Georgia § 20-3-85 - Study examining postsecondary text availability in alternative formats.

§ 20-3-85. Study examining postsecondary text availability in alternative formats.

The board of regents shall direct a study of the practical problems involved in obtaining and producing textbooks and other instructional materials in alternative formats for students with disabilities. In cooperation with the Technical College System of Georgia, students with disabilities, organizations and advocates for persons with disabilities, publishers, federal and state agencies concerned with opportunities for persons with disabilities, colleges and universities that are not under the direction of the board, university and college presses, counterparts in other states, and other interested persons, the board shall work toward the establishment of a system or clearing-house for sharing postsecondary texts in alternative formats while protecting the intellectual property rights of publishers. The board shall report annually to the Governor and the General Assembly regarding progress toward this goal. (Code 1981, § 20-3-85 , enacted by Ga. L. 2002, p. 1041, § 2; Ga. L. 2008, p. 335, § 2/SB 435.) Editor's notes. - Ga. L. 2002, p. 1041, § 1, not codified by the General Assembly, provides, in part, that: "colleges and universities in this state have made diligent efforts to accommodate the needs of students with disabilities requiring alternative formats for textbooks and other printed instructional materials used in postsecondary courses of study, but that colleges and universities are confronted with many practical problems in obtaining or producing these texts in alternative formats. Practical problems in obtaining these texts in alternative formats include the wide variety of texts used in postsecondary courses of study, a lack of bargaining power with publishers of postsecondary textbooks in comparison with publishers of textbooks for elementary and secondary education, and hesitation among postsecondary institutions to share alternative formats because of concern about copyright law. Practical problems in producing such materials in alternative formats include the labor intensive and technical nature of the work, the frequent need for expertise in the subject matter of the texts, and the expense and time required for production. The General Assembly further finds that students with disabilities, colleges, universities, and publishers would benefit from cooperative development of a system for sharing those texts produced in alternative formats while adequately protecting the intellectual property rights of publishers."