[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 86 (Thursday, May 4, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26353-26357]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-6762]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview 
Information; Technology and Media Services for Individuals With 
Disabilities--Captioned and Described Educational Media: Selection, 
Closed Captioning, Video Description, and Distribution; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.327N.

    Dates: Applications Available: May 4, 2006.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 12, 2006.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 11, 2006.
    Eligible Applicants: State educational agencies (SEAs); local 
educational agencies (LEAs); public charter schools that are LEAs under 
State law; institutions of higher education (IHEs); other public 
agencies; private nonprofit organizations; outlying areas; freely 
associated States; Indian tribes or tribal organizations; and for-
profit organizations.
    Estimated Available Funds: $1,500,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $1,500,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. 
The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services may change the maximum amount through a notice published in 
the Federal Register.
    Number of Awards: 1.

    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this 
notice.

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to: (1) Improve 
results for children with disabilities by promoting the development, 
demonstration, and use of technology, (2) support educational media 
services activities designed to be of educational value in the 
classroom setting to children with disabilities, and (3) provide 
support for captioning and video description that is appropriate for 
use in the classroom setting.
    Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv) and (v), this 
priority is from allowable activities specified in the statute, or 
otherwise authorized in the statute (see sections 674 and 681(d) of the 
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)).
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2006 this priority is an absolute 
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that 
meet this priority.
    This priority is:

Technology and Media Services for Individuals With Disabilities--
Captioned and Described Educational Media: Selection, Closed 
Captioning, Video Description, and Distribution

Priority
    This priority supports one cooperative agreement, for the 
selection, acquisition, closed captioning, video description, and 
distribution of free educational media through such mechanisms as a 
loan service. The educational media are to be used in classroom 
settings by students with hearing or vision impairments and teachers 
and paraprofessionals who are directly involved in elementary or 
secondary classroom activities for these students. This priority would 
ensure that students who have hearing or vision impairments will 
benefit from the same educational media used to enrich the educational 
experiences of students who do not have hearing or vision impairments.
    The project must:
    (a) Develop strategies and procedures to be used in identifying 
program titles that meet the needs of elementary and secondary schools 
and submit lists of these program titles to OSEP for approval.
    (b) Obtain media from producers and distributors identified under 
paragraph (a) for screening, evaluation, and, if necessary, closed 
captioning and video description. After screening and evaluating these 
media, select those that closely match the needs of elementary and 
secondary schools, taking into account the media most commonly used in 
school districts across the nation.
    (c) Make arrangements with producers and distributors to purchase, 
distribute, and if necessary, closed caption and describe selected 
media, including distribution in alternate formats. Closed

[[Page 26354]]

captioned and described masters must be made available to producers and 
distributors in an effort to promote the use of closed captioned and 
described media.
    (d) For selected media purchased by the grantee, prepare closed 
captions and descriptions in accordance with established industry 
guidelines and guidelines developed under this priority for closed 
captioned and described media, taking into account the grade level of 
the material as well as the age and vocabulary levels of the likely 
target audience.
    (e) Establish guidelines for closed captioning and video 
description by service providers to ensure even and maximum 
participation of service providers.
    (f) Establish and maintain a list of service providers that it has 
approved to provide closed captioning or video description under this 
priority.
    (g) Develop and implement quality control guidelines and procedures 
for checking each media product after it has been closed captioned and 
described.
    (h) Prepare up to 300 copies of each title, once it has been 
captioned and described, for distribution through the distribution 
system developed by the grantee under the project, including titles 
that are closed captioned and described in Spanish, consistent with the 
identified needs of elementary and secondary schools.
    (i) Operate a system for distribution of captioned and described 
educational media, consisting of local and regional depositories and 
one central educational distribution center. Local and regional 
depositories may include State schools and public or private schools. 
Explore and utilize alternate delivery methods and materials, including 
programs and materials associated with new and emerging technologies, 
such as video streaming, and other forms of multimedia. During year two 
of the project, work toward phasing out local and regional depositories 
in favor of more efficient distribution methods that use new and 
emerging technologies.
    (j) Establish computerized registration procedures, accessible via 
the Internet, that will be used to register users of the distribution 
system, schedule captioned and described media retrieval, and track and 
record consumer feedback and usage information.
    (k) Prepare, update, and distribute copies of a catalog listing of 
all closed captioned and described media available for distribution as 
they become available. Catalogs must be made available online.
    (l) Develop and maintain a comprehensive database containing 
information related to the availability of captioned and described 
educational media, information regarding the captioned and described 
media loan service, a list of closed captioning and description service 
providers, and procedures for applying for loan services. In addition, 
the project shall maintain a clearinghouse of information on the 
subject of captioning and description for use by consumers, agencies, 
corporations, businesses, and schools. All information must be 
accessible via the Internet.
    (m) Establish an advisory group of at least eight members, 
consisting of one or more video producers and distributors, closed 
captioning and video description service providers, parents of students 
with hearing or vision impairments, and public and private school 
administrators, or educational personnel. This advisory group shall 
meet annually and develop and implement criteria for evaluating program 
activities, taking into consideration and incorporating the reactions 
and suggestions from consumers into the selection and closed captioning 
and description process, provide input regarding the usefulness of 
program activities and services, review effectiveness of the 
distribution system and make recommendations to ensure maximum 
effectiveness.
    In deciding whether to continue this project for the fourth and 
fifth years, we will consider the requirements of 34 CFR 75.253(a), and 
in addition--
    (a) The recommendation of a review team consisting of experts 
selected by the Secretary. This review will be conducted during the 
last half of the project's second year in Washington, DC. Projects must 
budget for the travel associated with this review; and
    (b) The timeliness and effectiveness with which all requirements of 
the negotiated cooperative agreement have been or are being met by the 
project.
    Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: Under the Administrative Procedure 
Act (APA) (5 U.S.C. 553), the Department generally offers interested 
parties the opportunity to comment on proposed priorities. However, 
section 681(d) of the IDEA makes the public comment requirements of the 
APA inapplicable to the priority in this notice.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1474 and 1481.

