Special Demonstration Programs-National Technical Assistance Projects To Improve Employment Outcomes for Individuals With Disabilities, 50474-50476 [2011-20708]
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 157 / Monday, August 15, 2011 / Notices
compliance with the assurances in its
approved application, including those
applicable to Federal civil rights laws
that prohibit discrimination in programs
or activities receiving Federal financial
assistance from the Department (34 CFR
100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
VII. Agency Contacts
VIII. Other Information
srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Accessible Format: Individuals with
disabilities can obtain this document
and a copy of the application package in
an accessible format (e.g., braille, large
print, audiotape, or compact disc) by
contacting the Grants and Contracts
Services Team, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
Room 5075, PCP, Washington, DC
20202–2550. Telephone: (202) 245–
7363. If you use a TDD call the FRS, toll
free, at 1–800–877–8339.
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: August 10, 2011.
Alexa Posny,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 2011–20709 Filed 8–12–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
16:05 Aug 12, 2011
Special Demonstration Programs—
National Technical Assistance Projects
To Improve Employment Outcomes for
Individuals With Disabilities
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
(CFDA) Number: 84.235M.
Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services, Department of
Education.
ACTION: Notice of final priority.
AGENCY:
For Further Information Contact:
Thomas Finch, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
Room 5147, Potomac Center Plaza
(PCP), Washington, DC 20202–2800.
Telephone: (202) 245–7343 or by e-mail:
Tom.Finch@ed.gov.
If you use a TDD call the FRS, toll
free, at 1–800–877–8339.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Jkt 223001
The Assistant Secretary for
the Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services announces a
priority under the Special
Demonstration Programs authorized
under section 303(b) of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended
(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 vocational rehabilitation
(VR) programs. We 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 to improve the
performance of State VR agencies.
DATES: Effective Date: This priority is
effective September 14, 2011.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Thomas Finch, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
Room 5147, Potomac Center Plaza
(PCP), Washington, DC 20202–2800.
Telephone: (202) 245–7343 or by e-mail:
Tom.Finch@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:
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).
We published a notice of proposed
priority for this program in the Federal
Register on June 20, 2011 (76 FR 35864).
The notice contained background
information and our reasons for
proposing the particular priority.
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00024
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
There are differences between the
notice of proposed priority and this
notice of final priority as discussed in
the Analysis of Comments and Changes
section below.
Public Comment: In response to our
invitation in the notice of proposed
priority, two parties submitted
comments on the proposed priority.
Generally, we do not address
technical and other minor changes. In
addition, we do not address general
comments that raise concerns not
directly related to the proposed priority.
However, as a result of our further
review of the proposed priority since
publication of the notice of proposed
priority, we have made minor changes
for purposes of clarification.
Analysis of Comments and Changes:
An analysis of the comments and of any
changes in the priority since publication
of the notice of proposed priority
follows.
Comment: One commenter asserted
that the purposes of the priority would
be best served by building on the
existing capacity of grantees funded
under RSA’s Training programs, such as
current partnerships with the National
Clearinghouse of Rehabilitation
Training Materials (NCRTM), the
regional Technical Assistance and
Continuing Education (TACE) centers,
and State VR agencies. For example, the
commenter stated that the NCRTM
currently collaborates with the 10
regional TACE centers to support a
centralized resource for training
materials. This commenter also
emphasized the need to tailor technical
assistance to the unique needs and
demands of customers.
Discussion: It is our intention that the
applicant funded under this priority
build upon the work of, and collaborate
with, current providers of training and
technical assistance in the field of
rehabilitation, including the TACE
centers and the NCRTM.
As stated in the June 20, 2011, notice
of proposed priority, the activities
conducted under this priority would
supplement the TA provided by the
TACE centers by supporting costeffective and efficient mechanisms for
delivering TA at the national level. For
example, prior to developing its annual
work plan for the provision of TA and
continuing education (CE), each
regional TACE center conducts an
annual needs assessment of State VR
agencies and agency partners in its
region to identify TA topics. The grantee
under this priority would work with the
TACE centers to identify topics that
would be most appropriately addressed
nationally.
E:\FR\FM\15AUN1.SGM
15AUN1
srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 157 / Monday, August 15, 2011 / Notices
The role of the NCRTM is to identify
and gather rehabilitation information
and training materials for use in
conducting pre-service and in-service
education and training for rehabilitation
personnel and to disseminate
rehabilitation information and state-ofthe-art training materials and methods.
The grantee funded under this priority
would be responsible for organizing and
making readily available TA materials
used and developed under this priority
and would not duplicate the work of the
NCRTM. We do believe, however, that
the expertise of the NCRTM would be of
value in assisting the grantee to carry
out the activities under this priority.
