National Technical Assistance and Dissemination Center for Children Who Are Deaf-Blind; Proposed Extension of Project Period and Waiver, 32969-32971 [2011-14019]
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emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 109 / Tuesday, June 7, 2011 / Notices
other school personnel and leaders. The
Department is currently shaping these
changes and expects to fund a more
strategic competition in FY 2012.
However, we also have concluded that
it would be contrary to the public
interest to have a lapse in the provision
of the resources currently provided by
the Center. For these reasons, the
Secretary proposes to waive the
requirements in 34 CFR 75.250, which
prohibit project periods exceeding five
years, and the requirements in 34 CFR
75.261(a) and (c), which limit the
extension of a project period if the
extension involves the obligation of
additional Federal funds, and issue a
continuation award in the amount of
$1,350,000 to Vanderbilt University
(H325F060003) for an additional twelvemonth period.
Waiving these regulations and issuing
this continuation award would ensure
that pre-service and professional
development programs will continue to
receive instructional modules,
materials, and resources to improve the
overall quality of training for
individuals who provide services to
students with disabilities.
With this proposed extension of
project period and waiver, the Center
would conduct the following activities
during FY 2012:
(a) Build on the previous work of the
project by developing additional
materials, and disseminating products
to an increased number of institutions of
higher education, State educational
agencies, LEAs, and any other entities
that provide training and professional
development to individuals who
provide services to students with
disabilities.
(b) Develop products and services that
are based on the input obtained from the
comprehensive needs-assessments,
textbook analyses, focus groups, and
consumer-input processes previously
conducted by the Center that tapped the
experiences and expertise of an array of
partners, consumers, and advisors,
including staff from the Department’s
Office of Special Education Programs. In
addition, the Center must continue to
seek recommendations from consumers
and the Department to guide the
development of enhancements (e.g.,
interactive modules, case studies,
activities, information briefs) and
services (e.g., technical assistance to
faculty, training of trainers, training
sessions, and dissemination activities)
provided by the Center.
(c) Continue to disseminate project
materials to instructors and their
students through a cost-free, dedicated
Web site that meets accessibility
standards under section 508 of the
VerDate Mar<15>2010
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32969
Rehabilitation Act (See https://
www.section508.gov for additional
information).
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification
National Technical Assistance and
Dissemination Center for Children Who
Are Deaf-Blind; Proposed Extension of
Project Period and Waiver
The Secretary certifies that this
proposed extension of project period
and waiver would not have a significant
economic impact on a substantial
number of small entities. The entities
that would be affected are the current
grantee serving as the Professional
Development Enhancement Center and
any other potential applicant.
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
This proposed extension of project
period and waiver does not contain any
information collection requirements.
Intergovernmental Review
This program is subject to the
requirements of 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.
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: https://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: https://
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 2, 2011.
Alexa Posny,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 2011–14023 Filed 6–6–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
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[CFDA No. 84.326T]
Office of Special Education
Programs, Office of Special Education
and Rehabilitative Services, Department
of Education.
ACTION: Notice of proposed extension of
project period and waiver for the
National Technical Assistance and
Dissemination Center for Children Who
Are Deaf-Blind.
AGENCY:
The Secretary proposes to
waive the requirements in the Education
Department General Administrative
Regulations (EDGAR), in 34 CFR 75.250
and 75.261(a) and (c), respectively, that
generally prohibit project periods
exceeding five years and extensions of
project periods involving the obligation
of additional Federal funds. This
extension of project period and waiver
would enable the currently funded
National Technical Assistance and
Dissemination Center for Children Who
Are Deaf-Blind to receive funding from
October 1, 2011 through September 30,
2013.
DATES: We must receive your comments
on or before July 7, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments about
this proposed extension of project
period and waiver to Ingrid Oxaal, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland
Avenue, SW., room 4154, Potomac
Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202–
2600.
If you prefer to send your comments
by e-mail, use the following address:
ingrid.oxaal@ed.gov. You must include
the phrase ‘‘proposed extension of
project period and waiver’’ in the subject
line of your message.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ingrid Oxaal at the address listed in the
ADDRESSES section of this notice.
Telephone: (202) 245–7471. If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD), call the Federal Relay Service
(FRS), toll-free, at 1–800–877–8339.
