---- Original Message ------
From: "Pratik Patel" <[log in to unmask]
Subject: [leadership] U.S.  DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ISSUES 
GUIDANCE ON RIGHTSOF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES WHEN EDUCATIONAL 
INSTITUTIONSUSE TECHNOLOGY
Date sent: Fri, 27 May 2011 08:21:41 -0400


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 [log in to unmask]





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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