26656 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 105 / Wednesday, June 3, 2009 / Notices 

1The Chafee Amendment to Chapter 1 of Title 17, 

United States Code, adds section 121, establishing 

a limitation on the exclusive rights in copyrighted 

works. The Amendment allows authorized entities 

to reproduce or distribute copies or phonorecords 

of previously published nondramatic literary works 

in specialized formats exclusively for use by blind 

or other persons with disabilities. 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services; Overview 

Information; Technology and Media 

Services for Individuals With 

Disabilities—National Center on 

Accessible Instructional Materials 

(AIM); Notice Inviting Applications for 

New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.327T. 

DATES: Applications Available: June 3, 

2009. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: July 6, 2009. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: September 1, 2009. 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The purposes of 

the Technology and Media Services for 

Individuals with Disabilities program 

are to: (1) Improve results for children 

with disabilities by promoting the 

development, demonstration, and use of 

technology, (2) support educational 

media services activities designed to be 

of educational value in the classroom 

setting to children with disabilities, and 

(3) provide support for captioning and 

video description of educational 

materials that are appropriate for use in 

the classroom setting. 

Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 

75.105(b)(2)(v), this priority is from 

allowable activities specified in the 

statute (see sections 674 and 681(d) of 

the Individuals with Disabilities 

Education Act (IDEA), 20 U.S.C. 1400 et 

seq.). 

Absolute Priority: For FY 2009 and 

any subsequent year in which we make 

awards from the list of unfunded 

applicants from this competition, this 

priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 

CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only 

applications that meet this priority. 

This priority is: 

Technology and Media Services for 

Individuals with Disabilities—National 

Center on Accessible Instructional 

Materials (AIM). 

Background: IDEA requires that the 

individualized education program for 

each child with a disability be designed 

to enable the child to be involved in and 

make progress in the general education 

curriculum (20 U.S.C. 

1414(d)(1)(A)(i)(II)(aa)). Some children 

with disabilities, however, experience a 

significant barrier to making progress in 

the general education curriculum 

because they cannot effectively utilize 

print instructional materials such as 

textbooks (Rose & Meyer, 2002; Rose, 

Meyer & Hitchcock, 2005; Stahl, 2007). 

For example, studies show that, for 

many children with disabilities, a 

neurologically based reading 

dysfunction limits their ability to read 

and learn from print instructional 

materials (Shaywitz, 1998; 2002; 2005; 

2006). 

The 2004 amendments to IDEA 

required the Secretary to establish the 

National Instructional Materials 

Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) and 

required States to adopt NIMAS for the 

purpose of providing instructional 

materials in specialized formats in a 

timely manner for use in elementary 

and secondary schools by children who 

are blind or who have print disabilities 

(20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(23)(A)). The 2004 

amendments also established the 

National Instructional Materials Access 

Center (NIMAC) as a national repository 

to receive and store NIMAS source files 

and make them available to States. 

State educational agencies (SEAs) and 

local educational agencies (LEAs) now 

obtain NIMAS file sets directly from 

publishers or from NIMAC and convert 

those files into specialized formats for 

use by students who need accessible 

instructional materials (AIM). The files 

obtained from NIMAC may only be used 

for children with disabilities who are 

eligible under IDEA and meet the 

definition of blind or other persons with 

print disabilities in the Act to Provide 

Books for the Adult Blind (2 U.S.C. 

135a), which establishes eligibility 

criteria for individuals served by the 

Library of Congress (LOC) regulations 

(36 CFR 701.6(b)(1)). These eligibility 

criteria cover individuals who are blind, 

have other visual disabilities, are unable 

to read or use standard print as a result 

of physical limitations, or have reading 

disabilities resulting from organic 

dysfunction. The regulations 

implementing Part B of IDEA require 

SEAs and LEAs to ensure that children 

with disabilities who need instructional 

materials in accessible formats, but are 

not included under the LOC definition 

of blind or other persons with print 

disabilities or who need materials that 

cannot be produced from NIMAS files 

obtained through NIMAC, receive those 

instructional materials in a timely 

manner (34 CFR 300.172(b)(3) and 

300.210(b)(3)). 

The Office of Special Education 

Programs (OSEP) funded the NIMAS TA 

Center (http://www.nimas.cast.org) in 

September 2004 to support the 

implementation of NIMAS-related 

requirements and to provide technical 

assistance (TA) and information to 

SEAs, LEAs, and other stakeholders in 

the preparation, delivery, and 

conversion of NIMAS file sets. However, 

the NIMAS TA Center targeted its efforts 

on addressing the need for AIM for 

children eligible under LOC regulations. 

