[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 66 (Wednesday, April 6, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-8219]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: April 6, 1994]


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Part XIII





Department of Education





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National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research; Notice
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

 
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of Proposed Funding Priorities for Fiscal Years 1994-
1995 for the Knowledge Dissemination and Utilization Program.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes funding priorities for the Knowledge 
Dissemination and Utilization (D&U) Program under the National 
Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) for fiscal 
years 1994-1995. The Secretary takes this action to ensure that 
rehabilitation knowledge generated from projects and centers funded by 
NIDRR and others is utilized fully to improve the lives of individuals 
with disabilities and their families.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before May 6, 1994.

ADDRESSES: All comments concerning these proposed priorities should be 
addressed to David Esquith, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland 
Avenue, SW., Switzer Building, room 3424, Washington, DC 20202-2601.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Esquith. Telephone: (202) 205-
8801. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf 
(TDD) may call the TDD number at (202) 205-5516.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice contains six proposed priorities 
under the D&U program. These proposed priorities would train persons 
with rights and duties under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). 
The six proposed priority areas are:
    (1) Independent living centers;
    (2) Family organizations;
    (3) School districts;
    (4) State and local ADA coordinators and policymakers;
    (5) Hispanics with rights and duties under the ADA whose 
proficiency in English is limited; and
    (6) Standards for accessible design.
    Authority for the D&U program is contained in sections 202(b)(2) 
and 204(a) and 204(b)(6) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended 
(29 U.S.C. 760-762). Under this program the Secretary makes awards to 
public and private organizations, including institutions of higher 
education and Indian tribes or tribal organizations. Under the 
regulations for this program (see 34 CFR 355.32), the Secretary may 
establish priorities by reserving funds to support particular 
activities.
    These proposed priorities support the National Education Goals. 
National Education Goal 5 calls for all Americans to possess the 
knowledge and skills necessary to compete in a global economy and 
exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
    The Secretary will announce the final funding priorities in a 
notice in the Federal Register. The final priorities will be determined 
by responses to this notice, available funds, and other considerations 
of the Department. Funding of particular projects depends on the final 
priorities, the availability of funds, and the quality of the 
applications received. The publication of these proposed priorities 
does not preclude the Secretary from proposing additional priorities, 
nor does it limit the Secretary to funding only these priorities, 
subject to meeting applicable rulemaking requirements.

    Note: This notice of proposed priorities does not solicit 
applications. A notice inviting applications under these 
competitions will be published in the Federal Register concurrent 
with or following publication of the notice of final priorities.

General

    Unless indicated otherwise in the proposed priority, the Secretary 
proposes that the following requirements apply to the training 
projects:
    Applicants for the training projects must identify the target 
groups and organizations that will be selected for training as 
specified in each of the priorities and describe in detail how the 
project will schedule and provide training during national, regional, 
State, or local conferences and meetings of the selected organizations. 
Applicants must demonstrate knowledge of the extent to which the target 
groups and organizations have received prior training on the ADA.
    Applicants for training projects must describe how the project will 
utilize a variety of training methods and deliver training in formats 
and styles that are accessible to individuals with a range of sensory, 
communication, cognitive, and learning disabilities.
    Applicants for training projects must describe the training 
materials that the project will develop as well as identify existing 
training materials that the project will use.
    Applicants must establish a timetable for beginning training 
activities and demonstrate that key staff and facilities will be 
available in order to achieve a comprehensive nationwide program within 
the period of the project.
    The training project must consult with each of NIDRR's regional 
Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTACs) during 
the development of its schedule of training activities. To the maximum 
extent feasible, the training project must conduct its training 
activities in collaboration with each of the DBTACs.
    The training project must develop two schedules of regional 
training activities. The first schedule of training activities must be 
finalized and training must begin within six months after the award of 
the grant. The second schedule must be finalized within eighteen months 
after the award of the grant. The training project must carry out its 
training activities as equitably as possible across and within each 
region of the country.
    The training project must have a staff with expertise on the ADA 
and training, and carry out its training activities using those staff 
persons. The training project must not rely primarily on subcontractors 
to carry out its training activities.
    The training project must include individuals with disabilities or 
their family members or representatives to the maximum extent possible 
in all phases of the project's activities.
    The training project must submit final drafts of the training 
materials it produces to NIDRR for review of their legal sufficiency. 
The training project must submit monthly status reports on its training 
activities through NIDRR's ADA Technical Assistance Coordination 
Contract to NIDRR. Each training project must submit its final report 
to the National Rehabilitation Information Center clearinghouse.
    The training project must cooperate with other Federal agencies 
that provide technical assistance and training on the ADA, such as the 
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Department of 
Justice (DOJ), and the Architectural and Transportation Barriers 
Compliance Board (ATBCB).

