Source: https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=&mc=true&r=PART&n=pt34.2.396
Timestamp: 2020-07-16 16:03:44
Document Index: 448040981

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 396', 'ART 396', '§396', '§396', '§396', '§396', '§396', '§396', '§396', '§396', '§396', '§396', '§396', 'art 385', 'art 396', '§396', '§396']

Title 34 → Subtitle B → Chapter III → Part 396
PART 396—TRAINING OF INTERPRETERS FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING AND INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE DEAF-BLIND
§396.1 What is the Training of Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Individuals Who Are Deaf-Blind program?
§396.2 Who is eligible for an award?
§396.3 What regulations apply?
§396.4 What definitions apply?
§396.5 What activities may the Secretary fund?
§396.20 What must be included in an application?
Subpart D—How Does the Secretary Make an Award?
§396.30 How does the Secretary evaluate an application?
§396.31 What additional selection criteria are used under this program?
§396.32 What additional factors does the Secretary consider in making awards?
§396.33 What priorities does the Secretary apply in making awards?
§396.34 What are the matching requirements?
Authority: Sections 12(c) and 302(a) and (f) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; 29 U.S.C. 709(c) and 772(a) and (f), unless otherwise noted.
Source: 81 FR 55625, Aug. 19, 2016, unless otherwise noted.
The Training of Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Individuals Who Are Deaf-Blind program is designed to establish interpreter training programs or to provide financial assistance for ongoing interpreter programs to train a sufficient number of qualified interpreters throughout the country in order to meet the communication needs of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and individuals who are deaf-blind by—
(a) Training interpreters to effectively interpret and transliterate between spoken language and sign language and to transliterate between spoken language and oral or tactile modes of communication;
(b) Ensuring the maintenance of the interpreting skills of qualified interpreters; and
(c) Providing opportunities for interpreters to raise their skill level competence in order to meet the highest standards approved by certifying associations.
(Authority: Sections 12(c) and 302(a) and (f) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; 29 U.S.C. 709(c) and 772(a) and (f))
Public and private nonprofit agencies and organizations, including institutions of higher education, are eligible for assistance under this program.
(Authority: Section 302(f) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; 29 U.S.C. 772(f))
The following regulations apply to the Training of Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Individuals Who Are Deaf-Blind program:
(a) 34 CFR part 385 (Rehabilitation Training), sections—
(1) 385.3(a) and (d);
(2) 385.40 through 385.46; and
(b) The regulations under this part 396.
(Authority: Sections 12(c) and 302(f) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; 29 U.S.C. 709(c) and 772(f))
(a) Definitions in EDGAR. The following terms defined in 34 CFR 77.1 apply to this part:
(b) Definitions in the rehabilitation training regulations. The following terms defined in 34 CFR 385.4(b) apply to this part:
Existing program that has demonstrated its capacity for providing interpreter training services means an established program with—
(i) A record of training qualified interpreters who are serving the deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind communities; and
(ii) An established curriculum that uses evidence-based practices in the training of interpreters and promising practices when evidence-based practices are not available.
Individual who is deaf means an individual who, in order to communicate, depends primarily upon visual modes, such as sign language, speech reading, and gestures, or reading and writing.
Individual who is deaf-blind means an individual—
(i)(A) Who has a central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with corrective lenses, or a field defect such that the peripheral diameter of visual field subtends an angular distance no greater than 20 degrees, or a progressive visual loss having a prognosis leading to one or both of these conditions;
(C) For whom the combination of impairments described in paragraphs (i)(A) and (B) of this definition causes extreme difficulty in attaining independence in daily life activities, achieving psychosocial adjustment, or obtaining a vocation;
(ii) Who, despite the inability to be measured accurately for hearing and vision loss due to cognitive or behavioral constraints, or both, can be determined through functional and performance assessment to have severe hearing and visual disabilities that cause extreme difficulty in attaining independence in daily life activities, achieving psychosocial adjustment, or obtaining vocational objectives; or
(iii) Who meets any other requirements that the Secretary may prescribe.
Individual who is hard of hearing means an individual who, in order to communicate, needs to supplement auditory information by depending primarily upon visual modes, such as sign language, speech reading, and gestures, or reading and writing.
Interpreter for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing means a qualified professional who uses sign language skills, cued speech, or oral interpreting skills, as appropriate to the needs of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, to facilitate communication between individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and other individuals.
