Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview Information; Technology and Media Services for Individuals With Disabilities-Access to Emerging Technologies; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006, 19170-19173 [E6-5520]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services; Overview
Information; Technology and Media
Services for Individuals With
Disabilities—Access to Emerging
Technologies; Notice Inviting
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal
Year (FY) 2006
Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.327C.
Dates: Applications Available: April
13, 2006.
Deadline for Transmittal of
Applications: May 30, 2006.
Deadline for Intergovernmental
Review: July 27, 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:
$1,130,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards:
$376,650.
Maximum Award: We will reject any
application that proposes a budget
exceeding $376,650 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.
Estimated Number of Awards: 3.
Note: The Department is not bound by any
estimates in this notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
Full Text of Announcement
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I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of
the 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.
Priorities: This competition contains
one absolute priority and one
competitive preference priority. In
accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv)
and (v), these priorities are from
allowable activities specified in the
statute, or otherwise authorized in the
statute (see sections 674 and 681(d) of
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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—Access to Emerging
Technologies.
Background: The Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
supports captioning and video
description appropriate for use in the
classroom setting of: Television
programs; videos; and other materials,
including programs and materials
associated with new and emerging
technologies, such as CDs, DVDs, video
streaming, and other forms of
multimedia.
The purpose of this priority is to
support the use of technology in the
areas of captioning and video
description to promote the accessibility
of educational programs in order to
enhance learning opportunities for
children with disabilities. The following
are examples of advances in technology
that could be utilized to enhance access:
(1) Digital freeze-frame technologies that
allow time for expanded descriptions
for the blind; (2) Avitars (computer
animated characters) using sign
language incorporated into videos; (3)
Digital video recording technologies that
enable users to capture television
programming to the computer hard disk
storage for later viewing, thereby
merging television and computer
technologies; and (4) ‘‘Hot links’’ that
are embedded in a television program
and that link to Web pages where
background information, clarification of
terms, or other additional information
may be accessed.
Priority: The purpose of this priority
is to enhance learning opportunities for
children with disabilities and support
the development and demonstration of
advances in technology to promote the
accessibility of educational programs.
All projects must ensure that the
programming or material contains
descriptions and/or captions. New
technologies may be used, for example,
to provide enhanced Web, CD, or DVD
delivery of programming to the student
or classroom by utilizing expanded
descriptions, definitions of captioned
material, real-time simulations,
clarification of program content, or
other enhancements that may benefit
students with disabilities.
In its application, each applicant
must:
(a) Identify new and emerging
technology (or technologies) to be
developed and demonstrated, and
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identify how they will promote the
accessibility of educational materials to
the student or classroom.
(b) Present a justification, based on
scientifically rigorous research or
theory, that supports the potential
effectiveness of the new and emerging
technology in promoting the
accessibility of educational materials to
students in the classroom.
(c) Identify the total number of
program or material hours the project
will make accessible and the total cost
per hour for the program or material, if
the project is developing or
demonstrating a technology that
involves captioning or video description
of program or material that has not
already been captioned or video
described.
(d) Identify the extent to which the
technological application will be widely
available and discuss the shelf-life and
range of distribution of the new
technology.
(e) Demonstrate the willingness of
program providers or owners of
materials to permit and facilitate the use
of their program or material.
In addition, projects funded under
this priority must—
(a) Identify and support a consumer
advisory group, including parents and
educators, which must meet at least
annually. Use the expertise of this
consumer advisory group to provide
feedback regarding the extent to which
the technological devices are
appropriate for use in the classroom
setting, focusing on the educational
needs of students, including
intellectual/cognitive or social/
emotional needs.
(b) Monitor the extent to which full
accessibility is provided and use this
information to make refinements in
project operations.
(c) Budget for a two-day Project
Directors’ meeting in Washington, DC
during each year of the project.
(d) If a project maintains a Web site,
include relevant information and
documents in a format that meets a
government or industry-recognized
standard for accessibility.
Competitive Preference Priority:
Within this absolute priority, we give
competitive preference to applications
that address the following priority.
Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we award
up to an additional 10 points to an
application from a small business.