Individuals with disabilities can
obtain this document in an accessible
format (e.g., braille, large print,
audiotape, or computer diskette) on
request to the contact person listed in
this section.
SUMMARY:
Invitation to Comment
We invite you to submit comments
regarding this proposed extension of
project period and waiver.
During and after the comment period,
you may inspect all public comments
E:\FR\FM\07JNN1.SGM
07JNN1
32970
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 109 / Tuesday, June 7, 2011 / Notices
about this proposed extension of project
period and waiver in room 4154,
Potomac Center Plaza, 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.
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES
Assistance to Individuals With
Disabilities in Reviewing the
Rulemaking Record
On request, we will supply an
appropriate aid, such as a reader or
print magnifier, to an individual with a
disability who needs assistance to
review the comments or other
documents in the public rulemaking
record for this proposed extension of
project period and waiver. If you want
to schedule an appointment for this type
of aid, please contact the person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
Background
On December 22, 2005, the
Department published a notice in the
Federal Register (70 FR 76039) inviting
applications for new awards for fiscal
year (FY) 2006 for a National Technical
Assistance and Dissemination Center for
Children Who Are Deaf-Blind (Center).
The purpose of the Center, which was
funded under the Technical Assistance
and Dissemination to Improve Services
and Results for Children with
Disabilities (TA&D) program, authorized
under section 663 of the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),
is to provide specialized technical
assistance, training, dissemination, and
informational services to States,
families, and agencies and organizations
that are responsible for the provision of
early intervention, special education,
and related and transitional services for
children through age 21 who are deafblind. For purposes of this notice, the
term ‘‘individuals who are deaf-blind’’
refers to infants, toddlers, children,
youth and young adults through age 21
who are deaf-blind.
Based on the 2005 notice inviting
applications, the Department made one
award for a period of 60 months to
Western Oregon University to establish
the Center, which is currently known as
the National Consortium on DeafBlindness (NCDB). The major goals of
the NCDB are three-fold. The first goal
is to increase the capacity of State
educational agencies (SEAs), local
educational agencies (LEAs), early
intervention programs, and other
agencies to improve policies and
practices that will result in appropriate
assessment, planning, placement, and
services for individuals who are deaf-
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:30 Jun 06, 2011
Jkt 223001
blind. The second goal is to increase the
capacity of State deaf-blind projects as
well as State and local agencies to use
evidence-based practices to improve
outcomes for individuals who are deafblind. The third goal is to collaborate
with Parent Training and Information
Centers (PTIs) to build the capacity of
families of individuals who are deafblind to build relationships with family,
peers, service providers, employers, and
others and develop their knowledge
about and skills in self-advocacy and
self-empowerment.
The NCDB accomplishes this mission
through a combination of activities in
the following areas: (1) Technical
assistance to SEAs, LEAs, families, and
organizations that are responsible for
the provision of early intervention,
special education, and related and
transitional services for individuals who
are deaf-blind, (2) collection and
dissemination of information related to
improving outcomes for individuals
who are deaf-blind, and (3) training to
address gaps in the knowledge of
service providers, including gaps in the
knowledge of evidence-based practices,
to improve outcomes for individuals
who are deaf-blind.
The NCDB’s current project period is
scheduled to end on September 30,
2011. At this time, we do not believe
that it would be in the public interest to
run a competition under this program
for a new Center. This extension will
align the end of the NCDB’s project
period with the end of the grants funded
under the Projects for Children and
Young Adults who are Deaf-Blind
program (CFDA Number 84.326C). This
alignment will enable the Department to
develop a technical assistance strategy
for individuals who are deaf-blind that
maximizes the effectiveness and
efficiency of the services provided. We
also have concluded that it would be
contrary to the public interest to have a
lapse in the provision of technical
assistance services currently provided
by the NCDB pending the development
of a coordinated strategy for technical
assistance for individuals who are deafblind. For these reasons, the Secretary
proposes to waive the requirements in
34 CFR 75.250, which prohibit project
periods exceeding five years, and the
requirements in 34 CFR 75.261(a) and
(c), which limit the extension of a
project period if the extension involves
the obligation of additional Federal
funds, and issue a continuation award
in the amount of $4,200,000 to Western
Oregon University (H326T060002) for
an additional twenty-four-month period.
