[Federal Register: October 9, 1996 (Volume 61, Number 197)]
[Notices]
[Page 53031-53034]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[[Page 53031]]
_______________________________________________________________________
Part VI
Department of Education
_______________________________________________________________________
Education of Individuals With Disabilities: Proposed Priorities; Notice
[[Page 53032]]
DEPARTENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Proposed
Priorities
AGENCY: Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of proposed priorities.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes priorities for three programs
administered by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services (OSERS) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
The Secretary may use these priorities in Fiscal Year 1997 and
subsequent years. The Secretary takes this action to focus Federal
assistance on identified needs to improve results for children with
disabilities. These proposed priorities are intended to ensure wide and
effective use of program funds.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before December 9, 1996 for the
Research in Education of Individuals with Disabilities Program; for the
Educational Media Research, Production, Distribution, and Training
Program and the Technology, Educational Media, and Materials Program.
ADDRESSES: All comments concerning proposed priorities under the
Research in Education of Individuals with Disabilities Program (CFDA
84.023), and the Technology, Educational Media, and Materials for
Individuals with Disabilities Program (CFDA 84.180) should be addressed
to Linda Glidewell, U.S. Department of Building, Washington, D.C.
20202-2641. All comments concerning proposed priorities under the
Educational Media Research, Production, Distribution, and Training
Program (CFDA 84.026) should be addressed to Joseph Clair, U.S.
Department of Education, 600 Independence Avenue, S.W., Room 4622,
Switzer Building, Washington D.C., 20202-2644. Internet: NPP--
Research@ed.gov
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The name, address, and telephone
number of the person at the Department to contact for information on
each specific proposed priority is listed under that priority.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice contains six proposed priorities
under three programs authorized by the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act, as follows: Research in Education of Individuals with
Disabilities Program (one proposed priority); Educational Media
Research, Production, Distribution, and Training Program (four proposed
priorities) and Technology, Education Media, and Materials for
Individuals with Disabilities Program (one proposed priority). The
purpose of each program is stated separately under the title of that
program.
These proposed priorities would support the National Education
Goals by improving understanding of how to enable children and youth
with disabilities to reach higher levels of academic achievement.
The Secretary will announce the final priorities in a notice in the
Federal Register. The final priorities will be determined by responses
to this notice, available funds, and other considerations of the
Department. Funding of particular projects depends on the availability
of funds, the content of the final priorities, and the quality of the
applications received. Further, priorities could be affected by
enactment of legislation reauthorizing these programs. The publication
of these proposed priorities does not preclude the Secretary from
proposing additional priorities, nor does it limit the Secretary to
funding only these priorities, subject to meeting applicable rulemaking
requirements.
These proposed priorities may also be found on the Internet by
accessing the World Wide Web at http://www.ed.gov/news.html
Note: This notice of proposed priorities does not solicit
applications. Notices inviting applications under these competitions
will be published in the Federal Register concurrent with or
following publication of the notices of final priorities.
Research in Education of Individuals With Disabilities Program
Purpose of Program: To advance and improve the knowledge base and
improve the practice of professionals, parents, and others providing
early intervention, special education, and related services--including
professionals in regular education environments--to provide children
with disabilities effective instruction and enable these children to
learn successfully.
Priority: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) the Secretary proposes to give
an absolute preference to applications that meet the following
priority. The Secretary proposes to fund under this competition only
those applications that meet this absolute priority:
Proposed Absolute Priority--Initial Career Awards
The Secretary establishes an absolute priority for the purpose of
awarding grants to eligible applicants for the support of individuals
in the initial phases of their careers to initiate and develop
promising lines of research consistent with the purposes of the
program. For purposes of this priority, the initial phase of an
individual's career is considered to be the first four years after
completing a doctoral program and graduating (e.g., for fiscal year
1997 awards, projects may support individuals who completed a doctoral
program and graduated no earlier than the 1991-92 academic year).
Projects must--
(a) Pursue a line of inquiry that reflects a programmatic strand of
research emanating either from theory or a conceptual framework. The
line of research must be evidenced by a series of related questions
that establish directions for designing future studies extending beyond
the support of this award. The project is not intended to represent all
inquiry related to the particular theory or conceptual framework;
rather, it is expected to initiate a new line or advance an existing
one;
(b) Include, in its design and conduct, sustained involvement with
nationally recognized experts having substantive or methodological
knowledge and expertise relevant to the proposed research. Experts do
not have to be at the same institution or agency at which the project
is located, but the interaction must be sufficient to develop the
capacity of the researcher to pursue effectively the research into mid-
career activities. At least 50 percent of the researcher's time must be
devoted to the project;
(c) Prepare its procedures, findings, and conclusions in a manner
that informs other interested researchers and is useful for advancing
professional practice or improving programs and services to infants,
toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and their families; and
(d) Disseminate project procedures, findings, and conclusions to
appropriate research institutes and technical assistance providers.
