STEERING COMMITTEE ON ACCESSIBLE CURRICULAR MATERIALS
MEETING No. 1/03
THURSDAY 10 APRIL 2003
This steering committee follows from HREOC's forum on accessible curricular materials
The Steering Committee on Accessible Curricular Materials met by teleconference
on Thursday 10 April 2003 from 11.00am to 12.00pm.
1 ATTENDANCE AND APOLOGIES
1.1 Attendance
Professor Sue Johnson (Chair), Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning),
University of Tasmania;
Maryanne Diamond, Blind Citizens Australia;
Jane Evans, Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities
Inc.;
Graeme Innes, Deputy Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Human Rights
and Equal Opportunity Commission;
Conor King, Director, Policy and Co-ordination, Australian Vice-Chancellors'
Committee;
Bruce Maguire, Policy Officer, Disability Rights Unit, Human Rights and
Equal Opportunity Commission; and
Bernadette McDonald, Department of Education, Science and Training.
1.2 Others in Attendance
Collette O'Neill, National Policy Officer, Blind Citizens Australia;
and
Peter Rodely, Policy Officer, Policy and Co-ordination, AVCC
1.3 Apologies
Anna Mungovan, Tertiary Education Disability Council of Australia; and
Margaret Pearce, Department of Education, Science and Training.
The Steering Committee noted with regret that one of the AVCC representatives
on the Steering Committee, Dr Kerri Allen, had recently died. The AVCC
would appoint a replacement to the Steering Committee from the nominations
initially put forward by universities.
2 MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
The Working Party endorsed the minutes of the Steering Committee meeting
held in Sydney on 1 November 2002.
3 PRODUCERS OF ACCESSIBLE-FORMAT MATERIALS
The Tertiary Education Disability Council of Australia (TEDCA) had compiled
a register of producers of accessible-format materials both within the
higher education sector and available to the sector via subcontracting
of external producers. The register had been circulated to the Steering
Committee prior to the teleconference.
Members agreed that the register would be an invaluable resource to university
disability support staff when it becomes more widely available. The Human
Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) agreed to re-format the
register for electronic publication. Members discussed various alternative
organisations to act as the host web site and agreed that NCET, the National
Clearinghouse on Education and Training for people with disabilities,
was the most suitable (http://www.deakin.edu.au/tedca/ncet/) If NCET was
not an option in the short term, the AVCC website could be the temporary
host. The organisations represented on the Steering Committee would have
the option of linking their websites to the NCET information.
The Steering Committee agreed:
(i) that HREOC prepare the register of producers of accessible format
materials for electronic publication; and
(ii) that Professor Johnson liaise with the AVCC and HREOC to have the
register placed on the NCET web site.
4 REPORTS FROM WORKING GROUPS
At the Steering Committee meeting in November 2002 a number of working
groups were established to prioritise and advance recommendations from
the National Forum on Accessible Tertiary Materials. A representative
of each working group provided a report on progress to date.
4.1 Production (Jane Evans)
The Production Working Group had met on 4 April 2003. The Working Group had agreed that a national approach to the acquisition and production of accessible materials for students with print disabilities required background information on the projected demand and cost of such materials. The Working Group had considered that an on-line survey of TEDCA members would be the most suitable means of obtaining reliable information on how much is currently being produced and at what cost, however this would require funding or support.
The Steering Committee considered options for funding the survey with
DEST, HREOC and AVCC indicating that they were not in a position to provide
funding. The AVCC agreed to support the survey be encouraging universities
to participate.
The Steering Committee agreed that Jane Evans and Collette O'Neill liaise with Conor King to see how to progress the proposed survey and report back to the next meeting of the Committee.
4.2 Copyright and Publishing (Bruce Maguire)
The Copyright and Publishing Working Group met on 21 March 2003. The
Working Group decided to compile a list of answers to Frequently Asked
Questions. Where there was no definitive answer the relevant issues would
be identified. The Australian Copyright Council would co-ordinate the
production of the FAQ which would be widely distributed and accessible.
The Steering Committee agreed to note the progress made by the Copyright
and Publishing Working Group.
4.3 Policies and Procedures (Conor King)
The AVCC was planning to hold the first meeting of this Working Group by early May 2003. Membership would include university disability practitioners and students with print disabilities. It was planned to develop a list of desired outcomes for students with print disabilities taking into consideration current practices, standards and policies.
The Steering Committee agreed to note the information provided.
5 NEXT MEETING
The Steering Committee agreed that a face-to-face meeting be held in Melbourne in mid to late July. Professor Johnson agreed to identify the dates on which she would be available to chair the meeting and the AVCC would circulate these dates so a preferred date can be agreed as soon as possible.