A recent national survey of States found 

that the implementation of NIMAS is 

underway within States, but that States 

have encountered difficulty in 

developing and implementing unified 

distribution systems for AIM to serve 

the needs of all children with 

disabilities (Project Forum, 2007). SEAs 

and LEAs need sustained TA to provide 

high-quality materials in a timely 

manner and to improve their 

distribution systems because of the 

complexity of developing and 

implementing a unified distribution 

system that is responsive to IDEA 

requirements, the LOC criteria for 

eligibility, and section 121 of the 

Copyright Act.1 State systems must 

address simultaneously the concerns of 

multiple participants in the system, 

including students and families, 

teachers, local schools, SEAs and LEAs, 

educational publishers, software 

developers, accessible media producers 

(AMPs), and distributors. Continued TA 

can help States develop efficient State 

distribution systems so that all children 

with disabilities receive AIM in a timely 

manner. 

Priority: The purpose of this priority 

is to fund a cooperative agreement to 

support the establishment and operation 

of a national center on AIM (Center). 

The Center will provide TA to SEAs, 

LEAs, and other stakeholders: (1) To 

improve the implementation of NIMAS; 

and (2) to develop and implement 

unified distribution systems in SEAs 

that will improve the timely delivery of 

high-quality AIM to all children with 

disabilities who need instructional 

materials in accessible formats. 

To be considered for funding under 

this absolute priority, applicants must 

meet the application requirements 

contained in this priority. Any project 

funded under this absolute priority also 

must meet the programmatic and 

administrative requirements specified in 

the priority. 

Application Requirements 

An applicant must include in its 

application— 

(a) A logic model that depicts, at a 

minimum, the goals, activities, outputs, 

and outcomes of the proposed project. A 

logic model communicates how a 

project will achieve its outcomes and 


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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 105 / Wednesday, June 3, 2009 / Notices 26657 

provides a framework for both the 

formative and summative evaluations of 

the project; 

Note: The following Web site provides 

more information on logic models and lists 

multiple online resources: http:// 

www.cdc.gov/eval/resources.htm. 

(b) A plan to implement the activities 

described in the Project Activities 

section of this priority; 

(c) A plan, linked to the proposed 

project’s logic model, for a formative 

evaluation of the proposed project’s 

activities. The plan must describe how 

the formative evaluation will use clear 

performance objectives to ensure 

continuous improvement in the 

operation of the proposed project, 

including objective measures of progress 

in implementing the project and 

ensuring the quality of products and 

services; 

(d) A budget for a summative 

evaluation to be conducted by an 

independent third party; 

(e) A budget for attendance at the 

following: 

(1) A one and one-half day kick-off 

meeting to be held in Washington, DC, 

within four weeks after receipt of the 

award, and an annual planning meeting 

held in Washington, DC, with the OSEP 

Project Officer during each subsequent 

year of the project period. 

(2) A three-day Project Directors’ 

Conference in Washington, DC, during 

each year of the project period. 

(3) A four-day Technical Assistance 

and Dissemination Conference in 

Washington, DC, during each year of the 

project period. 

(4) A one-day trip annually to attend 

Department briefings, Departmentsponsored conferences, and other 

meetings, as requested by OSEP; and 

(f) A line item in the proposed budget 

for an annual set-aside of five percent of 

the grant amount to support emerging 

needs that are consistent with the 

proposed project’s activities, as those 

needs are identified in consultation 

with OSEP. 

Note: With approval from the OSEP Project 

Officer, the Center must reallocate any 

remaining funds from this annual set-aside 

no later than the end of the third quarter of 

each budget period. 

Project Activities 

To meet the requirements of this 

priority, the Center, at a minimum, must 

conduct the following activities: 

Knowledge Development Activities 

(a) Identify and document current 

approaches used by SEAs and LEAs, 

where appropriate, for developing and 

implementing efficient, unified 

distribution systems for the delivery of 

AIM to all children with disabilities 

who require instructional materials 

produced in accessible formats. This 

activity should occur during the first 

year of the project. 