Priority

    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) the Secretary proposes to give an 
absolute preference to applications that meet the following priorities. 
The Secretary proposes to fund under this program only applications 
that meet these absolute priorities:

Proposed Priorities--Americans With Disabilities Act Training Projects

Background
    Public Law 101-336, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 
which was enacted on July 26, 1990, prohibits discrimination against 
individuals with disabilities in employment, public accommodations, 
transportation, State and local government services, and 
telecommunications. In 1991 NIDRR established an ADA technical 
assistance program made up of ten regional Disability and Business 
Technical Assistance Centers (DBTACs--previously, Disability and 
Business Accommodation Centers), two national training projects, three 
materials development projects, and an ADA technical assistance 
coordination contract. The two national training projects addressed the 
needs of persons affiliated with independent living centers and peer 
and family networks. These training projects' which were awarded for 
three years, will complete their activities in fiscal year (FY) 1994.
    For FY 1994 Congress provided NIDRR with additional funding which 
it directed be used ``for training activities related to the 
implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act'' (1994 Senate 
Appropriations Committee Report, p. 207). In accordance with this 
congressional directive, NIDRR proposes to establish six new training 
projects that will be supported by the additional funding that Congress 
provided as well as by existing NIDRR funds. The training projects will 
enhance the capacity of those with rights and duties under the ADA to 
facilitate its implementation.
    NIDRR has consulted with a range of relevant Federal agencies, 
including, but not limited to, DOJ, EEOC, the Architectural and 
Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (ATBCB), the Department of 
Transportation, and the National Council on Disability, as well as 
representatives from disability organizations, to develop responsive 
and meaningful training projects that will complement the planned 
efforts of other public and private agencies. These priorities were 
developed on the basis of these consultations and relevant information 
from NIDRR projects, including the ADA technical assistance projects. 
NIDRR intends to continue to coordinate activities under this program 
with other Federal agencies and with other public and private 
initiatives to implement the ADA.