Applicants must document their status
as a small business according to the
definition for their business category as
provided by the Small Business
Administration (SBA) (for more
information see SBA Web site at:
https://www.sba.gov/size/).
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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
IDEA makes the public comment
requirements of the APA inapplicable to
the priorities 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
agreements.
Estimated Available Funds:
$1,130,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards:
$376,650.
Maximum Award: We will reject any
application that proposes a budget
exceeding $376,650 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.
Estimated Number of Awards: 3.
Note: The Department is not bound by any
estimates in this notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
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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 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
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projects (see section 682(a)(1)(A) of
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: https://www.ed.gov/pubs/
edpubs.html or you may contact ED
Pubs at its e-mail address:
edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
If you request an application from ED
Pubs, be sure to identify this
competition as follows: CFDA Number
84.327C.
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
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• You apply other standards and
exceed the equivalent of the page limit.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: April 13, 2006.
Deadline for Transmittal of
Applications: May 30, 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: July 27, 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 governmentwide Grants.gov
Apply site in FY 2006. Access to
Emerging Technologies—CFDA Number
84.327C 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 https://
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 Access to Emerging
Technologies—CFDA Number 84.327C
competition at: https://www.grants.gov.
You must search for the downloadable
application package for this program by
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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 https://eGrants.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 https://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 https://
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
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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—NonConstruction Programs (ED 524), and all
necessary assurances and certifications.
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
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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 84.327C), 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 84.327C),
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
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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 84.327C), 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.
HSRObinson on PROD1PC61 with NOTICES
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
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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
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
Jo
Ann McCann, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
room 4067, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202–2550.
Telephone: (202) 245–7434.
If you use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD), you may call
the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1–
800–877–8339.
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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
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: https://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
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Register. Free Internet access to the official
edition of the Federal Register and the Code
of Federal Regulations is available on GPO
Access at: https://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/
index.html.
Dated: April 10, 2006.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. E6–5520 Filed 4–12–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. EA–308]
Application to Export Electric Energy;
First Commodities Ltd.
Office Electricity Delivery and
Energy Reliability, DOE.
ACTION: Notice of application.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: First Commodities Ltd. (FC)
has applied for authority to transmit
electric energy from the United States to
Canada pursuant to section 202(e) of the
Federal Power Act.
DATES: Comments, protests or requests
to intervene must be submitted on or
before May 15, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Comments, protests, or
requests to intervene should be
addressed as follows: Office Electricity
Delivery and Energy Reliability (Mail
Code OE–20), U.S. Department of
Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue,
SW., Washington, DC 20585–0350 (FAX
202–586–5860).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Xavier Puslowski (Program Office) 202–
586–4708 or Michael Skinker (Program
Attorney) 202–586–2793.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Exports of
electricity from the United States to a
foreign country are regulated and
require authorization under section
202(e) of the Federal Power Act (FPA)
(16 U.S.C. 824a(e)).
On March 21, 2006, the Department of
Energy (DOE) received an application
from FC to transmit electric energy from
the United States to Canada. FC is a
private corporation formed in Barbados
with its principal place of business in
Christ Church, Barbados. FC is a
wholly-owned subsidiary of First
Commodities International Inc., a
holding company based in Barbados.
The electric energy which FC proposes
to export to Canada would be purchased
from electric utilities and Federal power
marketing agencies within the U.S.
FC proposes to arrange for the
delivery of electric energy to Canada
over the existing international
transmission facilities owned by Basin
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 71 (Thursday, April 13, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19170-19173]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-5520]
[[Page 19170]]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview
Information; Technology and Media Services for Individuals With
Disabilities--Access to Emerging Technologies; Notice Inviting
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.327C.
Dates: Applications Available: April 13, 2006.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 30, 2006.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 27, 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: $1,130,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $376,650.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $376,650 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.
Estimated Number of Awards: 3.
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 the 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.
Priorities: This competition contains one absolute priority and one
competitive preference priority. In accordance with 34 CFR
75.105(b)(2)(iv) and (v), these priorities are 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--Access to Emerging Technologies.