    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants 
except federally recognized Indian tribes.


    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to IHEs only.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Cooperative agreement.
    Estimated Available Funds: $1,500,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $1,500,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. 
The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services may change the maximum amount through a notice published in 
the Federal Register.
    Number of Awards: 1.

    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this 
notice.

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs; LEAs; public charter schools that are 
LEAs under State law; IHEs; other public agencies; private nonprofit 
organizations; outlying areas; freely associated States; Indian tribes 
or tribal organizations; and for-profit organizations.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not involve cost 
sharing or matching.
    3. Other: General Requirements--(a) The projects funded under this 
competition must make positive efforts to employ and advance in 
employment qualified individuals with disabilities (see section 606 of 
the IDEA).
    (b) Applicants and grant recipients funded under this competition 
must involve individuals with disabilities or parents of individuals 
with disabilities ages birth through 26 in planning, implementing, and 
evaluating the projects (see section 682(a)(1)(A) of the IDEA).

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: Education Publications 
Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll 
free): 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free): 
1-877-576-7734.
    You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: 
[email protected].
    If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify 
this

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competition as follows: CFDA Number 84.327N.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the Grants and Contracts 
Services Team listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section 
VII of this notice.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you 
must submit, are in the application package for this competition.
    Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) 
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that 
reviewers use to evaluate your application. You must limit Part III to 
the equivalent of no more than 50 pages, using the following standards:
     A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
     Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in 
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
     Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
    The page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II, 
the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part 
IV, the assurances and certifications; the one-page abstract, the 
resumes, the bibliography, the references, or the letters of support. 
However, you must include all of the application narrative in Part III.
    We will reject your application if--
     You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or
     You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the 
page limit.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: May 4, 2006.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 12, 2006.
    Applications for grants under this competition may be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov), or in 
paper format by mail or hand delivery. For information (including dates 
and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or by 
mail or hand delivery, please refer to section IV.6. Other Submission 
Requirements in this notice.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 11, 2006.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive 
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about 
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order 
12372 is in the application package for this competition.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
this competition may be submitted electronically or in paper format by 
mail or hand delivery.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications. We have been accepting 
applications electronically through the Department's e-Application 
system since FY 2000. In order to expand on those efforts and comply 
with the President's Management Agenda, we are continuing to 
participate as a partner in the new government wide Grants.gov Apply 
site in FY 2006. Captioned and Described Educational Media: Selection, 
Captioning, Video Description, and Distribution-CFDA Number 84.327N is 
one of the competitions included in this project. We request your 
participation in Grants.gov.
    If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must 
use the Grants.gov Apply site at http://www.Grants.gov. Through this 
site, you will be able to download a copy of the application package, 
complete it offline, and then upload and submit your application. You 
may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the Captioned 
and Described Educational Media: Selection, Closed Captioning, Video 
Description, and Distribution-CFDA Number 84.327N competition at: 
http://www.grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable application 
package for this program by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA 
number's alpha suffix in your search.
    Please note the following:
     Your participation in Grants.gov is voluntary.
     When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find 
information about submitting an application electronically through the 
site, as well as the hours of operation.
     Applications received by Grants.gov are time and date 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and 
must be date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as 
otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application 
if it is date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. When we 
retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are 
rejecting your application because it was date/time stamped by the 
Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date.
     The amount of time it can take to upload an application 
will vary depending on a variety of factors including the size of the 
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we 
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline 
date to begin the application process through Grants.gov.
     You should review and follow the Education Submission 
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are 
included in the application package for this competition to ensure that 
you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov 
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures 
pertaining to Grants.gov at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
     To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must 
complete all of the steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see 
http://www.Grants.gov/GetStarted). These steps include (1) registering 
your organization, (2) registering yourself as an Authorized 
Organization Representative (AOR), and (3) getting authorized as an AOR 
by your organization. Details on these steps are outlined in the 
Grants.gov 3-Step Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/assets/GrantsgovCoBrandBrochure8X11.pdf). You also must provide on your 
application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please 
note that the registration process may take five or more business days 
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to 
allow you to successfully submit an application via Grants.gov.
     You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you submit your application in paper format.
     You may submit all documents electronically, including all 
information typically included on the Application for Federal Education 
Assistance (ED 424), Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 
524), and all necessary assurances and certifications.