Proposed Priority 1: ADA Training for Independent Living Centers

Background
    The more than 400 Independent Living Centers (ILCs) in the United 
States emphasize consumer control and peer services. These ILCs have a 
strong incentive to promote the successful implementation of the ADA. 
ILCs serve as resources not only to persons with disabilities in their 
communities, but also to individuals and entities with responsibilities 
under the Act.
    Preliminary results from a survey conducted by the Independent 
Living Research Utilization Program (ILRU) of persons associated with 
ILCs from around the country indicate that knowledge concerning 
specific sections of the ADA is not high, even among persons who have a 
direct interest in effective ADA implementation. Initial analysis of 
these data suggests that a lack of training opportunities and high-
turnover among the staff who are trained are factors in the current 
level of knowledge of persons associated with ILCs.
    Some ILCs have had opportunities to participate in ADA training 
activities sponsored by Federal agencies, and many ILCs have developed 
into sophisticated community resources on the ADA. Training projects 
for the ILCs have generally taken the form of an ILC sending a 
representative to attend an intensive ADA training session over a 
number of days. This approach has some limitations in terms of impact 
due to the high turnover of ILC staff and multiple or shifting work 
responsibilities in the ILC.
    Other ILCs, due in large part to their size or location, have not 
had ADA training opportunities sponsored by Federal agencies. This 
group of ILCs is the primary target audience for this training project. 
The secondary target group for the training project is composed of 
those ILCs who have lost their ADA-trained staff person. The project is 
intended to enable both of these groups of ILCs to become experts on 
the ADA so that their staff, associates and volunteers can answer 
technical questions, advise individuals on their rights or 
responsibilities, make referrals, increase awareness of the ADA in 
their community, and conduct ADA training activities for covered 
entities in their community.
Proposed Priority
    An ADA training project for ILCs shall--
     Identify and select for training, ILCs that have either 
not received training from a NIDRR, EEOC, or DOJ ADA project, or lost 
their staff representative who was trained by a NIDRR, EEOC, or DOJ 
project;
     Develop a strategy and schedule for training as many of 
these ILCs as possible using a variety of approaches, including, but 
not limited to, on-site training, regional, State, and local meetings, 
teleconferences, and audioconferences;
     Utilizing existing federally-approved materials to the 
maximum extent appropriate, develop an array of training materials and 
activities that vary in length and content in order to accommodate the 
information and scheduling needs of selected organizations;
     Provide training to staff, associates, and volunteers from 
each selected ILC in order to enable them to answer technical questions 
on the ADA, advise individuals or entities on their rights or 
responsibilities, make referrals, increase awareness of the ADA in 
their community, and conduct ADA training activities for covered 
entities in their community;
     To the maximum extent possible, utilize as trainers those 
individuals with disabilities who are from the same approximate area of 
the country as the selected ILC and who have been trained as trainers 
on the ADA by a NIDRR, EEOC, or DOJ technical assistance or training 
project; and
     For the length of the project, provide selected ILCs with 
quarterly ADA information updates, before and after training, regarding 
legal and policy developments.

Proposed Priority 2: ADA Training for Family Organizations

Background
    The National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC) publishes a 
National Directory of Information Sources on Disability that includes 
information on organizations serving the disability community. 
According to the NARIC staff who are updating this directory, there are 
a minimum of 411 organizations providing information or direct services 
to persons with disabilities and their families. These organizations 
disseminate information through national, State, and local conferences, 
as well as publications such as newsletters and brochures. They also 
provide training, using a variety of means and settings, to their 
professional staff as well as to their membership.
    According to representatives of disability organizations, the 
extent to which national disability organizations, as well as their 
State and local affiliate organizations, have provided training or 
information to their members about the ADA varies according to the 
primary mission of the organization (e.g., provision of services or 
advocacy), resources available to the organization, and the interest of 
the membership and its leaders. As a result, knowledge about the ADA 
among these organizations can vary widely from one organization to 
another as well as from one affiliate to another within the same 
organization.
    The purpose of this proposed priority is to provide training on the 
ADA to persons who are members or staff of disability organizations 
that provide services and information primarily to persons with 
disabilities and their families by utilizing the existing training and 
information systems of these organizations.
Proposed Priority
    An ADA training project for family organizations shall--
     Placing special emphasis on those organizations that have 
had limited access to ADA training and information, identify and select 
for training a range of disability organizations that provide services 
and information primarily to persons with disabilities and their 
families, including those organizations focused on developmental, 
cognitive, emotional, physical, or sensory disabilities;
     Develop a strategy and schedule for training the 
membership and staff of these organizations using a variety of 
approaches including, but not limited to, on-site training, regional, 
State, and local meetings, teleconferences, and audioconferences;
     Utilizing existing Federally approved materials to the 
maximum extent appropriate, develop an array of training materials and 
activities that vary in length and content in order to accommodate the 
information and scheduling needs of selected organizations;
     Provide training to the membership and staff of selected 
organizations on the provisions of the ADA and the resources available 
to them to facilitate the implementation of the ADA;
     To the maximum extent possible, utilize as trainers those 
individuals with disabilities who have been trained as trainers on the 
ADA by a NIDRR, EEOC, or DOJ technical assistance or training project; 
and
     For the length of the project, provide selected 
organizations with quarterly ADA information updates, before and after 
training, regarding legal and policy developments.

