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Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)) or an institution
of higher education.’’.
Subtitle C—Professional Develop-
ment and Special Projects and
Demonstrations
SEC. 441. TRAINING.
Section 302 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29
U.S.C. 772) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(A) in paragraph (1)—
(i) in subparagraph (F), by striking
the ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon;
(ii) in subparagraph (G), by striking
the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’;
and
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing:
‘‘(H) personnel trained in providing assist-
ive technology services.’’; and
(B) in paragraph (4)(B), by striking ‘‘sec-
tion 134(c)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 121(e)’’;
(2) in subsection (b)(1)(B)(i), by striking ‘‘or
prosthetics and orthotics’’ and inserting ‘‘prosthetics
and orthotics, rehabilitation teaching for the blind, or
orientation and mobility instruction’’; and
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(3) in subsection (i), by striking ‘‘fiscal years
1999 through 2003’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal years 2006
through 2011’’.
SEC. 442. DEMONSTRATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMS.
Section 303 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29
U.S.C. 773) is amended—
(1) in subsection (b)(5)(A)(i), by striking ‘‘spe-
cial projects’’ and inserting ‘‘not less than 2 special
projects’’;
(2) by redesignating subsections (c), (d), and (e)
as subsections (h), (i), and (j), respectively;
(3) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol-
lowing:
‘‘(c) DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS FOR EMPLOYMENT
OF STUDENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES
OR
MENTAL ILLNESS.—
‘‘(1) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this subsection
is to support model demonstration projects to provide
supported and competitive employment experiences
for students with intellectual disabilities or students
with mental illness, and training for personnel that
work with students described in this paragraph, to
enable the students to gain employment skills and ex-
perience that will promote effective transitions from
school to postsecondary life, including employment.
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‘‘(2) AWARDS AUTHORIZED.—
‘‘(A) COMPETITIVE AWARDS AUTHORIZED.—
The Commissioner may award grants, contracts,
and cooperative agreements, on a competitive
basis, to eligible organizations described in para-
graph (3), to enable the organizations to carry
out demonstration projects described in para-
graph (1).
‘‘(B) DURATION.—The Commissioner shall
award grants, contracts, and cooperative agree-
ments under this subsection for periods of 3 to
5 years.
‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS.—To be eligible
to receive a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement
under this subsection, an organization shall—
‘‘(A) have expertise in providing employ-
ment and support services for individuals with
intellectual disabilities or individuals with men-
tal illness;
‘‘(B) have a proven track record in success-
fully running supported employment programs;
‘‘(C) provide employment services that are
exclusively integrated community-based sup-
ported employment services;
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‘‘(D) have expertise in creating natural sup-
ports for employment;
‘‘(E) have expertise in providing computer
training for the targeted population for the
project involved; and
‘‘(F) have experience operating mentoring
programs for the target population in middle
and high schools for at least a decade in diverse
communities throughout the Nation.
‘‘(4) APPLICATIONS.—Each organization desir-
ing to receive a grant, contract, or cooperative agree-
ment under this subsection shall submit an applica-
tion to the Commissioner at such time, in such man-
ner, and including such information as the Commis-
sioner may require. Each application shall include—
‘‘(A) a description of how the organization
plans to carry out the activities authorized in
this subsection through a demonstration project;
‘‘(B) a description of how the organization
will evaluate the project;
‘‘(C) a description of how the organization
will disseminate information about the activities
and the impact of the activities on the lives of
students served by the project; and
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‘‘(D) a description of how the organization
will coordinate activities with any other relevant
service providers in the locality where the orga-
nization is based, including federally supported
independent living centers.
‘‘(5) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—An organization
that receives a grant, contract, or cooperative agree-
ment under this subsection shall use the funds made
available through the grant, contract, or cooperative
agreement to carry out 1 or more of the following ac-
tivities for individuals, ages 14 through 21, who are
students with intellectual disabilities or students with
mental illness:
‘‘(A) PROVIDING SUPPORTED AND COMPETI-
TIVE EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCES.—The develop-
ment of innovative and effective supported and
competitive employment experiences after school,
on weekends, and in the summer, utilizing nat-
ural supports that lead to competitive high-pay-
ing jobs.
