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[Federal Register: March 22, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 54)]
[Notices]               
[Page 13521-13523]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr22mr10-35]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

 
Centers for Independent Living Program--Training and Technical 
Assistance

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, 
Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of proposed priority.

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    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.400B.

SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services proposes a priority under the Centers for 
Independent Living Program--Training and Technical Assistance (CIL-TA 
program). The Assistant Secretary may use this priority for 
competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2010, using American Recovery and 
Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) funds appropriated for the Centers for 
Independent Living program (CIL program) authorized under title VII, 
chapter 1, part C of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (the 
Act), and competitions in later years. We take this action to improve 
outcomes for individuals with significant disabilities by enhancing the 
quality of independent living (IL) services provided to those 
individuals and the efficiency of the delivery of those services by 
CILs funded through the CIL program.

DATES: We must receive your comments on or before April 21, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments about this notice to Sue Rankin-White, 
U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Potomac Center 
Plaza (PCP), Room 5013, Washington, DC 20202-2800.
    If you prefer to send your comments by e-mail, use the following 
address: sue.rankin-white@ed.gov. You must include the term ``CIL-TA 
program'' in the subject line of your electronic message.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sue Rankin-White. Telephone: (202) 
245-7312 or e-mail: sue.rankin-white@ed.gov.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call, 
toll free, (866) 889-6737.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Invitation To Comment: We invite you to submit comments regarding 
this notice.
    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 notice in room 5013, PCP, 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 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 CIL program is to maximize 
independence, productivity, empowerment, and leadership of individuals 
with disabilities and integrate these individuals into the mainstream 
of society.
    CILs are consumer-controlled, community-based, cross-disability, 
nonresidential, private nonprofit agencies that are designed and 
operated within a local community by individuals with disabilities and 
provide an array of IL services to individuals with significant 
disabilities, including the core services of information and referral, 
IL skills training, peer counseling, and individual and systems 
advocacy.
    Each State has established a Statewide Independent Living Council 
(SILC) that jointly develops and signs the State Plan for Independent 
Living with the designated State unit, monitors, reviews, and evaluates 
the implementation of the State plan, and coordinates activities with 
the State Rehabilitation Council and other organizations related to 
issues that affect individuals with disabilities. A majority of a 
SILC's members are individuals with disabilities. Other members include 
CIL representatives and State agency representatives, as well as other 
appropriate individuals.
    Through the ARRA, Congress has appropriated $87,500,000 for the CIL

[[Page 13522]]

program to be obligated by FY 2010. Under section 721(b)(1) of the Act, 
the Department is required to reserve between 1.8 and 2 percent of the 
funds appropriated for the CIL program to provide training and 
technical assistance to CILs, agencies eligible to become CILs, and 
SILCs with respect to planning, developing, conducting, administering, 
and evaluating CILs.

    Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 796f(b).
    Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR part 366.

Proposed Priority

    This notice contains one proposed priority.

Centers for Independent Living (CILs) Community-Based Training and 
Technical Assistance Project