Proposed Priority 3: ADA Training for School Districts

Background
    There are 15,173 regular school districts in the United States 
according to the U.S. Department of Education National Center for 
Education Statistics (1993 Digest of Education Statistics in the United 
States). These school districts are covered under Title II of the ADA. 
Title II of the ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability 
in all services, programs, and activities of State and local 
governments. The Office for Civil Rights within the U.S. Department of 
Education (OCR/ED) has been designated to enforce Title II in public 
elementary and secondary educational systems and institutions, public 
institutions of higher education and vocational education (other than 
schools of medicine, dentistry, nursing, and other health-related 
schools) and public libraries.
    Title II covers three major categories of programs or activities: 
Employment; activities involving general public contact as part of an 
entity's ongoing operation (e.g., telephone contacts, office walk-ins, 
interviews, and public use of the facilities); and activities or 
programs directly administered by the entity for program beneficiaries 
and participants (e.g., programs that provide State or local government 
services or benefits).
    School districts that have received Federal funds have been covered 
by section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act since 1973. Title II is 
patterned after section 504, and many school districts need information 
and training to understand not only their responsibilities under the 
ADA, but also the relationship of section 504 to the ADA. OCR/ED and 
NIDRR have cooperated to produce a self-evaluation guide for school 
districts that includes information addressing the relationship between 
section 504 and the ADA.
    One of the primary purposes of this training project will be to 
assist school districts to conduct their self-evaluations with this new 
self-evaluation guide and implement their plans to comply with the ADA. 
As part of this process, the project will enable trainees to understand 
not only their responsibilities under the ADA, but also the 
relationship of section 504 to the ADA. The project will place special 
emphasis on school districts where a majority of the students are from 
minority background because of their limited access to outside training 
opportunities. The project will train selected educational 
organizations whose membership have responsibility for complying with 
the ADA in school districts (e.g., superintendents, principals, special 
education directors, school boards, etc.), as well as selected 
individual school district's staffs.
Proposed Priority
    An ADA training project for school districts shall--
     Placing special emphasis on school districts where a 
majority of the students are from minority background, identify and 
select for direct training a range of school districts, equitably 
distributed throughout the country, including those from urban, rural, 
and suburban areas;
     Identify and select for training the membership and staff 
of educational organizations whose members have responsibility for 
complying with the ADA in school districts;
     Develop a strategy and a schedule for directly training 
school districts as well as the membership and staff of selected 
organizations using a variety of approaches including, but not limited 
to, on-site training, regional, State, and local meetings, 
teleconferences, and audioconferences;
     Utilizing the OCR/ED self-evaluation guide and other 
existing federally-approved materials to the maximum extent 
appropriate, develop an array of training materials and activities that 
vary in length and content in order to accommodate the information and 
scheduling needs of selected school districts and organizations;
     Provide training to selected school districts and 
organizations on updating or conducting self-evaluations using the new 
guide, understanding the responsibilities of school districts under the 
ADA, on implementing changes to comply with the ADA, and on the 
resources available to them to facilitate the implementation of the 
ADA;
     To the maximum extent possible, utilize as trainers those 
individuals with disabilities who have been trained as trainers on the 
ADA by NIDRR, EEOC, or DOJ technical assistance or training project;
     For the length of the project, provide selected school 
districts and organizations with quarterly ADA information updates, 
before and after training, regarding legal and policy developments; and
     Coordinate training activities with the regional offices 
of OCR/ED.

Proposed Priority 4: ADA Training for State and Local ADA Coordinators 
and Policymakers