Waiving these regulations and issuing
this continuation award would ensure
that technical assistance, training, and
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Frm 00038
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
dissemination of information to
multiple recipients, including families,
individuals who are deaf-blind, State
projects for deaf-blind services, SEAs,
LEAs, lead agencies under Part C of the
IDEA, and other State agencies, will not
be interrupted during this period of
time.
With this proposed extension of
project period and waiver, the NCDB
will be required to conduct the
following activities:
(a) Continue identifying State project
needs in order to provide universal,
targeted, and intensive technical
assistance and training, as appropriate.
(b) Assist State deaf-blind projects (1)
to increase collaboration among State
deaf-blind projects, the PTIs, and other
OSEP Technical and Assistance projects
(2) to improve early intervention,
instructional and behavioral practices
by providing universal, targeted, and
intensive technical assistance and
training, as appropriate.
(c) Provide information to SEAs to aid
in policy development related to
services to individuals who are deafblind, as appropriate.
(d) Assist families and individuals
who are deaf-blind to increase their
capacity to build relationships with
family, peers, service providers,
employers, and others; and develop
their knowledge about and skills in selfadvocacy and self-empowerment.
(e) Assist personnel preparation
training programs to work
collaboratively with each other to
increase the number of teachers and
paraprofessionals who are prepared to
provide effective services and
implement evidence-based practices to
improve outcomes for individuals who
are deaf-blind.
(f) Collaborate with the U.S.
Department of Education’s Office of
Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services, other Federal technical
assistance projects, and State agencies to
improve practices and services in early
intervention, special education, related
services, and transitional services by
facilitating inclusion of individuals who
are deaf-blind in SEA and LEA
initiatives, as appropriate.
Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification
The Secretary certifies that this
proposed extension of project period
and waiver would not have a significant
economic impact on a substantial
number of small entities. The only
entities that would be affected are the
current grantee serving as the National
Consortium on Deaf-Blindness and any
other potential applicant.
E:\FR\FM\07JNN1.SGM
07JNN1
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 109 / Tuesday, June 7, 2011 / Notices
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
This proposed extension of project
period and waiver does not contain any
information collection requirements.
Intergovernmental Review
This program is subject to the
requirements of 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.
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: https://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: https://
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 2, 2011.
Alexa Posny,
Assistant Secretary, for Special Education
and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 2011–14019 Filed 6–6–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Proposed Priority for the Disability and
Rehabilitation Research Projects and
Centers Program
Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services, Department of
Education.
ACTION: Notice of proposed priority.
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES
AGENCY:
Overview Information
[CFDA: 84.133A–13]
Notice of Proposed Priority; National
Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)—
VerDate Mar<15>2010
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Disability and Rehabilitation Research
Projects and Centers Program—
Disability and Rehabilitation Research
Project (DRRP)—Center on Knowledge
Translation for Disability and
Rehabilitation Research (KTDRR
Center).
SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for
Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services proposes a priority for the
Disability and Rehabilitation Research
Projects and Centers Program
administered by the National Institute
on Disability and Rehabilitation
Research (NIDRR). Specifically, this
notice proposes a priority for a center on
knowledge translation for disability and
rehabilitation research (KTDRR Center).
The Assistant Secretary may use this
priority for a competition in fiscal year
(FY) 2011 and later years. We take this
action to focus research attention on
areas of national need.
DATES: We must receive your comments
on or before July 7, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments about
this notice to Marlene Spencer, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland
Avenue, SW., room 5133, Potomac
Center Plaza (PCP), Washington, DC
20202–2700.
If you prefer to send your comments
by e-mail, use the following address:
Marlene.Spencer@ed.gov. You must
include ‘‘Proposed Priority for KTDRR
Center’’ in the subject line of your
electronic message.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Marlene Spencer. Telephone: (202) 245–
7532 or by e-mail:
Marlene.Spencer@ed.gov.
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: This
notice of proposed priority is in concert
with NIDRR’s currently approved LongRange Plan (Plan). The Plan, which was
published in the Federal Register on
February 15, 2006 (71 FR 8165), can be
accessed on the Internet at the following
site: https://www.ed.gov/about/offices/
list/osers/nidrr/policy.html.
