[nfbmi-talk] important ocr on tech for blind lv students

[joe harcz Comcast]

U.S.  Department of Education
Office of Communications & Outreach, Press Office
400 Maryland Ave., S.W.
Washington, D.C.  20202

FOR RELEASE: Thursday, May 26, 2011

CONTACTS:
Press Office  (202) 401-1576 or
press at ed.gov

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ISSUES GUIDANCE ON RIGHTS OF STUDENTS
WITH
DISABILITIES WHEN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS USE TECHNOLOGY

Today, the U.S.  Department of Education's Office for Civil
Rights (OCR)
issued guidance through Dear Colleague Letters to elementary and
secondary
schools and institutions of higher education along with a
Frequently Asked
Questions document on the legal obligation to provide students
with
disabilities an equal opportunity to enjoy the benefits of
technology.  This
guidance is a critical step in the Department's ongoing efforts
to ensure
that students with disabilities receive equal access to the
educational
benefits and services provided by their schools, colleges and
universities.
All students, including those with disabilities, must have the
tools needed
to obtain a world-class education that prepares them for success
in college
and careers.

Today's guidance provides information to schools about their
responsibilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
1973 and
Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  The guidance
supplements a
June 2010 letter issued jointly by OCR and the Civil Rights
Division of the
U.S.  Department of Justice.  The June letter explains that
technological
devices must be accessible to students with disabilities,
including students
who are blind or have low vision, unless the benefits of the
technology are
provided equally through other means.  Today's guidance
highlights what
educational institutions need to know and take into consideration
in order
to ensure that students with disabilities enjoy equal access when
information and resources are provided through technology.

"Technology can be a critical investment in enhancing educational
opportunities for all students," said Russlynn Ali, assistant
secretary for
civil rights.  "The Department is firmly committed to ensuring
that schools
provide students with disabilities equal access to the benefits
of
technological advances."

Today's guidance is part of a larger effort by the Department and
Obama
administration to better serve the needs of people with
disabilities.  Last
month, U.S.  Secretary of Education Arne Duncan joined Kareem
Dale, associate
director for the White House Office of Public Engagement and
special
assistant to the President for disability policy, for a
conference call with
stakeholders to talk about some of the Department's efforts.
During the
call, Duncan discussed the Department's commitment to maintaining
accountability in No Child Left Behind for all subgroups,
including students
with disabilities, and highlighted the Department's proposal to
increase
funding for students with disabilities in the fiscal year 2012
budget.  Ali
will also join Dale for a stakeholder conference call where she
will discuss
today's guidance and address the Department's work to ensure that
all
schools are fulfilling their responsibilities under the federal
disability
laws that OCR enforces.

To read the Dear Colleague Letter to elementary and secondary
schools, see
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-20110
5-ese.html.

To read the Dear Colleague Letter to institutions of higher
education, see
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-20110
5-pse.html.

The FAQ is available at
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/dcl-ebook-faq-2011
05.html.
To read the June 29, 2010 letter, see
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-20100
629.html .

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