Finally, while we would expect the
successful applicant selected to carry
out this priority to have sufficient
expertise to appropriately tailor the TA
and materials to the unique needs of its
audience, we agree that clarifying
language would be beneficial.
Changes: We have inserted language
in paragraph (c) of the priority to clarify
that formats that best meet the needs of
the target audience must be used by the
grantee in preparing for and conducting
TA. In addition, we have revised
paragraph (g) of the priority to require
the grantee to collaborate with the
NCRTM.
Comment: This commenter also
encouraged RSA to standardize
measures of effectiveness across the
providers of training and technical
assistance so that quality outcomes can
be consistently measured by users or
customers.
Discussion: While we recognize that
the development of standardized
measures of effectiveness that could be
used across RSA’s TA investments
would be beneficial, such an effort is
not consistent with the intended scope
and resources available for this priority.
However, we have added a paragraph to
the priority in order to clarify the intent
of the requirement in proposed
paragraph (c) of the priority to conduct
evaluations of the national TA that has
been provided.
Change: We have deleted the language
at the end of paragraph (c) of the
priority describing the grantee’s
responsibility to conduct evaluations of
the technical assistance provided, and
have included this requirement in a new
paragraph (f) of the priority that clarifies
what elements the evaluation must
address.
Comment: One commenter applauded
the Department for its emphasis on
national training programs. This
commenter stated that in addition to the
value of the information obtained from
presentations, national conferences
provide networking opportunities for
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:05 Aug 12, 2011
Jkt 223001
VR professionals who are working in
specialized program areas, such as
vocational rehabilitation of individuals
who are deaf or deaf-blind.
This commenter also expressed the
value of having a mechanism for
housing and making available TA
products. Finally, the commenter
emphasized the need to ensure that
sufficient funds are available under this
grant to support accommodations that
may be necessary for VR professionals
to fully participate and to support
stipends for professionals who
otherwise would not be able to attend
presentations and national conferences
because of State travel and funding
restrictions.
Discussion: While we generally agree
with these comments, we would like to
emphasize that the purpose of this
priority is to provide technical
assistance in areas of national need and
it is not our intent to establish another
training program. The Department
provides support for the training of VR
professionals through the Training
programs under section 302 of the
Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 772).
Change: None.
Comment: None.
Discussion: In reviewing the proposed
priority further, we decided that it
would be important to clarify that the
TA products and materials to be
organized and archived by the grantee
are those that are developed or used in
providing TA conducted under this
priority. We also wanted to emphasize
that the Web site developed by the
grantee needs to be easily accessed and
used by RSA, the TACE centers, and
other RSA grantees.
Changes: As a result of our review, we
added clarifying language in paragraphs
(d) and (e) of the priority to address
these concerns.
Final Priority:
National Technical Assistance.
The Assistant Secretary for Special
Education and Rehabilitative Services
establishes a priority to support a grant
under the Special Demonstration
Programs to fund a project to provide
national technical assistance (TA) to
State vocational rehabilitation (VR)
agencies and other entities that carry out
VR-related programs administered by
the Rehabilitation Services
Administration (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,
communication, and collaboration
between RSA and the grantee in
PO 00000
Frm 00025
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
50475
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 Technical Assistance and
Continuing Education (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;
(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;
providing TA and preparing materials in
formats that best meet the needs of the
target audience; 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; and providing for continuing
education credits;
(d) Organize and archive all TA
products and materials developed or
used in providing TA conducted under
this priority for use by RSA, the TACE
centers, and other TA providers, as
needed;
(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 easily
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;
(f) Conduct an evaluation of the
national TA provided under this
priority, including, at a minimum, the
following: The number of TA activities
conducted, the identified needs to
which these activities responded, and
E:\FR\FM\15AUN1.SGM
15AUN1
50476
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 157 / Monday, August 15, 2011 / Notices
the target audience for each activity; the
number and types of TA products
organized and archived; the number of
visits to the grantee’s Web site on a
monthly and annual basis; and a
quantitative analysis of any customer
satisfaction survey findings including
information derived from questions
about product quality, relevance, and
utility; and
(g) Collaborate with other RSA-funded
TA providers, including, but not limited
to, the TACE centers, the National
Clearinghouse of Rehabilitation
Training Materials, 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)).
This notice does not preclude us from
proposing additional priorities,
requirements, definitions, or selection
criteria, subject to meeting applicable
rulemaking requirements.
srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
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
regulatory action.
The potential costs associated with
this regulatory action are those resulting
from statutory requirements and those
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:05 Aug 12, 2011
Jkt 223001
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 regulatory action,
we have determined that the benefits of
the priority justify the costs.
We have determined, also, that this
final regulatory action does not unduly
interfere with State, local, and tribal
governments in the exercise of their
governmental functions.