(b) Describe in detail the necessary 

components of efficient, unified 

distribution systems for the delivery of 

AIM in a timely manner. These 

components must include but are not 

limited to the following: 

(1) Implementation of tracking 

systems that provide for digital rights 

management and measure timely 

delivery. 

(2) Coordination with textbook 

adoption authorities and assistive 

technology projects within SEAs. 

(3) Utilization of existing general 

education distribution systems, resource 

centers, and professional development 

systems. This knowledge development 

activity should occur during the first 

and second years of the project. 

Technical Assistance and Dissemination 

Activities 

(a) Work directly with SEAs to ensure 

that distribution systems are highquality and deliver AIM in a timely 

manner to children with disabilities. To 

address this requirement the Center 

must— 

(1) Work directly with a minimum of 

ten States to assist the SEAs in 

developing and implementing a plan to 

develop a unified distribution system or 

improve their existing distribution 

system for AIM; 

(2) Develop and coordinate a national 

TA network comprised of a cadre of 

experts that the Center will use to 

provide TA to SEAs, LEAs, and other 

stakeholders to develop a unified 

distribution system or improve their 

existing State distribution systems for 

the delivery of AIM to children with 

disabilities; and 

(3) Disseminate information to SEAs 

and LEAs about improving the timely 

delivery of AIM and increasing the 

quantity and improving the quality of 

commercially available AIM through 

their print instructional materials 

adoption processes, procurement 

contracts, or other practices or 

instruments used for purchase of print 

instructional materials (34 CFR 

300.172(c)). 

(4) Disseminate information to SEAs 

and LEAs on developing and 

implementing a unified distribution 

system that is responsive to IDEA 

requirements, the LOC criteria for 

eligibility, and section 121 of the 

Copyright Act. 

(b) Provide a continuum of general TA 

and dissemination (TA&D) activities, 

(e.g., managing Web sites, listservs, and 

communities of practice, and holding 

training institutes) to assist SEAs— 

(1) In developing and implementing 

quality indicators of their distribution 

systems that: Define high-quality AIM, 

describe the State definition of ‘‘timely 

manner’’ (34 CFR 300.172(a)(2)) and use 

that definition to assess whether 

children who need AIM receive these 

materials in a timely manner, identify 

elements that support an efficient flow 

of materials in the distribution system, 

and use effective protocols for digital 

rights management; 

(2) In providing exemplars and other 

information to publishers, AMPs, and 

other stakeholders on the use of NIMAS 

(e.g., in support for Scalable Vector 

Graphics (SVG) and Mathematical 

Markup Language (MathML)). The 

following Web sites provide information 

on SVG and MathML: http:// 

www.w3.org/Graphics/SVG and 

www.w3.org/Math; and 

(3) To the maximum extent possible, 

in meeting their obligation to work 

collaboratively with the State agency 

responsible for assistive technology 

programs (34 CFR 300.172(d); 20 U.S.C. 

1412(a)(23)(D)). 

(c) Prepare and disseminate reports, 

documents, practice guides, and other 

materials on the implementation of 

State distribution systems for the 

delivery of AIM, the quality indicators 

related to an effective distribution 

system, the use of AIM, and related 

topics, as requested by OSEP, for 

specific audiences, including parents, 

teachers, textbook selection committees, 

and SEA administrators. 

(d) Maintain a Web site that meets 

government or industry-recognized 

standards for accessibility and that links 

to the Web site operated by the 

Technical Assistance Coordination 

Center (TACC). 

Leadership and Coordination Activities 

(a) On an annual basis, compile and 

share data, in collaboration with other 

currently funded OSEP centers, on the 

implementation of NIMAS. To complete 

this activity, the Center must— 

(1) Review and summarize NIMASrelated data from sources such as IDEA 

State Annual Performance Reports 

(APRs) and the updated State 

Performance Plans (SPPs). The 

following Web site provides more 

information on APRs and SPPs: http:// 

www.rrfcnetwork.org/content/view/409/ 

47/; 

(2) Prepare a summary report 

annually on the status of the 

implementation of NIMAS and 

disseminate the findings of the 


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summary report to OSEP, SEAs, LEAs, 

and other stakeholders; and 

(3) Provide recommendations to OSEP 

on the most meaningful and useful ways 

to analyze and aggregate the data 

reported by States on IDEA Part B 

indicators relevant to NIMAS 

implementation at the national level. 

The following Web site provides more 

information on the SEAs’ adoption of 

NIMAS: http://www.ed.gov/policy/ 

speced/guid/idea/monitor/nimac.html. 