Background
    Governors, mayors, city managers, city planners, county boards, 
agency directors, and other State and local government officials bear 
responsibility for ensuring compliance with Title II of the ADA. In 
addition Sec. 35.107 of the ADA regulations (28 CFR part 35) requires 
that a public entity that employs 50 or more persons shall designate at 
least one employee to coordinate its efforts to comply with the ADA, 
including investigation of any complaint alleging its noncompliance or 
alleging any prohibited actions. Such persons are frequently identified 
as ``ADA Coordinators'' by State or local governments. According to the 
most recent (1987) report of the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 
approximately 7,665 counties, municipalities, and townships that have 
50 or more full-time employees.
    Title II requires public entities to evaluate their current 
services, policies, and practices to identify and correct any that are 
not consistent with the requirements of Title II. State and local ADA 
Coordinators and government policymakers are responsible for ensuring 
that the self-evaluations are carried out. To ensure that these self-
evaluations are appropriately carried out and the necessary changes 
made, State and local ADA Coordinators and government policymakers need 
information and training about the requirements of the ADA and policy 
developments in the field.
Proposed Priority
    An ADA training project for State and local ADA coordinators and 
policymakers shall--
     Identify and select for direct training State and local 
ADA coordinators and government policymakers from every Federal Region 
of the country, including those from urban, rural, and suburban areas, 
and ensuring the broad representation of local governments where a 
majority of the citizens are from minority backgrounds;
     Identify and select for training organizations whose 
members are policymakers in State and local government with 
responsibilities for complying with the ADA;
     Develop a strategy and a schedule for directly training 
State and local ADA coordinators and policymakers as well as the 
membership and staff of selected organizations using a variety of 
approaches including, but not limited to, on-site training, regional, 
State, and local meetings, teleconferences, and audioconferences;
     Utilizing existing federally-approved materials to the 
maximum extent appropriate, develop an array of training materials and 
activities that vary in length and content in order to accommodate the 
information and scheduling needs of selected coordinators and 
organizations;
     Provide training to selected State and local ADA 
coordinators, policymakers and members of organizations on the 
responsibilities of State and local governments under Title II of the 
ADA and in order to assist State and local governments to undertake 
their self-evaluation plans and make the changes needed to comply with 
the ADA;
     To the maximum extent possible, utilize as trainers those 
individuals with disabilities who have been trained as trainers by a 
NIDRR, EEOC, or DOJ technical assistance or training project;
     For the length of the project provide selected 
coordinators, policymakers and organizations with quarterly ADA 
information updates, before and after training, regarding legal and 
policy developments.

Proposed Priority 5: ADA Training for Hispanics With Rights and Duties 
Under the ADA Whose Proficiency in English Is Limited

Background
    The Hispanic population in the U.S. totals approximately 22 million 
people, or 9.0 percent of the population. By the year 2010, the 
Hispanic population is expected to become the second-largest racial/
ethnic group (National Council of La Raza Census Information Center, 
Hispanic Population Factsheet, November 1993).
    There are approximately 3,343,000 persons of Hispanic origin with a 
disability. In other words, one out of every fifteen Americans with a 
disability is Hispanic (McNeil, Americans with Disabilities: 1991-1992, 
Current Population Reports, U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1993).