A project's budget must include funds to attend the two-day
Research Project Directors' meeting to be held in Washington, D.C. each
year of the project.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Doris Andres, U.S. Department of
Education, 600 Independence Avenue, S.W., Room 3526, Switzer Building,
Washington, D.C. 20202-2641. Telephone: (202) 205-8125. FAX: (202) 205-
8105. Internet: Doris--Andres@ed.gov Individuals who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the TDD number:
(202) 205-8953.
[[Page 53033]]
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1441.
Educational Media Research, Production, Distribution, and Training
Program
Purpose of Program: To promote the general welfare of individuals
who are deaf or hard of hearing and individuals with visual
disabilities, and to promote the educational advancement of individuals
with disabilities.
Priorities: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) the Secretary proposes to
give an absolute preference to applications that meet one or more of
the following priorities. The Secretary proposes to fund under these
competitions only applications that meet one or more of these absolute
priorities:
Proposed Absolute Priority 1--Closed-Captioned Sports Programs:
Background: This priority supports cooperative agreements to
continue and to expand closed-captioning of major national sports
programs shown on national commercial broadcast or basic cable
television networks. Captioning provides a visual representation of the
audio portion of the programming and enables individuals who are deaf
or hard of hearing to participate in the shared educational, social,
and cultural experiences of national supporting events. Funds provided
under this priority may be used to support no more than sixty percent
of the captioning costs for the first year of the project, fifty-five
percent of the second year, and fifty percent for the third year.
Priority: To be considered for funding under this competition, a
project must--
(1) Include criteria for selecting programs for captioning that
take into account the preference of consumers for particular sports
programs, the diversity of programming available, and the contribution
of programs to the general educational, social, and cultural
experiences of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing;
(2) Provide a flexible plan, including back-up systems, to ensure
closed-captioning of sports programs without interruption, while
accommodating last-minute program substitutions and new programs;
(3) Identify the total number of hours and the projected cost per
hour for each of the programs to be captioned;
(4) Identify for each proposed program to be captioned the source
of private or other public support and the projected dollar amount of
that support;
(5) Identify the methods of captioning to be used for each
program--indicating whether captioning is provided in realtime, live
display, offline, or reformatted--and the projected cost per hour for
each method used;
(6) Demonstrate the willingness of major national commercial
broadcast or basic cable networks to permit captioning of their
programs; and
(7) Implement procedures for monitoring the extent to which full
and accurate captioning is provided and use this information to make
refinements in captioning operations.
Proposed Absolute Priority 2--Video Description
Background: This priority supports cooperative agreements to
provide video description in two areas: (1) broadcast and cable
television programs; and (2) home video. The purpose of this activity
will be to describe television programs and videos to make television
programming and home videos more accessible to children and adults with
visual disabilities. The intent of this priority is to provide access
to described television programming and home videos in order to enhance
shared educational, social, and cultural experiences for children and
adults with visual disabilities.
Priority: To be considered for funding under this priority, a
project must--
(1) Include criteria for selecting programs and videos that take
into account the preference of consumers for particular topics of
interest, the diversity of programs or videos available, and the
contribution of these programs or videos to the general educational,
social, and cultural experiences of individuals with visual
disabilities;
(2) Identify the total number of hours to be described and the
projected cost per hour for each program or video to be described;
(3) Identify the source of private or public support, if any, for
each program or video to be described, and the projected dollar amount
of that support;
(4) Demonstrate the willingness of program or video producers to
permit video description and distribution of their program or video,
and
(5) Evaluate the effectiveness of the methods and technologies used
in providing this service and the impact on intended populations.
Proposed Absolute Priority 3--Educational Video Selection and
Captioning
Background: This priority supports one cooperative agreement that
would screen, evaluate, obtain, caption, and make available educational
videos, including classics and general interest titles, for use by
students and other individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, parents
of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, and other individuals
directly involved in activities promoting the advancement of
individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. This activity includes the
preparation of captions on computer diskettes or CD-ROM, as
appropriate, and the preparation of lesson guides for educational
videos. This priority would ensure that students and other individuals
who are deaf or hard of hearing may benefit from the same educational
and general interest videos used to enrich the educational experiences
of students and other individuals without hearing disabilities.
Priority: To be considered for funding under this priority, the
project must--
(1) Develop strategies and procedures to be used in determining
curricular needs of students who are deaf or hard of hearing in all
types of school settings for captioned videos;
(2) Develop and implement an on-going evaluation program for
incorporating the reaction and suggestions of users into the selection
and captioning process;
(3) Develop and implement criteria and procedures for screening,
evaluating, and captioning selected videos;
(4) Obtain videos from film and video distributors for screening,
evaluation, and possible captioning. Select from among video titles
submitted by evaluators those that closely match the curricular needs
identified under paragraph (1) of this proposed priority, taking into
account the videos most commonly used in school districts across the
Nation for all students;
(5) Make arrangements with respective producers and distributors to
have selected videos captioned and made available through general
distribution mechanisms (such as video sales catalogues), as well as
through the captioned film and video loan service authorized under Part
F of IDEA and 34 CFR Part 330 (by purchasing up to 100 copies of each
captioned title, which must be open-captioned. Closed-captioned masters
must be made available to producers and distributors in an effort to
promote the use of captioned videos.
