Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research; Notice Inviting Applications and Pre-application for a New Disability and Rehabilitation Research Project for Fiscal Year 2000

Purpose of the Program: The purpose of the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Project and Centers Program is to improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The Assistant Secretary takes this action to focus research attention on an area of national need. The priority is intended to improve rehabilitation services and outcomes for individuals with disabilities.

The notice of final funding priority on Information Technology Technical Assistance and Training Center is published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.

This notice also invites interested parties to participate in a pre-application meeting to discuss the funding priority for the Information Technology Technical Assistance and Training Center and to receive technical assistance through individual consultation and information about the funding priority. The pre-application meeting will be held on July 31, 2000 at the Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Switzer Building, Room 3065, 330 C St. SW, Washington, DC between 10 a.m. and 12 a.m. NIDRR staff will also be available at this location from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on that same day to provide technical assistance through individual consultation and information about the funding priority. NIDRR will make alternate arrangements to accommodate interested parties who are unable to attend the pre-application meeting in person. For further information contact William Peterson, Switzer Building, room 3425, 330 C Street, SW, Washington, DC 20202. Telephone (202) 205-9192. If you use a TTY, please call (202) 205-4475.

Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities at the Public Meeting

The meeting site is accessible to individuals with disabilities, and a sign language interpreter will be available. If you need an auxiliary aid or service other than a sign language interpreter in order to participate in the meeting (e.g. other interpreting service such as oral, cued speech, or tactile interpreter; assistive listening device; or materials in alternate format), notify the contact person listed in this Notice at least two weeks before the scheduled meeting date. Although we will attempt to meet a request we receive after this date, we may not be able to make available the requested auxiliary aid or service because of insufficient time to arrange it.

This notice supports the National Education Goal that calls for all Americans to possess the knowledge and skills necessary to compete in a global economy and exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

Eligible Applicants: Parties eligible to apply for grants under this program are States, public or private agencies, including for-profit agencies, public or private organizations, including for-profit organizations, institutions of higher education, and Indian tribes and tribal organizations.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: September 1, 2000.

Application Available: July 15, 2000.

Maximum Award Amount per year: $1,500,000.

Note:

The Secretary will reject without consideration or evaluation any application that proposes a project funding level that exceeds the stated maximum award amount in any year (See 34 CFR 75.104(b)).

Estimated Number of Awards: 1.

Note:

The estimate of funding level and awards in this notice do not bind the Department of Education to a specific level of funding or number of grants.

Project Period: 60 months.

Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 762.

Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), 34 CFR Parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 81, 82, 85, and 86, and the program regulations 34 CFR Part 350.

For Applications Contact: The Grants and Contracts Service Team (GCST), Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Switzer Building, 3317, Washington, D.C. 20202, or call (202) 205-8207. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the TDD number at (202) 205-9860. The preferred method for requesting information is to FAX your request to (202) 205-8717.

Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application package in an alternate format by contacting the GCST. However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternate format the standard forms included in the application package.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Donna Nangle, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, room 3414, Switzer Building, Washington, D.C. 20202-2645. Telephone: (202) 205-5880. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the TDD number at (202) 205-4475.

Internet: Donna_Nangle@ed.gov.

Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding paragraph.

Electronic Access to This Document

You may view this document, as well as all other Department of Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at either of the following sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm

http://www.ed.gov/news.html

To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at either of the preceding sites. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free at 1-888-293-6498; or in the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.

Note:

The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Numbers: 84.133A, Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects)

Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 760-764.