I
105TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4461
To amend the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals With Disabilities
Act of 1988 to provide for the establishment of a national public Internet
site for increased access to information on technology-related assistance
under that Act.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AUGUST 6, 1998
Mr. DEAL of Georgia (for himself and Mr. GINGRICH) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
A BILL
To amend the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals
With Disabilities Act of 1988 to provide for the establish-
ment of a national public Internet site for increased
access to information on technology-related assistance
under that Act.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Assistive Technology
Information Act of 1998’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:
(1) Assistive technology devices and services en-
able individuals with disabilities to assume greater
control over their lives and to contribute more fully
to society.
(2) Rapid advancements in assistive technology
continue to provide important new tools to help indi-
viduals with disabilities to become more independent
and participate in activities related to home, school,
work, and community.
(3) Although substantial progress has been
made in both the development of new assistive tech-
nology devices and the transfer and adaptation of
existing assistive technology, information relating to
assistive technology devices is often difficult to find
and inconsistent.
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to estab-
lish a national public Internet site to provide to individuals
with disabilities and the general public increased access
to information on technology-related assistance and other
related disability resources under title II of the Tech-
nology-Related Assistance for Individuals With Disabil-
ities Act of 1988 (29 U.S.C. 2231 et seq.), including infor-
mation on assistive technology devices and assistive tech-
nology services.
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL PUBLIC INTERNET
SITE FOR INCREASED ACCESS TO INFORMA-
TION UNDER THE TECHNOLOGY-RELATED AS-
SISTANCE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABIL-
ITIES ACT OF 1988.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title II of the Technology-Related
Assistance for Individuals With Disabilities Act of 1988
(29 U.S.C. 2231 et seq.) is amended—
(1) by redesignating subtitle C as subtitle D;
(2) by redesignating section 221 as section 231;
and
(3) by inserting after subtitle B the following:
‘‘Subtitle C—Internet Site for In-
creased Access to Information
on Technology-Related Assist-
ance
‘‘SEC. 221. ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERNET SITE.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall enter
into a contract with an institution of higher education de-
scribed in subsection (b) to establish a national public
Internet site for the purpose of providing to individuals
with disabilities and the general public increased access
to information on technology-related assistance and other
related disability resources under this Act, including infor-
mation on assistive technology devices and assistive tech-
nology services.
‘‘(b) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—An in-
stitution of higher education described in this subsection
is an institution of higher education that has a curriculum
focus in science and engineering at the undergraduate and
graduate education levels and that has an existing multi-
disciplinary research center and with demonstrated exper-
tise in—
‘‘(1) assistive technology and ‘intelligent agent’
interactive information dissemination systems;
‘‘(2) managing libraries of assistive technologies
and disability resources;
‘‘(3) delivering education, information, and re-
ferral services to individuals with disabilities, includ-
ing technology-based curriculum development for
adults with low-level reading skills;
‘‘(4) developing cooperative partnerships with
the private sector, particularly with private sector
computer software and hardware and Internet serv-
ices entities; and
‘‘(5) advanced Internet site development and
design.
‘‘(c) FEATURES OF INTERNET SITE.—The national
public Internet site described in subsection (a) shall con-
tain the following features:
‘‘(1) Any member of the public may obtain in-
formation posted on the site at any time.
‘‘(2) The site shall be constructed with an inno-
vative automated ‘intelligent agent’ that is a diag-
nostic tool for assisting users in problem definition
and the selection of appropriate assistive technology
devices and assistive technology services resources.
‘‘(3)(A) The site shall include access to a com-
prehensive working library on assistive technology
for all environments, including the home, workplace,
transportation, and other environments.
‘‘(B) The site shall include resources for the
largest number of disabilities, including resources re-
lating to low-level reading skills.
‘‘(4) To the extent feasible, relevant private sec-
tor resources and information shall be linked to the
site under agreements developed between the univer-
sity and cooperating private sector entities.
‘‘SEC. 222. APPLICATION.
‘‘The Secretary may not enter into a contract under
section 221 with an institution of higher education unless
the institution submits to the Secretary an application in