtain certifications to prove eligibility for accommodations, sometimes on a repetitive basis.
Current recommendation
Recommendation 6: The Department of Education and the Justice Department should provide guidance on the limitations on schools’ and testing agencies’ ability to demand extensive documentation, certification and recertification of disability under ADA (as amended), Section 504 and the Chafee Amendment.
No NIMAS or clearinghouse
Prior recommendation
No prior recommendation
Current recommendation
Recommendation 7: The Commission does not recommend a single national source file solution like NIMAS or a single centralized clearinghouse, file sharing network or national repository. The Commission recommends that postsecondary students with print disabilities would be best served by explicit support for a wide network of different options and suppliers.
Federated Search
Prior recommendation
Recommendation 20: The establishment of a federated search entity that enables individual students and DSS office to search a single online resource to locate pre-existing accessible sources.
Current recommendation
Recommendation 8: The Commission recommends the establishment of a federated search entity that enables individual students and DR/S Offices to search a single online resource to locate pre-existing accessible sources.
Braille and tactile graphics support
Prior recommendation
Recommendation 21: Consideration should be given to increasing government support for the creation of braille and tactile graphics materials in postsecondary settings
Recommendation 25: The Task Force recommends funding a Model Demonstration Instructional Program in Tactile Graphics and Braille Development
Current recommendation
Recommendation 9: Federal government support for the creation of braille and tactile graphics materials in postsecondary settings should be established.
Faculty/staff education opportunities
Prior recommendation
Recommendation 7: The Commission recommends additional training by experts in the higher education community for the production and delivery of consistent quality materials
Recommendation 15: While the pedagogical quality of instructional materials should remain the primary basis for content assignments by faculty, postsecondary institutions should be required to aggressively educate faculty, staff, students and university leadership about accessible instructional materials as a condition of receiving federal grant monies.
Current recommendation
Recommendation 10: While the pedagogical quality of instructional materials should remain the primary basis for content assignments by faculty, postsecondary institutions should be required to aggressively educate faculty, staff, students and university leadership about accessible instructional materials as a condition of receiving federal grant monies. The Commission recommends additional training by experts in the higher education community for the production and delivery of consistent quality Accessible Instructional Materials.
Announcing materials ASAP
Prior recommendation
Recommendation 8: Departments and/or faculty identify and make public necessary course materials (or according to Sec 133 of HEOA of 2008?) as soon as possible.
Current recommendation
Recommendation 11: The Commission recommends that Section 133(1) of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 be eliminated in order to allow Federal regulation of timely textbook identification requirements
Campus-wide demonstration project
Prior recommendation
Recommendation 23: The Task Force recommends that a demonstration project to a major post-secondary institution engaged in implementing a campus-wide approach to accessibility be competed
Current recommendation
Recommendation 12: The Commission recommends that a demonstration project to a major postsecondary institution engaged in implementing a campus-wide approach to accessibility be competed
STEM demonstration project
Prior recommendation
Recommendation 24: The Commission recommends for the Department of Education to offer a discretionary grant opportunity to fund a demonstration project for STEM faculty
Current recommendation
Recommendation 13: The Commission recommends for the Department of Education to offer a discretionary grant opportunity to fund a demonstration project for STEM faculty
Reliance on the market
Prior recommendation
Recommendation 1: Postsecondary students who have print disabilities should be able to obtain accessible instructional materials on the open market at the same time and the same cost as mainstream materials, subject to certain reasonable adjustments or exceptions for high cost and/or low incidence circumstances.
Current recommendation
Similar language included in our Guiding Principle section
Inclusion of a wide-range of materials
Prior recommendation
Recommendation 2: In considering market solutions, stakeholders must consider a wide range of instructional materials including not only traditional textbooks sold in print and electronic formats, but also supplementary materials that postsecondary instructors regularly assign, such as trade books, journal articles, scholarly monographs, library reference materials, and interactive on-line materials, as well as assessments.
Current recommendation
Similar language included in our Guiding Principle section
Timely delivery of legacy materials
Prior recommendation
Recommendation 13: Consideration should be given to legislation that assures the availability of properly structured digital files of legacy print materials to enhance the speed and cost-effectiveness of producing AIM
Recommendation 12: Congress should develop legislation that guides the functional requirements for supplying accessible instructional materials in a cost-effective and timely manner to students with disabilities who require accessible instructional materials
Current recommendation
Included in prior sections of the report