(b) Establish and maintain an advisory 

committee to review the activities and 

outcomes of the Center and provide 

programmatic support and advice 

throughout the project period. At a 

minimum, the advisory committee must 

meet on an annual basis and must 

include: SEA and LEA personnel 

involved with the distribution of AIM, 

textbook adoption personnel, 

individuals with disabilities or parents 

of children with disabilities, OSEPfunded technology grants that relate to 

NIMAS and that improve results for 

children with disabilities, and other 

stakeholders and project directors of 

Department-funded centers that relate to 

the implementation of NIMAS 

requirements. The Center must submit 

the names of the proposed members of 

the advisory committee to OSEP for 

approval within eight weeks after 

receipt of the award. 

(c) Communicate and collaborate with 

currently funded OSEP projects 

including NIMAC; Bookshare.org for 

Education; Recording for the Blind & 

Dyslexic; the NIMAS center (which 

OSEP intends to fund in FY 2009); and 

TACC. This collaboration could include 

the joint development of products, the 

coordination of TA services, and the 

planning and carrying out of TA 

meetings and events, including the 

convening of an annual meeting of these 

projects to ensure a well-designed 

national distribution system for SEAs 

and LEAs and to reduce duplication of 

effort and improve the delivery time for 

specialized formats. 

(d) Communicate and collaborate with 

postsecondary groups to help facilitate 

coordinated efforts between the K–12 

and postsecondary AIM distribution 

systems, as appropriate. 

(e) Participate in, organize, or 

facilitate, as directed by OSEP, 

communities of practice (http:// 

www.tacommunities.org/) that are 

aligned with the Center’s objectives as a 

way to support discussions and 

collaboration among key stakeholders. 

(f) Prior to developing any new 

product, whether paper or electronic, 

submit to the OSEP Project Officer and 

the Proposed Product Advisory Board at 

OSEP’s TACC for approval, a proposal 

describing the content and purpose of 

the product. 

(g) Coordinate with the National 

Dissemination Center for Individuals 

with Disabilities to develop an efficient 

and high-quality dissemination strategy 

that reaches broad audiences. The 

Center must report to the OSEP Project 

Officer the outcomes of these 

coordination efforts. 

(h) Contribute, on an ongoing basis, 

updated information on the Center’s 

services to OSEP’s Technical Assistance 

and Dissemination Matrix (http:// 

matrix.rrfcnetwork.org/), which 

provides current information on 

Department-funded TA services to a 

range of stakeholders. 

(i) Conduct formative and summative 

evaluations of the Center that are 

aligned with the evaluation plan. These 

evaluations must examine the outcomes 

or impact of the Center’s activities in 

order to assess the effectiveness of those 

activities. These evaluations will be 

reported to OSEP at least annually in 

the case of the formative evaluation and 

at the end of the project period for the 

summative evaluation. 

(j) Maintain ongoing communication 

with the OSEP Project Officer through 

monthly phone conversations and email communication. Fourth and Fifth 

Years of the Project: In deciding 

whether to continue funding the Center 

for the fourth and fifth years, the 

Secretary will consider the requirements 

of 34 CFR 75.253(a), and in addition— 

(a) The recommendation of a review 

team consisting of experts selected by 

the Secretary. This review will be 

conducted during a one-day meeting in 

Washington, DC, that will be held 

during the last half of the second year 

of the project period. 

(b) The timeliness and effectiveness 

with which all requirements of the 

negotiated cooperative agreement have 

been or are being met by the Center; and 

(c) The quality, relevance, and 

usefulness of the Center’s activities and 

products, and the degree to which the 

Center’s activities and products have 

contributed to the development and 

improvement of State distribution 

systems for the efficient delivery of AIM 

for children with disabilities. 

References: 

Mueller, E. & Burdett, P. (2007). The National 

Instructional Materials Accessibility 

Standard (NIMAS): Current State 

Implementation. Project Forum: 

Alexandria, VA. 

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: 

Under the Administrative Procedure Act 

(APA) (5 U.S.C. 553), the Department 

generally offers interested parties the 

opportunity to comment on proposed 

priorities and requirements. Section 

681(d) of IDEA, however, makes the 

public comment requirements of the 

APA inapplicable to the priority in this 

notice. 

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1474 and 

1481. 