Through the implementation of the
Plan, NIDRR seeks to: (1) Improve the
quality and utility of disability and
rehabilitation research; (2) foster an
exchange of expertise, information, and
training to facilitate the advancement of
knowledge and understanding of the
unique needs of traditionally
underserved populations; (3) determine
best strategies and programs to improve
rehabilitation outcomes for underserved
populations; (4) identify research gaps;
(5) identify mechanisms of integrating
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32971
research and practice; and (6)
disseminate findings.
This notice proposes a priority that
NIDRR intends to use for a DRRP
competition in FY 2011 and possibly
later years. However, nothing precludes
NIDRR from publishing additional
priorities, if needed. Furthermore,
NIDRR is under no obligation to make
an award for this priority. The decision
to make an award will be based on the
quality of applications received and
available funding.
Invitation to Comment: We invite you
to submit comments regarding this
notice. To ensure that your comments
have maximum effect in developing the
notice of final priority, we urge you to
identify clearly the specific topic that
each comment addresses.
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 proposed priority in room
5133, 550 12th Street, SW., Potomac
Center Plaza, 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
the Disability and Rehabilitation
Research Projects and Centers Program
is to plan and conduct research,
demonstration projects, training, and
related activities, including
international activities, to develop
methods, procedures, and rehabilitation
technology, that maximize the full
inclusion and integration into society,
employment, independent living, family
support, and economic and social selfsufficiency of individuals with
disabilities, especially individuals with
the most severe disabilities, and to
improve the effectiveness of services
E:\FR\FM\07JNN1.SGM
07JNN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 109 (Tuesday, June 7, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32969-32971]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-14019]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[CFDA No. 84.326T]
National Technical Assistance and Dissemination Center for
Children Who Are Deaf-Blind; Proposed Extension of Project Period and
Waiver
AGENCY: Office of Special Education Programs, Office of Special
Education and Rehabilitative Services, Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of proposed extension of project period and waiver for
the National Technical Assistance and Dissemination Center for Children
Who Are Deaf-Blind.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes to waive the requirements in the
Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), in 34
CFR 75.250 and 75.261(a) and (c), respectively, that generally prohibit
project periods exceeding five years and extensions of project periods
involving the obligation of additional Federal funds. This extension of
project period and waiver would enable the currently funded National
Technical Assistance and Dissemination Center for Children Who Are
Deaf-Blind to receive funding from October 1, 2011 through September
30, 2013.
DATES: We must receive your comments on or before July 7, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments about this proposed extension of
project period and waiver to Ingrid Oxaal, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4154, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-2600.
If you prefer to send your comments by e-mail, use the following
address: ingrid.oxaal@ed.gov. You must include the phrase ``proposed
extension of project period and waiver'' in the subject line of your
message.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ingrid Oxaal at the address listed in
the ADDRESSES section of this notice. Telephone: (202) 245-7471. If you
use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the Federal
Relay Service (FRS), toll-free, at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities can obtain this document in an
accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact person listed in this section.
Invitation to Comment
We invite you to submit comments regarding this proposed extension
of project period and waiver.
During and after the comment period, you may inspect all public
comments
[[Page 32970]]
about this proposed extension of project period and waiver in room
4154, Potomac Center Plaza, 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 supply an appropriate aid, such as a reader or
print magnifier, to an individual with a disability who needs
assistance to review the comments or other documents in the public
rulemaking record for this proposed extension of project period and
waiver. If you want to schedule an appointment for this type of aid,
please contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Background
On December 22, 2005, the Department published a notice in the
Federal Register (70 FR 76039) inviting applications for new awards for
fiscal year (FY) 2006 for a National Technical Assistance and
Dissemination Center for Children Who Are Deaf-Blind (Center). The
purpose of the Center, which was funded under the Technical Assistance
and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children with
Disabilities (TA&D) program, authorized under section 663 of the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), is to provide
specialized technical assistance, training, dissemination, and
informational services to States, families, and agencies and
organizations that are responsible for the provision of early
intervention, special education, and related and transitional services
for children through age 21 who are deaf-blind. For purposes of this
notice, the term ``individuals who are deaf-blind'' refers to infants,
toddlers, children, youth and young adults through age 21 who are deaf-
blind.
