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.

        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.

        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.

If you have further questions, please e-mail or phone me.  I hope this
is helpful.

Mike
HOME PHONE  (518) 272-0905
WORK PHONE  (518) 629-7602


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