Background: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
supports captioning and video description appropriate for use in the
classroom setting of: Television programs; videos; and other materials,
including programs and materials associated with new and emerging
technologies, such as CDs, DVDs, video streaming, and other forms of
multimedia.
The purpose of this priority is to support the use of technology in
the areas of captioning and video description to promote the
accessibility of educational programs in order to enhance learning
opportunities for children with disabilities. The following are
examples of advances in technology that could be utilized to enhance
access: (1) Digital freeze-frame technologies that allow time for
expanded descriptions for the blind; (2) Avitars (computer animated
characters) using sign language incorporated into videos; (3) Digital
video recording technologies that enable users to capture television
programming to the computer hard disk storage for later viewing,
thereby merging television and computer technologies; and (4) ``Hot
links'' that are embedded in a television program and that link to Web
pages where background information, clarification of terms, or other
additional information may be accessed.
Priority: The purpose of this priority is to enhance learning
opportunities for children with disabilities and support the
development and demonstration of advances in technology to promote the
accessibility of educational programs. All projects must ensure that
the programming or material contains descriptions and/or captions. New
technologies may be used, for example, to provide enhanced Web, CD, or
DVD delivery of programming to the student or classroom by utilizing
expanded descriptions, definitions of captioned material, real-time
simulations, clarification of program content, or other enhancements
that may benefit students with disabilities.
In its application, each applicant must:
(a) Identify new and emerging technology (or technologies) to be
developed and demonstrated, and identify how they will promote the
accessibility of educational materials to the student or classroom.
(b) Present a justification, based on scientifically rigorous
research or theory, that supports the potential effectiveness of the
new and emerging technology in promoting the accessibility of
educational materials to students in the classroom.
(c) Identify the total number of program or material hours the
project will make accessible and the total cost per hour for the
program or material, if the project is developing or demonstrating a
technology that involves captioning or video description of program or
material that has not already been captioned or video described.
(d) Identify the extent to which the technological application will
be widely available and discuss the shelf-life and range of
distribution of the new technology.
(e) Demonstrate the willingness of program providers or owners of
materials to permit and facilitate the use of their program or
material.
In addition, projects funded under this priority must--
(a) Identify and support a consumer advisory group, including
parents and educators, which must meet at least annually. Use the
expertise of this consumer advisory group to provide feedback regarding
the extent to which the technological devices are appropriate for use
in the classroom setting, focusing on the educational needs of
students, including intellectual/cognitive or social/emotional needs.
(b) Monitor the extent to which full accessibility is provided and
use this information to make refinements in project operations.
(c) Budget for a two-day Project Directors' meeting in Washington,
DC during each year of the project.
(d) If a project maintains a Web site, include relevant information
and documents in a format that meets a government or industry-
recognized standard for accessibility.
Competitive Preference Priority: Within this absolute priority, we
give competitive preference to applications that address the following
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we award up to an additional 10
points to an application from a small business. Applicants must
document their status as a small business according to the definition
for their business category as provided by the Small Business
Administration (SBA) (for more information see SBA Web site at: https://
www.sba.gov/size/).
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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 IDEA makes the public comment requirements of the APA
inapplicable to the priorities 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 agreements.
Estimated Available Funds: $1,130,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $376,650.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $376,650 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.
Estimated Number of Awards: 3.
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
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 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: https://www.ed.gov/
pubs/edpubs.html or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address:
edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify
this competition as follows: CFDA Number 84.327C.
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: April 13,
2006.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 30, 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: July 27, 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 governmentwide Grants.gov Apply
site in FY 2006. Access to Emerging Technologies--CFDA Number 84.327C
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 https://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 Access to
Emerging Technologies--CFDA Number 84.327C competition at: https://
www.grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable application
package for this program by
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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 https://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
https://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 https://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. 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
84.327C), 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
84.327C), 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
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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 84.327C), 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 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: Jo Ann McCann, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4067, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: (202) 245-7434.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
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: https://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: https://www.gpoaccess.gov/
nara/.
Dated: April 10, 2006.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. E6-5520 Filed 4-12-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