Based on the 2005 notice inviting applications, the Department made
one award for a period of 60 months to Western Oregon University to
establish the Center, which is currently known as the National
Consortium on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB). The major goals of the NCDB are
three-fold. The first goal is to increase the capacity of State
educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), early
intervention programs, and other agencies to improve policies and
practices that will result in appropriate assessment, planning,
placement, and services for individuals who are deaf-blind. The second
goal is to increase the capacity of State deaf-blind projects as well
as State and local agencies to use evidence-based practices to improve
outcomes for individuals who are deaf-blind. The third goal is to
collaborate with Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) to
build the capacity of families of individuals who are deaf-blind to
build relationships with family, peers, service providers, employers,
and others and develop their knowledge about and skills in self-
advocacy and self-empowerment.
The NCDB accomplishes this mission through a combination of
activities in the following areas: (1) Technical assistance to SEAs,
LEAs, families, and organizations that are responsible for the
provision of early intervention, special education, and related and
transitional services for individuals who are deaf-blind, (2)
collection and dissemination of information related to improving
outcomes for individuals who are deaf-blind, and (3) training to
address gaps in the knowledge of service providers, including gaps in
the knowledge of evidence-based practices, to improve outcomes for
individuals who are deaf-blind.
The NCDB's current project period is scheduled to end on September
30, 2011. At this time, we do not believe that it would be in the
public interest to run a competition under this program for a new
Center. This extension will align the end of the NCDB's project period
with the end of the grants funded under the Projects for Children and
Young Adults who are Deaf-Blind program (CFDA Number 84.326C). This
alignment will enable the Department to develop a technical assistance
strategy for individuals who are deaf-blind that maximizes the
effectiveness and efficiency of the services provided. We also have
concluded that it would be contrary to the public interest to have a
lapse in the provision of technical assistance services currently
provided by the NCDB pending the development of a coordinated strategy
for technical assistance for individuals who are deaf-blind. For these
reasons, the Secretary proposes to waive the requirements in 34 CFR
75.250, which prohibit project periods exceeding five years, and the
requirements in 34 CFR 75.261(a) and (c), which limit the extension of
a project period if the extension involves the obligation of additional
Federal funds, and issue a continuation award in the amount of
$4,200,000 to Western Oregon University (H326T060002) for an additional
twenty-four-month period.
Waiving these regulations and issuing this continuation award would
ensure that technical assistance, training, and dissemination of
information to multiple recipients, including families, individuals who
are deaf-blind, State projects for deaf-blind services, SEAs, LEAs,
lead agencies under Part C of the IDEA, and other State agencies, will
not be interrupted during this period of time.
With this proposed extension of project period and waiver, the NCDB
will be required to conduct the following activities:
(a) Continue identifying State project needs in order to provide
universal, targeted, and intensive technical assistance and training,
as appropriate.
(b) Assist State deaf-blind projects (1) to increase collaboration
among State deaf-blind projects, the PTIs, and other OSEP Technical and
Assistance projects (2) to improve early intervention, instructional
and behavioral practices by providing universal, targeted, and
intensive technical assistance and training, as appropriate.
(c) Provide information to SEAs to aid in policy development
related to services to individuals who are deaf-blind, as appropriate.
(d) Assist families and individuals who are deaf-blind to increase
their capacity to build relationships with family, peers, service
providers, employers, and others; and develop their knowledge about and
skills in self-advocacy and self-empowerment.
(e) Assist personnel preparation training programs to work
collaboratively with each other to increase the number of teachers and
paraprofessionals who are prepared to provide effective services and
implement evidence-based practices to improve outcomes for individuals
who are deaf-blind.
(f) Collaborate with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of
Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, other Federal technical
assistance projects, and State agencies to improve practices and
services in early intervention, special education, related services,
and transitional services by facilitating inclusion of individuals who
are deaf-blind in SEA and LEA initiatives, as appropriate.
Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification
The Secretary certifies that this proposed extension of project
period and waiver would not have a significant economic impact on a
substantial number of small entities. The only entities that would be
affected are the current grantee serving as the National Consortium on
Deaf-Blindness and any other potential applicant.
[[Page 32971]]
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
This proposed extension of project period and waiver does not
contain any information collection requirements.
Intergovernmental Review
This program is subject to the requirements of 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.
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: https://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: https://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 2, 2011.
Alexa Posny,
Assistant Secretary, for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 2011-14019 Filed 6-6-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