    In 1990, 17.4 million persons reported that they spoke Spanish at 
home. Of these persons, 8.3 million persons, or 50.8 percent, reported 
that they do not speak English ``very well'' (U.S. Census Bureau, 
Language Spoken at Home and Ability to Speak English for U.S. Regions 
and States, 1993).
    Hispanics with disabilities whose proficiency in English is 
limited, as well as Hispanic business owners and service providers 
whose proficiency in English is limited, need to understand the 
requirements of the ADA. Federal agencies have made a number of their 
ADA publications available in Spanish, and NIDRR has piloted an effort 
with its Region 6 Southwest DBTAC to provide training and technical 
assistance to persons in the Spanish-speaking community. This pilot 
project has included the publication of additional documents in Spanish 
as well as efforts to provide popular Hispanic media with information 
about the ADA that is sensitive to cultural norms regarding disability. 
While these efforts have made certain ADA materials and technical 
assistance available to persons whose proficiency in English is 
limited, more needs to be done.
    Reaching a target population that is broadly dispersed and as 
diverse as Hispanics whose proficiency in English is limited is 
particularly challenging. The Hispanic population includes people from 
different cultural backgrounds and different countries and regions of 
the world, such as Mexico (63.6 percent), Puerto Rico (10.6 percent), 
Cuba (4.7 percent), and Central and South America (14.0 percent) 
(National Council of La Raza Census Information Center, Hispanic 
Population Factsheet, November 1993). For the purposes of this 
priority, ``Hispanics whose proficiency in English is limited'' 
includes all persons from those countries and regions listed above who 
do not speak English very well, if at all.
    In order to reach as wide an audience as possible a training 
project must collaborate with Hispanic organizations that currently 
provide training and information to their members. It must also utilize 
TV, radio, and print media that are popular in the targeted Hispanic 
community. Applicants for this project must demonstrate Spanish 
fluency, knowledge, cultural understanding, and experience in providing 
training and technical assistance to Hispanic organizations and 
individuals. Applicants must also include a substantial number of 
Hispanic individuals with disabilities in all phases of the project's 
activities.
Proposed Priority
    An ADA training project for Hispanics with right or duties under 
the ADA whose proficiency in English is limited shall--
     Identify and select for training organizations that 
provide services and information to Hispanics with rights and duties 
under the ADA whose proficiency in English is limited;
     Develop a strategy and a schedule for training the 
membership and staff of selected organizations using a variety of 
approaches including, but not limited to, on-site training, regional, 
State, and local meetings, teleconferences, and audioconferences;
     Utilizing existing federally-approved materials to the 
maximum extent appropriate, develop an array of training materials and 
activities that vary in length and content in order to accommodate the 
information and scheduling needs of selected organizations;
     Provide training to the membership and staff of selected 
organizations on the provisions of the ADA and the resources available 
to them to facilitate the implementation of the ADA;
     To the maximum extent possible, utilize as trainers those 
individuals with disabilities who have been trained as trainers on the 
ADA by a NIDRR, EEOC, or DOJ technical assistance or training project;
     For the length of the project, provide selected 
organizations with quarterly ADA information updates, before and after 
training, regarding legal and policy developments; and
     Provide information about the ADA and technical assistance 
resources in areas with high concentrations of persons who are Spanish-
speaking utilizing popular mass media such as local Hispanic TV and 
radio programming as well as Spanish print media.