‘‘(B) PROVIDING TRAINING TO SCHOOL AND
TRANSITION PERSONNEL.—The development and
deployment of experts to work with transition
programs (including personnel working with stu-
dents on transition) so that personnel from the
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programs develop skills needed to train students
with intellectual disabilities or students with
mental illness to be successful in competitive em-
ployment in a range of settings, including office
settings. The training shall include training for
the personnel in providing instruction to stu-
dents in computer skills, office skills, interview
etiquette, and appropriate social behavior re-
quired for successful long-term employment in
professional environments.
‘‘(6) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out
this subsection $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2006 and
such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 2007
through 2011.
‘‘(d) DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FOR EMPLOYMENT OF
INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE DEAF AND LOW FUNCTIONING.—
‘‘(1) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this subsection
is to support a model demonstration project to pro-
vide training and employment and support services
for individuals who are deaf and low functioning to
enable them to gain employment skills that will allow
them to become employed and economically self-suffi-
cient.
‘‘(2) DEFINITION.—
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‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In this subsection, the
term ‘individual who is deaf and low func-
tioning’ means an individual who has been deaf
from birth or very early childhood, reads at or
below the second grade level, has little or no in-
telligible speech, and lacks a secondary school di-
ploma or its recognized equivalent.
‘‘(B) 
SECONDARY
DISABILITIES.—Such
term may include an individual with a sec-
ondary disability.
‘‘(3) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—
‘‘(A) COMPETITIVE GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—
The Commissioner may award grants to State
agencies, other public agencies or organizations,
or not-for-profit organizations with expertise in
providing training and employment and support
services for individuals who are deaf and low
functioning to support model demonstration
projects.
‘‘(B) DURATION.—Grants under this sub-
section shall be awarded for a period not to ex-
ceed 5 years.
‘‘(4) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—
‘‘(A) 
DEVELOPING
A
COMPREHENSIVE
TRAINING
PROGRAM.—Each 
grant 
recipient
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under this subsection shall develop an innova-
tive, comprehensive training program for indi-
viduals who are deaf and low functioning that
can be implemented at multiple training loca-
tions through such means as distance learning
and use of advanced technology, as appropriate.
Such training program shall be developed to
maximize the potential for replication of the pro-
gram by other training providers.
‘‘(B) IMPLEMENTATION.—Each grant re-
cipient under this subsection shall implement the
comprehensive training program developed under
subparagraph (A) as soon as feasible. Such
training shall provide instruction on the job and
the social skills necessary for successful long-term
employment of individuals who are deaf and low
functioning.
‘‘(C) ESTABLISHING A POST-TRAINING PRO-
GRAM
OF
EMPLOYMENT
AND
SUPPORT
SERV-
ICES.—Each grant recipient under this sub-
section shall implement employment and support
services to assist individuals who complete the
training program under subparagraph (A) in se-
curing employment and transitioning to the
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workplace, for a period of not less than 90 days
subsequent to placement in the employment.
‘‘(5) APPLICATIONS.—Each entity desiring to re-
ceive a grant under this subsection for a model dem-
onstration project shall submit an application to the
Commissioner at such time, in such manner, and ac-
companied by such information as the Commissioner
may require including—4
‘‘(A) a description of
how the applicant plans to address the activities au-
thorized under this subsection;
‘‘(B) a description of the evaluation plan to
be used in the model demonstration project;
‘‘(C) a description of how the applicant will
disseminate information about the training pro-
gram developed and the results of the project;
and
‘‘(D) a description of how the entity will co-
ordinate activities with any other relevant serv-
ice providers or entities providing training and
employment and support services for individuals
who are deaf and low functioning.
‘‘(6) MANDATED
EVALUATION
AND
DISSEMINA-
TION ACTIVITIES.—
‘‘(A) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 2
years after the date on which a grant under this
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subsection is awarded and annually thereafter,
the grant recipient shall submit to the Commis-
sioner a report containing information on—
‘‘(i) the number of individuals who are
participating in the demonstration project
funded under this subsection;
‘‘(ii) the employment and other skills
being taught in the project;
‘‘(iii) the number of individuals par-
ticipating in the project that are placed in
employment;
‘‘(iv) the job sites in which those indi-
viduals are placed and the type of jobs the
individuals are placed in; and
‘‘(v) the number of individuals who
have dropped out of the project and the rea-
sons for their terminating participation in
the project.
‘‘(B) EVALUATION OF THE PROJECT.—Each
grant recipient under this subsection shall imple-
ment the evaluation plan approved in its appli-
cation for determining the results of the project
within the timeframe specified in, and following
the provisions of, the approved application.