    Background: Under the CIL-TA program, the Department currently 
funds three training and technical assistance grants: one is in its 
final year and supports training and technical assistance to CILs and 
SILCs on the issue of service delivery to young people with 
disabilities as they transition from school to living independently, 
and two provide general, comprehensive training and technical 
assistance to CILs and SILCs, respectively.
    The training and technical assistance needs of CILs are ongoing and 
evolve as new centers are funded, and existing centers add and reassign 
personnel, expand, and change. The Department identifies the training 
and technical assistance needs of CILs and SILCs through its review of 
responses to a survey in their annual performance reports and through 
its monitoring and technical assistance efforts.
    Based on this annual survey and on our ongoing monitoring and 
technical assistance activities, we have determined that a significant 
proportion of CILs would benefit from training and technical assistance 
to improve their efforts: to develop strategies to address the needs of 
underserved populations and underserved geographic areas within the 
center's service area; to promote community-based alternatives to 
institutionalization; to assist youths with disabilities in their 
transition from school to postsecondary education, employment, and IL; 
and to better serve individuals with disabilities residing in rural 
areas.
    For this reason, we intend to use this priority to award a grant to 
provide targeted training and technical assistance to CILs on one or 
more of the following topics:
     Developing Strategies to Address the Needs of Underserved 
Populations and Underserved Geographic Areas. Although CILs provide IL 
services to individuals with significant disabilities within a defined 
geographical area, CILs have acknowledged that often there are barriers 
to serving certain populations and certain areas within the center's 
service area. For example, cultural mores of particular ethnic 
populations may not be supportive of interventions by ``outsiders'' to 
provide independent living to individuals with significant 
disabilities, and, in isolated, rural areas, it may be physically 
difficult to access the consumers who live in that area in order to 
provide services. Providing technical assistance to CILs so that they 
can implement better strategies to overcome barriers and reach out to 
serve underserved populations and geographic areas will result in 
centers that are truly community-based and that adequately serve the 
entire community they were intended to serve.
     Promoting Community-based Alternatives to 
Institutionalization. CILs play a critical role in assisting 
individuals with significant disabilities to move from institutional 
settings to community-based living, or to prevent institutionalization 
in the first place, by helping these individuals obtain the accessible 
housing, transportation, assistive technology, and IL skills they need 
to leave nursing homes and other institutional settings. Providing 
technical assistance and training in this area and sharing effective 
practices among CILs will enhance their current efforts to promote 
community-based alternatives to institutionalization.
     Assisting Transition-age Youths to Live Independently. 
CILs are working with an increasing number of transition-age youths 
with significant disabilities exiting secondary schools and entering 
postsecondary institutions or the labor market. Training and technical 
assistance in this area will help CILs work collaboratively with the 
elementary and secondary education system, colleges and universities, 
employers, and vocational rehabilitation agencies to ensure that 
transition-age youths with significant disabilities and their families 
have the information, resources, and services they need to ensure their 
success as adults.
     Providing IL Services in Rural Settings. Individuals with 
significant disabilities who need IL services and live in rural 
settings pose difficult challenges to CILs. For example, it is not 
unusual in rural States for the CIL's cost of travelling to meet with 
the consumer to exceed the cost of the services that are eventually 
provided to that individual. Training and technical assistance in this 
area will help CILs to utilize efficient outreach practices, including 
the use of information technology whenever possible, to provide IL 
services effectively in rural settings.
    Proposed Priority: This proposed priority supports a Training and 
Technical Assistance Project to assist CILs in one or more of the 
following important and challenging areas: developing strategies to 
address the needs of underserved populations and underserved geographic 
areas; promoting community-based alternatives to institutionalization; 
assisting transition-age youths to succeed after secondary school; and 
providing IL services in rural settings.
    To meet this priority, applicants must demonstrate all of the 
following in their applications:
    (a) Evidence that the project team includes staff members with 
expertise in each of the priority topic areas on which the applicant is 
proposing to provide training and technical assistance;
    (b) A sound plan for providing training and technical assistance 
and materials that (1) is based on rigorous research, where available; 
(2) utilizes a broad range of available, accessible technologies and 
methodologies; and (3) is sufficient to provide training and technical 
assistance to as many CILs as possible.
    (c) An assurance that the applicant will coordinate and collaborate 
with other training projects funded by the Department to ensure that 
its training activities are complementary and non-duplicative and that 
its dissemination activities are effective and efficient. At a minimum, 
the Training and Technical Assistance Project must coordinate with 
RSA's CILs Training and Technical Assistance Center.
    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)).

[[Page 13523]]

    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)).
    Final Priority: We will announce the final priority in a notice in 
the Federal Register. We will determine the final priority after 
considering responses to this notice and other information available to 
the Department. 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: Under Executive Order 12866, we have 
assessed the potential costs and benefits of this regulatory action and 
have determined that it is not ``significant'' under the terms of that 
Executive order.
    We have determined, also, that this proposed regulatory action does 
not unduly interfere with State, local, and Tribal governments in the 
exercise of their governmental functions.
    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 computer diskette) on request to the program contact 
person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Electronic Access to This Document: 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) on the 
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister. To 
use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at 
this site.

    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.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


    Dated: March 17, 2010.
Alexa Posny,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 2010-6229 Filed 3-19-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
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