(6) For selected titles, prepare captions on computer diskettes or
CD-ROM, as appropriate, and check for accuracy. These captions would
take into account the age and reading levels of the likely target
audience;
(7) For selected educational videos, prepare lesson guides;
(8) Identify, select, and, if necessary, provide training or
technical assistance
[[Page 53034]]
to video evaluators, caption checkers, and captioning service
providers; and
(9) Develop and implement quality control guidelines and procedures
for checking videocassettes after they are captioned.
Proposed Absolute Priority 4--Research on Educational Captioning
Background: This priority supports research on captioning of
educational media and materials. Research can be based on the
instructional use of captioning or the use of captioning as a language
development tool for enhancing the reading and literacy skills of
individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. Media and technologies
explored or used by projects funded under this priority may include,
but are not limited to (1) television--including high-definition
television; (2) videos; and (3) other media and multi-media
technologies such as interactive videodiscs and CD-ROMs.
Priority: Under this competition, projects must--
(1) Identify specific technological approaches that would be
investigated;
(2) Carry out the research within a conceptual framework, based on
previous research or theory, that provides a basis for the strategies
to be studied, the research design, and target population;
(3) Collect, analyze and report (a) characteristics and outcome
data (actual rather then expected results), including the settings, the
service providers, and the individuals targeted by the project; and (b)
multiple, functional outcome data on the individuals who are the focus
of the technological approaches;
(4) Conduct the research in realistic settings such as residential
or integrated schools or colleges, or in community settings, as
appropriate; and
(5) Conduct the research using methodological procedures that
would: (a) produce unambiguous findings regarding the effects of
approaches and effects of the interaction among particular approaches
and particular groups of individuals or particular settings; and (b)
permit use of the findings in policy analyses.
For Further Information Contact: Ernest Hairston, U.S. Department of
Education, 600 Independence Avenue, S.W., Room 4629, Switzer Building,
Washington, D.C. 20202-2641. Telephone: (202) 205-9172. FAX: (202) 205-
8971. Internet: Ernest__Hairston@ed.gov
Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may
call the TDD number: (202) 205-8169.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1451, 1452.
Technology, Educational Media,and Materials for Individuals With
Disabilities Program
Purpose of Program: To support projects and centers for advancing
the availability, quality, use, and effectiveness of technology,
educational media, and materials in the education of children and youth
with disabilities and the provision of related services and early
intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities.
Priority: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) the Secretary proposes to give
an absolute preference to applications that meet the following
priority. The Secretary proposes to fund under this competition only
applications that meet this absolute priority:
Proposed Absolute Priority--Technology, Educational Media, and
Materials Projects That Create Innovative Tools for Students With
Disabilities
This priority provides support for development projects that design
or adapt technology, assistive technology, educational media, or
materials to improve the education of children and youth with
disabilities.
Invitational Priority: Within the absolute priority specified in
this notice, the Secretary is particularly interested in applications
that meet the following invitational priorities. However, under 34 CFR
75.105(c)(1) an application that meets one or more of these
invitational priorities does not receive competitive or absolute
preference over other applications:
The Secretary is particularly interested in projects that--
(a) Create Innovative Tools--by encouraging development of varied
and integrated technologies, media, and materials that open up and
expand the lives of those with disabilities. This work should enable
individuals with disabilities to achieve the outcomes expected of all
students, such as independence, productivity and an improved quality of
life, that promote equity in opportunity; or
(b) Foster the Creation of State-of-the-Art Instructional
Environments--both in and out of school. These environments should use
technology, educational media, and materials to enable students with
disabilities to access knowledge, develop skills and problem-solving
strategies, and engage in educational experiences necessary for their
success as adults who are fully included in our society.
For Further Information Contact: Jane Hauser, U.S. Department of
Education, 600 Independence Avenue, S.W., Room 3521, Switzer Building,
Washington, D.C. 20202-2641. Telephone: (202) 205-8126. FAX: (202) 205-
8105. Internet: Jane__Hauser@ed.gov
Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may
call the TDD number: (202) 205-8953.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1461.
Intergovernmental Review
The programs (except for Research in Education of Individuals with
Disabilities program) included in this notice are subject to the
requirements of Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR
Part 79. The objective of the Executive order is to foster an
intergovernmental partnership and a strengthened federalism by relying
on processes developed by State and local governments for coordination
and review of proposed Federal financial assistance.
In accordance with the order, this document is intended to provide
early notification of the Department's specific plans and actions for
this program.
Invitation To Comment
Interested persons are invited to submit comments and
recommendations regarding these proposed priorities.
All comments submitted in response to this notice will be available
for public inspection, during and after the comment period, in Room
3524, 300 C Street, S.W., Washington, D.C., between the hours of 8:30
a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday of each week except Federal
holidays.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Numbers: Research in
Education of Individuals with Disabilities Program, 84.023; Media
Research, Production, Distribution, and Training Program, 84.026;
and Technology, Educational Media, and Materials for Individuals
with Disabilities Program, 84.180)
Dated: August 12, 1996.
Judith E. Heumann,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 96-25944 Filed 10-8-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-M