[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 118 (Monday, June 20, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35864-35866]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-15293]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA 84.235M]


Proposed Priority; Special Demonstration Programs--National 
Technical Assistance Projects To Improve Employment Outcomes for 
Individuals With Disabilities

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, 
Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of proposed priority.

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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education 
and Rehabilitative Services proposes a priority under the Special 
Demonstration Programs authorized under 303(b) of the Rehabilitation 
Act of 1973, as amended (the Rehabilitation Act). The Assistant 
Secretary may use this priority for competitions in fiscal year (FY) 
2011 and later years. We take this action to focus technical assistance 
(TA) on areas of national need identified by the Rehabilitation 
Services Administration (RSA) through analyses of information obtained 
during monitoring and oversight of its grant

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programs. We also intend the priority to increase the transfer, 
utilization, and dissemination of information on promising practices 
and knowledge from research on topics in the field of rehabilitation 
that have national significance and improve the performance of State 
vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies.

DATES: We must receive your comments on or before July 20, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments about this notice to Thomas Finch, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5147, Potomac 
Center Plaza (PCP), Washington, DC 20202-2800.
    If you prefer to send your comments by e-mail, use the following 
address: [email protected]. You must include the term ``National 
Technical Assistance'' in the subject line of your electronic message.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Finch. Telephone: (202) 245-
7343 or by e-mail: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the 
Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Invitation to Comment: We invite you to submit comments regarding 
this notice.
    We invite you to assist us in complying with the specific 
requirements of Executive Order 12866 and its overall requirement of 
reducing regulatory burden that might result from this proposed 
priority. Please let us know of any further ways we could reduce 
potential costs or increase potential benefits while preserving the 
effective and efficient administration of the program.
    During and after the comment period, you may inspect all public 
comments about this notice in room 5147, PCP, 550 12th Street, SW., 
Washington, DC, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., 
Washington, DC time, Monday through Friday of each week except Federal 
holidays.
    Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities in Reviewing the 
Rulemaking Record: On request we will provide an appropriate 
accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability who 
needs assistance to review the comments or other documents in the 
public rulemaking record for this notice. If you want to schedule an 
appointment for this type of accommodation or auxiliary aid, please 
contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to expand and 
improve the provision of rehabilitation and other services authorized 
under the Rehabilitation Act, or to support activities that increase 
the provision, extent, availability, scope, and quality of 
rehabilitation services provided under the Rehabilitation Act.

    Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 773(b).


Proposed Priority

National Technical Assistance

Background
    Recent program monitoring and assessments by RSA have demonstrated 
that State VR agencies and their partners, need national TA 
opportunities to improve program management and to keep informed about 
current effective and promising practices and research in the field of 
VR and the employment of individuals with disabilities, including 
information on the implementation and replication of such practices. 
Examples of areas of need that RSA has identified through its program 
monitoring activities include, but are not limited to: Fiscal 
compliance; State agency management and planning; quality assurance; 
and strategies for effective service delivery to underserved 
populations, such as individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing or who 
are transition-aged youths.
    Other areas that have been identified for TA include, but are not 
limited to: Effective practices that may affect the employment of 
individuals with disabilities and implementation and administration of 
programs operated under the Randolph-Sheppard Act.
    The Department currently supports ten regional Technical Assistance 
and Continuing Education (TACE) centers that provide TA and continuing 
education to State VR agencies and other entities that partner with 
State VR agencies. The purpose of the TACE centers is to contribute to 
the following outcomes: Improved quality of VR services; increased 
effectiveness and efficiency of State VR agencies in delivering VR 
services; upgrading the skills of existing VR personnel; and, improved 
quantity and quality of VR employment outcomes for individuals with 
disabilities.
    Through this priority, the Department seeks to supplement the TA 
provided by the TACE centers by supporting cost-effective and efficient 
mechanisms for delivering TA at the national level, where appropriate. 
In addition to national conferences, the use of alternative delivery 
methods such as webinars are encouraged in providing TA on discrete 
topics that can be addressed adequately in a one- to two-hour period. 
RSA frequently conducts webinars to meet the TA needs of State VR 
agencies, their partners, and other RSA grantees and has received 
positive evaluations by participants.
    This priority would also support the sharing of useful TA products 
and materials developed for a broad, national audience that can 
facilitate knowledge transfer, utilization, and dissemination of 
promising practices and knowledge in VR and the employment of 
individuals with disabilities. These TA products and materials would be 
made readily available to State VR agencies and other RSA grantees, 
including the TACE centers, and to RSA staff. RSA and the TACE centers 
would use these products and materials as they work with State VR 
agencies, VR agency partners, and other RSA grantees.
Proposed Priority
    The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services proposes a priority to support a grant under the Special 
Demonstration Programs to fund a project to provide national technical 
assistance (TA) to State VR agencies and other entities that carry out 
VR-related programs administered by RSA to increase the transfer, 
utilization, and dissemination of current promising practices and 
knowledge in VR and the employment of individuals with disabilities. 
The Department intends to award this grant as a cooperative agreement 
to ensure that there is substantial involvement (i.e., significant 
communication and collaboration) between RSA and the grantee in 
carrying out the activities of the grant. (34 CFR 75.200(b)(4)).
    In coordination with the Department, the grantee must--
    (a) Consult with RSA staff and staff from the TACE centers to 
identify issues that may affect State VR agency service delivery, as 
well as TA needs that are most appropriately addressed on a national 
basis;
    (b) Develop a proposed two-year plan for delivering national TA to 
VR professionals through conferences, webinars, or other mechanisms, 
based on the activities conducted under paragraph (a) of this priority. 
The proposed two-year plan must be developed and approved by RSA within 
the first three months of the project period and include a schedule for 
delivering high priority TA activities, recommended methods of 
delivery, and the estimated costs of providing such TA;