[[Page 26356]]

If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must 
attach any narrative sections of your application as files in a .DOC 
(document), .RTF (rich text) or .PDF (Portable Document) format. If you 
upload a file type other than the three file types specified above or 
submit a password protected file, we will not review that material.
     Your electronic application must comply with any page 
limit requirements described in this notice.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive an automatic acknowledgment from Grants.gov that contains a 
Grants.gov tracking number. The Department will retrieve your 
application from Grants.gov and send you a second confirmation by e-
mail that will include a PR/Award number (an ED-specified identifying 
number unique to your application).
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
forms at a later date.

Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System Unavailability

    If you are prevented from electronically submitting your 
application on the application deadline date because of technical 
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension 
until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to 
enable you to transmit your application electronically, or by hand 
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing 
instructions as described elsewhere in this notice. If you submit an 
application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the deadline date, 
please contact the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, and provide an explanation of the 
technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov, along with the 
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number (if available). We will accept your 
application if we can confirm that a technical problem occurred with 
the Grants.gov system and that that problem affected your ability to 
submit your application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date. The Department will contact you after a 
determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.

    Note: Extensions referred to in this section apply only to the 
unavailability of or technical problems with the Grants.gov system. 
We will not grant you an extension if you failed to fully register 
to submit your application to Grants.gov before the deadline date 
and time or if the technical problem you experienced is unrelated to 
the Grants.gov system.

    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail. If you submit your 
application in paper format by mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or 
a commercial carrier), you must mail the original and two copies of 
your application, on or before the application deadline date, to the 
Department at the applicable following address:

By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of Education, 
Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.327N), 400 
Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260; or
By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education, 
Application Control Center--Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Number 
84.327N), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.

    Regardless of which address you use, you must show proof of mailing 
consisting of one of the following:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark,
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service,
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
carrier, or
    (4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the 
U.S. Department of Education.
    If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do 
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
    (1) A private metered postmark, or
    (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
    If your application is postmarked after the application deadline 
date, we will not consider your application.

    Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated 
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your 
local post office.

    c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery. If you submit 
your application in paper format by hand delivery, you (or a courier 
service) must deliver the original and two copies of your application 
by hand, on or before the application deadline date, to the Department 
at the following address: U.S. Department of Education, Application 
Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.327N), 550 12th Street, SW., 
Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, 
Sundays and Federal holidays.
    Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you mail 
or hand deliver your application to the Department:
    (1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by the 
Department--in Item 4 of ED 424 the CFDA number--and suffix letter, if 
any--of the competition under which you are submitting your 
application.
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail a grant application 
receipt acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the grant 
application receipt acknowledgment within 15 business days from the 
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of 
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

    Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are 
from 34 CFR 75.210 and are listed in the application package.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your 
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award 
Notification (GAN). We may also notify you informally.
    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, 
we notify you.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify 
administrative and national policy requirements in the application 
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable 
Regulations section of this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and 
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also 
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding 
commitments under the grant.
    3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a 
final performance report, including financial information, as directed 
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an 
annual performance report that provides the most current performance 
and financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in 
34 CFR 75.118.
    4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act (GPRA), the Department has developed measures that will 
yield information on various aspects of the quality of the Technology 
and Media Services for Individuals with Disabilities program. These 
measures focus on the extent to which projects are

[[Page 26357]]

of high quality, are relevant to the needs of children with 
disabilities, and contribute to improving the results for children with 
disabilities. Data on these measures will be collected from the 
projects funded under this competition.
    Grantees also will be required to report information on their 
projects' performance in annual reports to the Department (34 CFR 
75.590).

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Ernest Hairston, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4070, Potomac Center Plaza, 
Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: (202) 245-7366 or by e-mail: 
[email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the TDD number at (202) 205-8170.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request by contacting the following office: The Grants and 
Contracts Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland 
Avenue, SW., Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2550. 
Telephone: (202) 245-7363.

VIII. Other Information

    Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as 
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the 
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. 
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in 
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.

    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


    Dated: May 1, 2006.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
 [FR Doc. E6-6762 Filed 5-3-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P