Proposed Priority 6: ADA Training on Standards for Accessible Design

Background
    Titles II and III of the ADA require that new governmental and 
commercial facilities be built in an accessible manner and require 
that, when existing governmental or commercial facilities are renovated 
or otherwise altered, the alterations be made in an accessible manner. 
In their regulations implementing Titles II and III of the ADA, the 
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of 
Transportation (DOT) adopted Standards for Accessible Design for 
purposes of enforcing the ADA's non- discrimination requirements in the 
built environment. For commercial facilities and public transportation 
facilities, they adopted the ADA Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings 
and Facilities (ADAAG), developed by the Architectural and 
Transportation Barriers Compliance Board. For government facilities 
other than transportation facilities covered by DOT, DOJ currently 
permits the use of either the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards 
or ADAAG as the ``Standards for Accessible Design.''
    These Standards must be followed in new construction and alteration 
projects. They also serve as a guide for public accommodations 
undertaking to remove barriers in inaccessible existing facilities, as 
required under Title III. These Standards are complex and made up of 
scoping and technical provisions that contain many discrete 
requirements and necessitate referencing other technical provisions in 
order to make an element or space accessible.
    NIDRR proposes a project to develop a series of audio/visual and 
complementary training materials on the Standards for Accessible Design 
that can be used across the country at the local level. Local 
organizations whose members include persons with disabilities, business 
owners, building managers, employers, government agency officials, city 
planners, architects, designers, or other relevant parties need access 
to reliable materials that explain the ADA Standards. NIDRR proposes to 
develop this series of materials in short discrete segments that could 
be used in meetings normally scheduled by professional or business 
organizations such as local chapters of the American Institute of 
Architects, local Chambers of Commerce, and other groups. These 
materials could also be used by the DBTACs in carrying out ADA training 
activities.
    Grant applicants must be able to demonstrate knowledge, 
understanding, and experience in the following areas: in-depth 
knowledge of the ADA Standards for Accessible Design; thorough 
understanding of the rationale(s) underlying the Standards; 
understanding of the ways in which persons with disabilities use, or 
are unable to use, the built environment; experience in the development 
and dissemination of educational videos; and experience in using 
innovative and engaging video techniques such as animation and fade-ins 
or transformations from actual scenes to diagrammatic or conceptual 
material. Samples of an applicant's recent relevant work, including the 
use of animation or other innovative video techniques and the 
development of training materials related to the ADA Standards or 
training materials on accessible design, must be submitted with the 
grant application.
    Based on the estimated size of the award that will be published in 
the notice inviting applications, applicants may propose to cover some, 
but not all of the topics. Grant applicants must propose an order of 
production of the videos and identify the topics that will be addressed 
in each video. Applicants must justify their order of production, based 
on the importance of the topic. Applicants must propose to group topics 
on each of the videos and explain the rationale for the groupings.
Proposed Priority
    An ADA training project on the ADA Standards for Accessible Design 
shall--
     Develop, test, and disseminate a series of short, 
broadcast quality videos and complementary training materials that 
address the technical and scoping requirements of the ADA Standards for 
Accessible Design. These materials shall cover as many of the following 
topics as possible (emphasis added) as set out in the current Standards 
as well as new provisions that will be adopted: New construction; 
additions, alterations, and path of travel; historic buildings; parking 
and passenger loading zones; exterior accessible routes and curb ramps; 
drinking fountains; telephones and TDDs; ramps and stairs; platform 
lifts; entrances and exits (areas of rescue assistance); doors and 
gates; building lobbies and corridors (interior accessible routes); 
elevators; rooms and spaces; assembly areas; toilet rooms and 
bathrooms; bathtubs and showers; dressing and fitting rooms; signage; 
alarms; detectable warnings; automated teller machines; restaurants and 
cafeterias; medical care facilities; mercantile facilities; libraries; 
hotels, motels, inns, boarding houses, dormitories, and similar places; 
homeless shelters, halfway houses, transient group homes, and similar 
social services establishments; bus stops; fixed transportation 
facilities, bus and train terminals and stations; and airports. The 
project shall address the requirements of the standards from a 
Universal Design perspective;
     The videos shall illustrate how people with disabilities 
use the built environment and the rationale(s) that underlie specific 
technical and scoping provisions of the Standards and how discrete 
provisions in the Standards fit together with each other to ensure 
accessibility:
     Use innovative techniques, including animation, fade-ins 
or transformations to transition from footage showing a person using a 
space or element to footage showing design layouts and diagrams from 
the Standards relevant to that kind of space or element;
     Utilizing, as much as possible, materials that have been 
developed by Federal agencies, develop readily reproducible 
complementary training materials in conjunction with each video to 
supplement the video materials and to provide guidance on using the 
videos effectively;
     Identify organizations whose members include persons with 
disabilities, business owners, building managers, employers, government 
agency officials, city planners, architects, designers, and other 
relevant parties who would be an appropriate audience for the videos;
     Develop and implement a plan to disseminate the videos and 
complementary training materials to selected organizations;
     Produce the first video and complementary training 
material of the series within six months of the grant award;
     Coordinate with the Department of Justice and the 
Department of Transportation in the development and dissemination of 
the videos and complementary training materials;
     Ensure that the training videos and complementary training 
material are available in formats that accommodate persons with hearing 
impairments and vision impairments;
     Provide four one-inch NCSC standard fully mixed and open 
captioned edited master video tapes, including two master tapes and two 
safety dub tapes suitable for duplication, and four copies on VHS 
cassettes of each videotape produced, along with four reproducible 
copies of each set of complementary training materials to NIDRR for use 
by the Federal government.

Invitation To Comment

    Interested persons are invited to submit comments and 
recommendations regarding this proposed priority.
    All comments submitted in response to this proposed priority will 
be available for public inspection, during and after the comment 
period, in room 3423, Switzer Building, 330 C Street, SW., Washington, 
DC between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday of 
each week except Federal holidays.

Applicable Program Regulations

    34 CFR parts 350 and 355.

    Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 760-762.

    Dated: March 8, 1994.
Judith E. Heumann,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 94-8219 Filed 4-5-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-U