Summary of potential costs and
benefits:
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 compact disc) by
contacting the Grants and Contracts
Services Team, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
room 5075, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202–2550.
Telephone: (202) 245–7363. If you use
a TDD, call the FRS, toll free, at 1–800–
877–8339.
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://
PO 00000
Frm 00026
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically,
through the advanced search feature at
this site, you can limit your search to
documents published by the
Department.
Dated: August 10, 2011.
Alexa Posny,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 2011–20708 Filed 8–12–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[OE Docket No. EA–382]
Application To Export Electric Energy;
Glacial Energy of Texas, Inc.
Office of Electricity Delivery
and Energy Reliability, DOE.
ACTION: Notice of Application.
AGENCY:
Glacial Energy of Texas, Inc.
(Glacial) has applied for authority to
transmit electric energy from the United
States to Mexico pursuant to section
202(e) of the Federal Power Act.
DATES: Comments, protests, or motions
to intervene must be submitted on or
before September 14, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Comments, protests, or
motions to intervene should be
addressed to: Christopher Lawrence,
Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy
Reliability, Mail Code: OE–20, U.S.
Department of Energy, 1000
Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20585–0350. Because
of delays in handling conventional mail,
it is recommended that documents be
transmitted by overnight mail, by
electronic mail to
Christopher.Lawrence@hq.doe.gov, or by
facsimile to 202–586–8008.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Christopher Lawrence (Program Office)
202–586–5260.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Exports of
electricity from the United States to a
foreign country are regulated by the
Department of Energy (DOE) pursuant to
sections 301(b) and 402(f) of the
Department of Energy Organization Act
(42 U.S.C. 7151(b), 7172(f)) and require
authorization under section 202(e) of
the FPA (16 U.S.C. 824a(e)).
On July 14, 2011, DOE received an
application from Glacial for authority to
transmit electric energy from the United
States to Mexico for five years as a
power marketer using existing
international transmission facilities.
Glacial does not own any electric
transmission facilities nor does it hold
a franchised service area.
The electric energy that Glacial
proposes to export to Mexico would be
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\15AUN1.SGM
15AUN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 157 (Monday, August 15, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50474-50476]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-20708]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Special Demonstration Programs--National Technical Assistance
Projects To Improve Employment Outcomes for Individuals With
Disabilities
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.235M.
AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services,
Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of final priority.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education
and Rehabilitative Services announces a priority under the Special
Demonstration Programs authorized under section 303(b) of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (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 vocational
rehabilitation (VR) programs. We 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 to improve the
performance of State VR agencies.
DATES: Effective Date: This priority is effective September 14, 2011.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Finch, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 5147, Potomac Center Plaza
(PCP), Washington, DC 20202-2800. Telephone: (202) 245-7343 or by e-
mail: Tom.Finch@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:
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).
We published a notice of proposed priority for this program in the
Federal Register on June 20, 2011 (76 FR 35864). The notice contained
background information and our reasons for proposing the particular
priority.
There are differences between the notice of proposed priority and
this notice of final priority as discussed in the Analysis of Comments
and Changes section below.
Public Comment: In response to our invitation in the notice of
proposed priority, two parties submitted comments on the proposed
priority.
Generally, we do not address technical and other minor changes. In
addition, we do not address general comments that raise concerns not
directly related to the proposed priority.
However, as a result of our further review of the proposed priority
since publication of the notice of proposed priority, we have made
minor changes for purposes of clarification.
Analysis of Comments and Changes: An analysis of the comments and
of any changes in the priority since publication of the notice of
proposed priority follows.
Comment: One commenter asserted that the purposes of the priority
would be best served by building on the existing capacity of grantees
funded under RSA's Training programs, such as current partnerships with
the National Clearinghouse of Rehabilitation Training Materials
(NCRTM), the regional Technical Assistance and Continuing Education
(TACE) centers, and State VR agencies. For example, the commenter
stated that the NCRTM currently collaborates with the 10 regional TACE
centers to support a centralized resource for training materials. This
commenter also emphasized the need to tailor technical assistance to
the unique needs and demands of customers.
Discussion: It is our intention that the applicant funded under
this priority build upon the work of, and collaborate with, current
providers of training and technical assistance in the field of
rehabilitation, including the TACE centers and the NCRTM.
As stated in the June 20, 2011, notice of proposed priority, the
activities conducted under this priority would supplement the TA
provided by the TACE centers by supporting cost-effective and efficient
mechanisms for delivering TA at the national level. For example, prior
to developing its annual work plan for the provision of TA and
continuing education (CE), each regional TACE center conducts an annual
needs assessment of State VR agencies and agency partners in its region
to identify TA topics. The grantee under this priority would work with
the TACE centers to identify topics that would be most appropriately
addressed nationally.
