[acbny-l] Re: nys college instructional materials access bill
- From: "Pratik Patel" <pratikp1@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <acbny-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2003 16:14:07 -0400
Hello Mike and others,
You are correct In stating that this bill contains language that can be
interpretted in many different ways. We worked with the bill till the =
last
possible moment to ensure that it can be made less so. Within the six
months it will take the bill to go into effect, there will be a =
regulatory
phase, which, in my opinion, will turn out to be quite significant. =
When
designed, the bill followed the provisions of the California law. Once =
the
bill has been signed, the advocacy will become more significant than =
ever.
I am my office will ensure that the ambiguities in the language are =
resolved
for the benefit of students with disabilities.
The major problem with the legislation, as it currently stands, is that =
it
only applies to public education and the entities that provide public
education. Private and independent colleges do not, at this time, =
benefit
from the provisions of this bill. We are eager to work with the private =
and
independent college co-olitions to resolve this matter during the next
legislative cycle.
The other significant problem with the legislation is that it uses the
phrase "comprable costs" rather than "same cost", which might mean that
students might end up paying more for the accessible books. However, as =
I
mentioned, the regulatory phase is going to be as significant as the
legislative phase. These are only a few problems.
I encourage any comments, questions or suggestions that you might have
regarding this issue.
Pratik
Pratik Patel
Managing Director
CUNY Assistive Technology Services
the City University of New York
(718) 997-3775
ppatel@xxxxxx
-----Original Message-----
From: acbny-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:acbny-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] =
On
Behalf Of Michael Obrien
Sent: Friday, July 25, 2003 2:15 PM
To: obriemic@xxxxxxxx
Subject: [acbny-l] nys college instructional materials access bill
Here is some late-breaking information, concerning S3306, the
College instructional materials access bill for students with print
impairments, I just found out that it has been on the Governor's desk
since Thursday, July 17. This means it must be acted upon by Tuesday,
July 29, or it will automatically become law. In a separate e-mail, I
have enclosed the full particulars of this bill.
S3306, Sponsored by Senator David Paterson, DEM, New York City,
had a companion bill, A6216, Sponsored by Scot Stringer, DEM, also from
New York City. Scot Stringer and the Assembly decided to drop this
bill, and to support the Patterson bill instead. =20
This legislation was instigated, in part, by a blind New York
State student, who sued the college he attended for contributing to his
poor performance in a course, by not supplying the materials he needed
in an accessible format. The counsel for education affairs in Senator
Paterson's office working on this legislation is Denise Di Pace, PHONE
(518) 455-2701. =20
Because this bill, if passed, is designed to be enacted on a
trial basis, it contains a three year sunset provision, and leavs much
flexibility for interpretation. Both houses passed it, without
opposition. =20
If you have further questions, please e-mail or phone me. I hope this
is helpful. =20
Mike
HOME PHONE (518) 272-0905
WORK PHONE (518) 629-7602
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