Applicable Regulations: The 

Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 

34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 

84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 

apply to all applicants except federally 

recognized Indian Tribes. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 

apply to institutions of higher education 

(IHEs) only. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Cooperative 

Agreement. 

Estimated Available Funds: 

$1,000,000. 

Contingent upon the availability of 

funds and the quality of applications, 

we may make additional awards in FY 

2010 from the list of unfunded 

applicants from this competition. 

Maximum Award: We will reject any 

application that proposes a budget 

exceeding $1,000,000 for a single budget 

period of 12 months. The Assistant 

Secretary for Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services may change the 

maximum amount through a notice 

published in the Federal Register. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 1. 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: Up to 60 months. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs; LEAs, 

including public charter schools that are 

considered LEAs under State law; IHEs; 

other public agencies; private nonprofit 

organizations; outlying areas; freely 

associated States; Indian Tribes or 

Tribal organizations; and for-profit 

organizations. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This 

competition does not require cost 

sharing or matching. 

3. Other: General Requirements—(a) 

The projects funded under this 

competition must make positive efforts 

to employ and advance in employment 

qualified individuals with disabilities 

(see section 606 of IDEA). 

(b) Applicants and grant recipients 

funded under this competition must 

involve individuals with disabilities or 

parents of individuals with disabilities 

ages birth through 26 in planning, 

implementing, and evaluating the 

projects (see section 682(a)(1)(A) of 

IDEA). 


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IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address to Request Application 

Package: Education Publications Center 

(ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 

20794–1398. Telephone, toll free: 1– 

877–433–7827. FAX: (301) 470–1244. If 

you use a telecommunications device 

for the deaf (TDD), call, toll free: 1–877– 

576–7734. 

You can contact ED Pubs at its Web 

site, also: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/ 

edpubs.html or at its e-mail address: 

edpubs@inet.ed.gov. 

If you request an application package 

from ED Pubs, be sure to identify this 

competition as follows: CFDA number 

84.327T. 

Individuals with disabilities can 

obtain a copy of the application package 

in an accessible format (e.g., braille, 

large print, audiotape, or computer 

diskette) by contacting the person or 

team listed under Accessible Format in 

section VIII of this notice. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission: Requirements concerning 

the content of an application, together 

with the forms you must submit, are in 

the application package for this 

competition. 

Page Limit: The application narrative 

(Part III of the application) is where you, 

the applicant, address the selection 

criteria that reviewers use to evaluate 

your application. You must limit the 

application narrative to the equivalent 

of no more than 50 pages, using the 

following standards: 

• A ‘‘page’’ is 8.5′′ x 11′′, on one side 

only, with 1′′ margins at the top, bottom, 

and both sides. 

• Double space (no more than three 

lines per vertical inch) all text in the 

application narrative, including titles, 

headings, footnotes, quotations, 

references, abstracts, and captions, as 

well as all text in charts, tables, figures, 

and graphs. 

• Use a font that is either 12 point or 

larger or no smaller than 10 pitch 

(characters per inch). 

The page limit does not apply to Part 

I, the cover sheet; Part II, the budget 

section, including the narrative budget 

justification; Part IV, the assurances and 

certifications; or the one-page abstract, 

the resumes, the bibliography, the 

references, or the letters of support. 

However, the page limit does apply to 

all of the application narrative section 

(Part III). 

We will reject your application if you 

exceed the page limit or if you apply 

other standards and exceed the 

equivalent of the page limit. 

3. Submission Dates and Times: 

Applications Available: June 3, 2009. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: July 6, 2009. 

Applications for grants under this 

competition may be submitted 

electronically using the Electronic Grant 

Application System (e-Application) 

accessible through the Department’s 

e-Grants site, or in paper format by mail 

or hand delivery. For information 

(including dates and times) about how 

to submit your application 

electronically, or in paper format by 

mail or hand delivery, please refer to 

section IV. 6. Other Submission 

Requirements of this notice. 

We do not consider an application 

that does not comply with the deadline 

requirements. 

Individuals with disabilities who 

need an accommodation or auxiliary aid 

in connection with the application 

process should contact the person listed 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT in section VII of this notice. If 

the Department provides an 

accommodation or auxiliary aid to an 

individual with a disability in 

connection with the application 

process, the individual’s application 

remains subject to all other 

requirements and limitations in this 

notice. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: September 1, 2009. 