[[Page 50475]]
The role of the NCRTM is to identify and gather rehabilitation
information and training materials for use in conducting pre-service
and in-service education and training for rehabilitation personnel and
to disseminate rehabilitation information and state-of-the-art training
materials and methods. The grantee funded under this priority would be
responsible for organizing and making readily available TA materials
used and developed under this priority and would not duplicate the work
of the NCRTM. We do believe, however, that the expertise of the NCRTM
would be of value in assisting the grantee to carry out the activities
under this priority.
Finally, while we would expect the successful applicant selected to
carry out this priority to have sufficient expertise to appropriately
tailor the TA and materials to the unique needs of its audience, we
agree that clarifying language would be beneficial.
Changes: We have inserted language in paragraph (c) of the priority
to clarify that formats that best meet the needs of the target audience
must be used by the grantee in preparing for and conducting TA. In
addition, we have revised paragraph (g) of the priority to require the
grantee to collaborate with the NCRTM.
Comment: This commenter also encouraged RSA to standardize measures
of effectiveness across the providers of training and technical
assistance so that quality outcomes can be consistently measured by
users or customers.
Discussion: While we recognize that the development of standardized
measures of effectiveness that could be used across RSA's TA
investments would be beneficial, such an effort is not consistent with
the intended scope and resources available for this priority. However,
we have added a paragraph to the priority in order to clarify the
intent of the requirement in proposed paragraph (c) of the priority to
conduct evaluations of the national TA that has been provided.
Change: We have deleted the language at the end of paragraph (c) of
the priority describing the grantee's responsibility to conduct
evaluations of the technical assistance provided, and have included
this requirement in a new paragraph (f) of the priority that clarifies
what elements the evaluation must address.
Comment: One commenter applauded the Department for its emphasis on
national training programs. This commenter stated that in addition to
the value of the information obtained from presentations, national
conferences provide networking opportunities for VR professionals who
are working in specialized program areas, such as vocational
rehabilitation of individuals who are deaf or deaf-blind.
This commenter also expressed the value of having a mechanism for
housing and making available TA products. Finally, the commenter
emphasized the need to ensure that sufficient funds are available under
this grant to support accommodations that may be necessary for VR
professionals to fully participate and to support stipends for
professionals who otherwise would not be able to attend presentations
and national conferences because of State travel and funding
restrictions.
Discussion: While we generally agree with these comments, we would
like to emphasize that the purpose of this priority is to provide
technical assistance in areas of national need and it is not our intent
to establish another training program. The Department provides support
for the training of VR professionals through the Training programs
under section 302 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 772).
Change: None.
Comment: None.
Discussion: In reviewing the proposed priority further, we decided
that it would be important to clarify that the TA products and
materials to be organized and archived by the grantee are those that
are developed or used in providing TA conducted under this priority. We
also wanted to emphasize that the Web site developed by the grantee
needs to be easily accessed and used by RSA, the TACE centers, and
other RSA grantees.
Changes: As a result of our review, we added clarifying language in
paragraphs (d) and (e) of the priority to address these concerns.
Final Priority:
National Technical Assistance.
The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services establishes a priority to support a grant under the Special
Demonstration Programs to fund a project to provide national technical
assistance (TA) to State vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies and
other entities that carry out VR-related programs administered by the
Rehabilitation Services Administration (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, 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 Technical Assistance
and Continuing Education (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;
(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; providing TA and preparing materials in formats
that best meet the needs of the target audience; 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;
and providing for continuing education credits;
(d) Organize and archive all TA products and materials developed or
used in providing TA conducted under this priority for use by RSA, the
TACE centers, and other TA providers, as needed;
(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 easily 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;
(f) Conduct an evaluation of the national TA provided under this
priority, including, at a minimum, the following: The number of TA
activities conducted, the identified needs to which these activities
responded, and
[[Page 50476]]
the target audience for each activity; the number and types of TA
products organized and archived; the number of visits to the grantee's
Web site on a monthly and annual basis; and a quantitative analysis of
any customer satisfaction survey findings including information derived
from questions about product quality, relevance, and utility; and
(g) Collaborate with other RSA-funded TA providers, including, but
not limited to, the TACE centers, the National Clearinghouse of
Rehabilitation Training Materials, 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)).
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 regulatory action.
The potential costs associated with this 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 regulatory action, we have determined that the
benefits of the priority justify the costs.
We have determined, also, that this final regulatory action does
not unduly interfere with State, local, and tribal governments in the
exercise of their governmental functions.
Summary of potential costs and benefits:
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 compact disc) by contacting the Grants and Contracts
Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
room 5075, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2550.
Telephone: (202) 245-7363. If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll
free, at 1-800-877-8339.
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: August 10, 2011.
Alexa Posny,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 2011-20708 Filed 8-12-11; 8:45 am]
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