Interpreter for individuals who are deaf-blind means a qualified professional who uses tactile or other manual language or fingerspelling modes, as appropriate to the needs of individuals who are deaf-blind, to facilitate communication between individuals who are deaf-blind and other individuals.
Novice Interpreter means an interpreter who has graduated from an interpreter education program or enters the field through an alternate pathway, is at the start of his or her professional career with some level of proficiency in American Sign Language, and is working toward becoming a qualified professional.
Qualified professional means an individual who has—
(i) Met existing certification or evaluation requirements equivalent to the highest standards approved by certifying associations; and
(ii) Successfully demonstrated interpreting skills that reflect the highest standards approved by certifying associations through prior work experience.
Related agency means—
(i) An American Indian rehabilitation program; or
(ii) Any of the following agencies that provide services to individuals with disabilities under an agreement or other arrangement with a designated State agency in the area of specialty for which training is provided:
(A) A Federal, State, or local agency.
(C) A professional corporation or professional practice group.
(Authority: Sections 12(c) and 302(f) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended and Section 206 of Pub. L. 98-221; 29 U.S.C. 709(c) and 772(f) and 29 U.S.C 1905)
The Secretary may award grants to public or private nonprofit agencies or organizations, including institutions of higher educations, to provide assistance for establishment of interpreter training programs or for projects that provide training in interpreting skills for persons preparing to serve, and persons who are already serving, as interpreters for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, and as interpreters for individuals who are deaf-blind in public and private agencies, schools, and other service-providing institutions.
Each applicant shall include in the application—
(a) A description of the manner in which the proposed interpreter training program will be developed and operated during the five-year period following the award of the grant;
(b) A description of the communication needs for training interpreters for the population(s) or in the geographical area(s) to be served by the project;
(c) A description of the applicant's capacity or potential for providing training of interpreters for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and interpreters for individuals who are deaf-blind that is evidence-based, and based on promising practices when evidence-based practices are not available;
(d) An assurance that any interpreter trained or retrained under this program shall meet those standards of competency for a qualified professional, that the Secretary may establish;
(e) An assurance that the project shall cooperate or coordinate its activities, as appropriate, with the activities of other projects funded under this program;
(f) The descriptions required in 34 CFR 385.45 with regard to the training of individuals with disabilities, including those from minority groups, for rehabilitation careers; and
(Authority: Sections 12(c), 21(c), and 302(f) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; 29 U.S.C. 709(c), 718(c), and 772(f))
(b) The Secretary evaluates each application using selection criteria in §396.31.
In addition to the criteria in 34 CFR 396.30(c), the Secretary uses the following additional selection criterion to evaluate an application. The Secretary reviews each application to determine the extent to which—
(a) The proposed interpreter training project was developed in consultation with State Vocational Rehabilitation agencies and their related agencies and consumers;
(b) The training is appropriate to the needs of both individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and individuals who are deaf-blind and to the needs of public and private agencies that provide services to either individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing or individuals who are deaf-blind in the geographical area to be served by the training project;
(c) Any curricula for the training of interpreters includes evidence-based practices and promising practices when evidence-based practices are not available;
(d) There is a working relationship between the interpreter training project and State Vocational Rehabilitation agencies and their related agencies, and consumers; and
(e) There are opportunities for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and individuals who are deaf-blind to provide input regarding the design and management of the training project.
In addition to the selection criteria listed in §396.31 and 34 CFR 75.210, the Secretary, in making awards under this part, considers the geographical distribution of projects throughout the country, as appropriate, in order to best carry out the purposes of this program. To accomplish this, the Secretary may in any fiscal year make awards of regional or national scope.
(a) The Secretary, in making awards under this part, gives priority to public or private nonprofit agencies or organizations, including institutions of higher education, with existing programs that have demonstrated their capacity for providing interpreter training.
(b) In announcing competitions for grants and contracts, the Secretary may give priority consideration to—
(1) Increasing the skill level of interpreters for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and individuals who are deaf-blind in unserved or underserved populations or in unserved or underserved geographic areas;
(2) Existing programs that have demonstrated their capacity for providing interpreter training services that raise the skill level of interpreters in order to meet the highest standards approved by certifying associations; and
(3) Specialized topical training based on the communication needs of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and individuals who are deaf-blind.
(Authority: Sections 12(c) and 302(f)(1)(C) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; 29 U.S.C. 709(c) and 772(f)(1)(C))
(Authority: Section 12(c) and 302(f) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; 29 U.S.C. 709(c) and 772(f))