[[Page 35866]]

    (c) Organize and provide national TA in accordance with the two-
year plan approved by RSA, including overseeing all activities related 
to preparing for and conducting national TA. These activities include, 
but are not limited to, the following: Determining the target audience 
for the TA; organizing conferences, webinars, and other national TA; 
identifying presenters; arranging for reasonable accommodations for 
individuals with disabilities; making logistical arrangements for the 
national TA; providing travel reimbursement and stipends, where 
appropriate, to State VR personnel; provide for continuing education 
credits; and conducting evaluations of the national TA that has been 
provided;
    (d) Organize and archive all TA products and materials for use by 
RSA, the TACE centers, and other TA providers, as needed; and
    (e) Develop and maintain a Web site to make available the products 
and materials that are developed and/or used in providing TA conducted 
under this priority so that they can be accessed and used by RSA, the 
TACE centers, and other RSA grantees. The Web site must be capable of 
supporting other features including, but not limited to, conference and 
webinar registration, a calendar of events, and links to other related 
Web sites and resources; and
    (f) Collaborate with other RSA-funded TA providers, including, but 
not limited to, the TACE Centers, the American Indian Vocational 
Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center, and the Independent Living 
Training and Technical Assistance Center, in the provision and support 
of TA activities.
Types of Priorities
    When inviting applications for a competition using one or more 
priorities, we designate the type of each priority as absolute, 
competitive preference, or invitational through a notice in the Federal 
Register. The effect of each type of priority follows:
    Absolute priority: Under an absolute priority, we consider only 
applications that meet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(3)).
    Competitive preference priority: Under a competitive preference 
priority, we give competitive preference to an application by (1) 
awarding additional points, depending on the extent to which the 
application meets the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i)); or (2) 
selecting an application that meets the priority over an application of 
comparable merit that does not meet the priority (34 CFR 
75.105(c)(2)(ii)).
    Invitational priority: Under an invitational priority, we are 
particularly interested in applications that meet the priority. 
However, we do not give an application that meets the priority a 
preference over other applications (34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).
Final Priority
    We will announce the final priority in a notice in the Federal 
Register. We will determine the final priority after considering 
responses to this notice and other information available to the 
Department. This notice does not preclude us from proposing additional 
priorities, requirements, definitions, or selection criteria, subject 
to meeting applicable rulemaking requirements.

    Note: This notice does not solicit applications. In any year in 
which we choose to use this priority, we invite applications through 
a notice in the Federal Register.

    Executive Order 12866: This notice has been reviewed in accordance 
with Executive Order 12866. Under the terms of the order, we have 
assessed the potential costs and benefits of this proposed regulatory 
action.
    The potential costs associated with this proposed regulatory action 
are those resulting from statutory requirements and those we have 
determined as necessary for administering this program effectively and 
efficiently.
    In assessing the potential costs and benefits--both quantitative 
and qualitative--of this proposed regulatory action, we have determined 
that the benefits of the proposed priority justify the costs.
Discussion of Costs and Benefits
    The benefits of the provision of TA are well-established. TA 
targeted to the specific needs of grantees helps them to improve their 
performance and to achieve their objectives. Specifically, the 
provision of cost effective TA to State VR agencies in areas of 
national need should result in higher quality employment outcomes for 
the individuals with disabilities whom these agencies serve.
    Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive 
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR Part 79. One of the 
objectives of the Executive order is to foster an intergovernmental 
partnership and a strengthened federalism. The Executive order relies 
on processes developed by State and local governments for coordination 
and review of proposed Federal financial assistance.
    This document provides early notification of our specific plans and 
actions for this program.
    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the program contact 
person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Electronic Access to This Document: 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 via the Federal Digital System 
at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can 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). To 
use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at 
the site.
    You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search feature at: http://www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.

    Dated: June 15, 2011.
Alexa Posny,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 2011-15293 Filed 6-17-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P