CHAPTER 334
(Senate Bill 269)

AN ACT concerning

Education - Instructional Materials in Nonvisually Accessible Media

FOR the purpose of requiring certain publishers to furnish certain instructional
resource centers with certain electronic instructional materials; and generally
relating to individualized education programs.

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments,
Article - Education
Section 8-408(d)

Annotated Code of Maryland
(1997 Replacement Volume and 1998 Supplement)

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND, That the Laws of Maryland read as follows:

Article - Education

8-408.

(d) (1) The Department shall develop procedures to coordinate the statewide
availability of textbooks and supplementary instructional materials in nonvisually
accessible media.

(2) THE STATE BOARD SHALL ADOPT REGULATIONS TO REQUIRE A
PUBLISHER OF A TEXTBOOK, INCLUDING TEXTS IN ELECTRONIC MEDIA ADOPTED BY
A COUNTY BOARD TO FURNISH, UPON REQUEST, THE INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCE
CENTER ESTABLISHED UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION WITH AN
ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THE MATERIAL PUPIL EDITION TEXTBOOKS FOR LITERARY
SUBJECTS, AND FOR NONLITERARY SUBJECTS WHEN THE TECHNOLOGY IS
AVAILABLE TO CONVERT NONLITERARY SUBJECT TEXTBOOKS TO A FORMAT
COMPATIBLE WITH BRAILLE TRANSLATION SOFTWARE, IN WHICH THE CONTENT:

(I) IS ENCODED IN TEXT SUITABLE FOR CONVERSION INTO
BRAILLE OR SYNTHESIZED SPEECH; AND

(II) HAS BEEN PREPARED USING A MARKUP LANGUAGE THAT
MAINTAINS THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE INFORMATION AND CAN BE
PROCESSED BY BRAILLE TRANSLATION SOFTWARE.

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect
October 1, 1999.

Approved May 13, 1999.