4. Intergovernmental Review: This 

competition is subject to Executive 

Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 

CFR part 79. Information about 

Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs under Executive Order 12372 

is in the application package for this 

competition. 

5. Funding Restrictions: We reference 

regulations outlining funding 

restrictions in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

6. Other Submission Requirements: 

Applications for grants under this 

competition may be submitted 

electronically or in paper format by mail 

or hand delivery. 

a. Electronic Submission of 

Applications 

If you choose to submit your 

application to us electronically, you 

must use e-Application, accessible 

through the Department’s e-Grants Web 

site at: http://e-grants.ed.gov. 

While completing your electronic 

application, you will be entering data 

online that will be saved into a 

database. You may not e-mail an 

electronic copy of a grant application to 

us. 

Please note the following: 

• Your participation in e-Application 

is voluntary. 

• You must complete the electronic 

submission of your grant application by 

4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on 

the application deadline date. 

E-Application will not accept an 

application for this competition after 

4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on 

the application deadline date. 

Therefore, we strongly recommend that 

you do not wait until the application 

deadline date to begin the application 

process. 

• The hours of operation of the eGrants Web site are 6:00 a.m. Monday 

until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday; and 6:00 

a.m. Thursday until 8:00 p.m. Sunday, 

Washington, DC time. Please note that, 

because of maintenance, the system is 

unavailable between 8:00 p.m. on 

Sundays and 6:00 a.m. on Mondays, and 

between 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and 

6:00 a.m. on Thursdays, Washington, 

DC time. Any modifications to these 

hours are posted on the e-Grants Web 

site. 

• You will not receive additional 

point value because you submit your 

application in electronic format, nor 

will we penalize you if you submit your 

application in paper format. 

• You must submit all documents 

electronically, including all information 

you typically provide on the following 

forms: the Application for Federal 

Assistance (SF 424), the Department of 

Education Supplemental Information for 

SF 424, Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs (ED 524), and all 

necessary assurances and certifications. 

You must attach any narrative sections 

of your application as files in a .DOC 

(document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF 

(Portable Document) format. If you 

upload a file type other than the three 

file types specified in this paragraph or 

submit a password protected file, we 

will not review that material. 

• Your electronic application must 

comply with any page limit 

requirements described in this notice. 

• Prior to submitting your electronic 

application, you may wish to print a 

copy of it for your records. 

• After you electronically submit 

your application, you will receive an 

automatic acknowledgment that will 

include a PR/Award number (an 

identifying number unique to your 

application). 

• Within three working days after 

submitting your electronic application, 

fax a signed copy of the SF 424 to the 

Application Control Center after 

following these steps: 

(1) Print SF 424 from e-Application. 

(2) The applicant’s Authorizing 

Representative must sign this form. 


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(3) Place the PR/Award number in the 

upper right hand corner of the hardcopy signature page of the SF 424. 

(4) Fax the signed SF 424 to the 

Application Control Center at (202) 

245–6272. 

• We may request that you provide us 

original signatures on other forms at a 

later date. 

Application Deadline Date Extension 

in Case of System Unavailability: If you 

are prevented from electronically 

submitting your application on the 

application deadline date because eApplication is unavailable, we will 

grant you an extension of one business 

day to enable you to transmit your 

application electronically, by mail, or by 

hand delivery. We will grant this 

extension if— 

(1) You are a registered user of eApplication and you have initiated an 

electronic application for this 

competition; and 

(2) (a) E–Application is unavailable 

for 60 minutes or more between the 

hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., 

Washington, DC time, on the 

application deadline date; or 

(b) E–Application is unavailable for 

any period of time between 3:30 p.m. 

and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, 

on the application deadline date. 

We must acknowledge and confirm 

these periods of unavailability before 

granting you an extension. To request 

this extension or to confirm our 

acknowledgment of any system 

unavailability, you may contact either 

(1) the person listed elsewhere in this 

notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) 

the e-Grants help desk at 1–888–336– 

8930. If e-Application is unavailable 

due to technical problems with the 

system and, therefore, the application 

deadline is extended, an e-mail will be 

sent to all registered users who have 

initiated an e-Application. 

Extensions referred to in this section 

apply only to the unavailability of eApplication. If e-Application is 

available, and, for any reason, you are 

unable to submit your application 

electronically or you do not receive an 

automatic acknowledgment of your 

submission, you may submit your 

application in paper format by mail or 

hand delivery in accordance with the 

instructions in this notice. 

b. Submission of Paper Applications by 

Mail 

If you submit your application in 

paper format by mail (through the U.S. 

