(a) Information Reading Services for the Blind is created within the Division of State Services for the Blind.
(b) The Information Reading Services for the Blind shall be:
(1) An integral part of the rehabilitation state plan of the division;
(2) A network to:
(A) Provide audible access to statewide public notices, newspaper articles of interest, and other information, particularly at the local level, to persons who are visually handicapped; and
(B) Translate existing local, state, and national information into an audible format to make it available for access by visually handicapped persons; and
(3) Available to all state agencies as a means of making public notices audibly accessible to visually handicapped persons who cannot read print.
(c) This section does not limit the eligibility of the Information Reading Services for the Blind to receive line-item state or federal grant funding targeted solely for support of its programming.
(d) The Director of the Division of State Services for the Blind shall consult at least annually with active consumers of the Information Reading Services for the Blind, including participating state agencies, in the design, improvement, and delivery of the services.