§ 316.10 - What activities may the Secretary fund?

(a) Parent training and information centers assisted under § 316.3(a) must assist parents to—

(1) Better understand the nature and needs of the disabling conditions of their children with disabilities;

(2) Provide follow-up support for the educational programs of their children with disabilities;

(3) Communicate more effectively with special and regular educators, administrators, related services personnel, and other relevant professionals;

(4) Participate fully in educational decisionmaking processes, including the development of the individualized education program, for a child with a disability;

(5) Obtain information about the range of options, programs, services, and resources available at the national, State, and local levels to children with disabilities and their families; and

(6) Understand the provisions for educating children with disabilities under the Act.

(b) Experimental urban centers under § 316.3(b) must serve large numbers of parents of children with disabilities located in high density areas, and experimental rural centers under § 316.3(b) must serve large numbers of parents of children with disabilities located in rural areas. The centers may focus on particular aspects of parent training and information services, including but not limited to those activities required under § 316.10(a). Experimental projects may include a planning and development phase.

(1) Experimental urban centers may concentrate on neighborhoods within a city or focus on specific unserved groups. They may serve an entire city or concentrate on a specific area or ethnic group within a city.

(2) Experimental rural centers may serve a large, sparsely populated area. Projects may identify specific methods, including use of technology and telecommunications, to reach these parents.

(c) The technical assistance to parent programs under § 316.3(c) includes technical assistance for establishing, developing, and coordinating parent training and information programs. Activities must include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) Determining national needs and identifying unserved regions and populations.

(2) Identifying the specific technical assistance needs of individual centers.

(3) Developing programs in unserved areas.

(4) Conducting annual meetings at national and regional levels.

(5) Identifying and coordinating national activities to serve parents of children with disabilities. This may include conferences, publications, and maintenance of documents and data relevant to parent programs.

(6) Dissemination of information through media, newsletters, computers, and written documentation.

(7) Cooperative activities with other projects and organizations on common goals.

(8) Evaluation, including determination of the impact of technical assistance activities, and evaluation assistance to centers.

(9) Management assistance to centers.

(10) Involvement of parent programs and the Department in identifying one or more substantive specialization areas.

(11) Acting as a resource to parent training programs in identified specialization areas such as transition, supported employment, early childhood, integration, and technology.