Postal Service or a commercial carrier), 

you must mail the original and two 

copies of your application, on or before 

the application deadline date, to the 

Department at the following address: 

U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, Attention: 

(CFDA Number 84.327T), LBJ Basement 

Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20202–4260. 

You must show proof of mailing 

consisting of one of the following: 

(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service 

postmark. 

(2) A legible mail receipt with the 

date of mailing stamped by the U.S. 

Postal Service. 

(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or 

receipt from a commercial carrier. 

(4) Any other proof of mailing 

acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S. 

Department of Education. 

If you mail your application through 

the U.S. Postal Service, we do not 

accept either of the following as proof 

of mailing: 

(1) A private metered postmark. 

(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by 

the U.S. Postal Service. 

If your application is postmarked after 

the application deadline date, we will 

not consider your application. 

Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not 

uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before 

relying on this method, you should check 

with your local post office. 

c. Submission of Paper Applications by 

Hand Delivery 

If you submit your application in 

paper format by hand delivery, you (or 

a courier service) must deliver the 

original and two copies of your 

application by hand, on or before the 

application deadline date, to the 

Department at the following address: 

U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, Attention: 

(CFDA Number 84.327T), 550 12th 

Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center 

Plaza, Washington, DC 20202–4260. 

The Application Control Center 

accepts hand deliveries daily between 

8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, 

DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays, 

and Federal holidays. 

Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of 

Paper Applications: If you mail or hand 

deliver your application to the 

Department— 

(1) You must indicate on the envelope 

and—if not provided by the 

Department—in Item 11 of the SF 424 

the CFDA number, including suffix 

letter, if any, of the competition under 

which you are submitting your 

application; and 

(2) The Application Control Center 

will mail to you a notification of receipt 

of your grant application. If you do not 

receive this grant notification within 15 

business days from the application 

deadline date, you should call the U.S. 

Department of Education Application 

Control Center at (202) 245–6288. 

V. Application Review Information 

1. Selection Criteria: The selection 

criteria for this competition are from 34 

CFR 75.210 and are listed in the 

application package. 

2. Review and Selection Process: In 

the past, the Department has had 

difficulty finding peer reviewers for 

certain competitions because so many 

individuals who are eligible to serve as 

peer reviewers have conflicts of interest. 

The Standing Panel requirements under 

IDEA also have placed additional 

constraints on the availability of 

reviewers. Therefore, the Department 

has determined that, for some 

discretionary grant competitions, 

applications may be separated into two 

or more groups and ranked and selected 

for funding within the specific groups. 

This procedure will make it easier for 

the Department to find peer reviewers 

by ensuring that greater numbers of 

individuals who are eligible to serve as 

reviewers for any particular group of 

applicants will not have conflicts of 

interest. It also will increase the quality, 

independence, and fairness of the 

review process while permitting panel 

members to review applications under 

discretionary grant competitions for 

which they also have submitted 

applications. However, if the 

Department decides to select an equal 

number of applications in each group 

for funding, this may result in different 

cut-off points for fundable applications 

in each group. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

1. Award Notices: If your application 

is successful, we notify your U.S. 

Representative and U.S. Senators and 

send you a Grant Award Notification 

(GAN). We may notify you informally, 

also. 

If your application is not evaluated or 

not selected for funding, we notify you. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements: We identify 

administrative and national policy 

requirements in the application package 

and reference these and other 

requirements in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

We reference the regulations outlining 

the terms and conditions of an award in 

the Applicable Regulations section of 

this notice and include these and other 

specific conditions in the GAN. The 

GAN also incorporates your approved 

application as part of your binding 

commitments under the grant. 

3. Reporting: At the end of your 

project period, you must submit a final 


PWALKER on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 105 / Wednesday, June 3, 2009 / Notices 26661 

performance report, including financial 

information, as directed by the 

Secretary. If you receive a multi-year 

award, you must submit an annual 

performance report that provides the 

most current performance and financial 

expenditure information as directed by 

the Secretary under 34 CFR 75.118. The 

Secretary may also require more 

frequent performance reports under 34 

CFR 75.720(c). For specific 

requirements on reporting, please go to 

http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/ 

appforms/appforms.html. 

4. Performance Measures: Under the 

Government Performance and Results 

Act of 1993 (GPRA), the Department has 

established a set of performance 

measures, including long-term 

measures, that are designed to yield 

information on various aspects of the 

effectiveness and quality of the 

Technology and Media Services for 

Individuals with Disabilities program. 

These measures focus on the extent to 

which projects provide high–quality 

products and services, are relevant to 

improving outcomes for children with 

disabilities, and contribute to improving 

outcomes for children with disabilities. 

We will collect data on these measures 

from the project funded under this 

competition. 

The grantee will be required to report 

information on its project’s performance 

in annual reports to the Department (34 

CFR 75.590). 

VII. Agency Contact 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Michael Slade, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

room 4175, Potomac Center Plaza (PCP), 

Washington, DC 20202–2550. 

Telephone: (202) 245–7527. 

If you use a TDD, call the Federal 

Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1–800– 

877–8339. 

VIII. Other Information 

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 computer diskette) 

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: 

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. 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.gpoaccess.gov/nara/ 

index.html. 

Delegation of Authority: The Secretary 

of Education has delegated authority to 

Andrew J. Pepin, Executive 

Administrator for the Office of Special 

Education and Rehabilitative Services to 

perform the functions of the Assistant 

Secretary for Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services. 

Dated: May 28, 2009. 

Andrew J. Pepin, 

Executive Administrator for Special 

Education and Rehabilitative Services. 

[FR Doc. E9–12903 Filed 6–2–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services; Overview 

Information; Technology and Media 

Services for Individuals With 

Disabilities—National Instructional 

Materials Accessibility Standard 

(NIMAS); Notice Inviting Applications 

for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 

2009 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.327P. 

DATES: 

Applications Available: June 3, 2009. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: July 6, 2009. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: September 1, 2009. 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The purposes of 

the Technology and Media Services for 

Individuals with Disabilities program 

are to: (1) Improve results for children 

with disabilities by promoting the 

development, demonstration, and use of 

technology; (2) support educational 

media services activities designed to be 

of educational value in the classroom 

setting to children with disabilities; and 

(3) provide support for captioning and 

video description of educational 

materials that are appropriate for use in 

the classroom setting. 

Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 

75.105(b)(2)(v), this priority is from 

allowable activities specified in the 

statute or otherwise authorized in the 

statute (see sections 674 and 681(d) of 

the Individuals with Disabilities 

Education Act (IDEA), 20 U.S.C. 1474 

and 1481(d)). 

Absolute Priority: For FY 2009 and 

any subsequent year in which we make 

awards from the list of unfunded 

applicants from this competition, this 

priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 

CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only 

applications that meet this priority. 

This priority is: 

Technology and Media Services for 

Individuals With Disabilities—NIMAS. 

Background: The National 

Instructional Materials Accessibility 

Standard (NIMAS) was established by 

the Secretary of Education, pursuant to 

sections 612(a)(23)(A) and 674(e)(4) of 

IDEA, for publishers to create electronic 

files that can be used by States and 

accessible media producers (AMPs) to 

produce accessible versions of print 

instructional materials. Publishers must 

apply NIMAS in the production of 

electronic file sets for all print 

instructional materials, as defined in 

section 674(e)(3)(C) of IDEA (20 U.S.C. 

1474(e)(3)(C)), published after July 19, 

2006. The purpose of this requirement 

is to ensure that publishers use a 

common standard to create electronic 

files that facilitate the production of 

accurate and reliable accessible versions 

of instructional materials. The goal is to 

help increase the quality, availability, 

and timely delivery of print 

instructional materials in accessible 

formats to children in elementary and 

secondary schools who are blind or who 

have print disabilities. 

The Department of Education 

(Department) funded the NIMAS 

Development Center in September 2004 

and charged it with providing 

recommendations to the Department on 

revisions and updates to the technical 

specifications of NIMAS. These updates 

were needed to ensure that NIMAS 

remained current with technological 

advances, was consistent with updates 

to the Digital Accessible Information 

System (DAISY) specification (DAISY is 

a worldwide standard for digital talking 

books), and addressed concerns that 

were identified during the 

implementation of NIMAS. The NIMAS 

Development Center also has developed 

technical clarification documents, 

conducted training and presentations, 

and contributed to the development of 

production and workflow models for 

publishers, distributors, AMPs, States, 

and local educational agencies (LEAs). 

Foremost among the NIMAS 


PWALKER on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES