94-8219. National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research; Notice DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION  

  • [Federal Register Volume 59, Number 66 (Wednesday, April 6, 1994)]
    [Unknown Section]
    [Page 0]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 94-8219]
    
    
    [[Page Unknown]]
    
    [Federal Register: April 6, 1994]
    
    
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    Part XIII
    
    
    
    
    
    Department of Education
    
    
    
    
    
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    National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research; Notice
    DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
    
     
    National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
    
    AGENCY: Department of Education.
    
    ACTION: Notice of Proposed Funding Priorities for Fiscal Years 1994-
    1995 for the Knowledge Dissemination and Utilization Program.
    
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    SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes funding priorities for the Knowledge 
    Dissemination and Utilization (D&U) Program under the National 
    Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) for fiscal 
    years 1994-1995. The Secretary takes this action to ensure that 
    rehabilitation knowledge generated from projects and centers funded by 
    NIDRR and others is utilized fully to improve the lives of individuals 
    with disabilities and their families.
    
    DATES: Comments must be received on or before May 6, 1994.
    
    ADDRESSES: All comments concerning these proposed priorities should be 
    addressed to David Esquith, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland 
    Avenue, SW., Switzer Building, room 3424, Washington, DC 20202-2601.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Esquith. Telephone: (202) 205-
    8801. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf 
    (TDD) may call the TDD number at (202) 205-5516.
    
    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice contains six proposed priorities 
    under the D&U program. These proposed priorities would train persons 
    with rights and duties under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). 
    The six proposed priority areas are:
        (1) Independent living centers;
        (2) Family organizations;
        (3) School districts;
        (4) State and local ADA coordinators and policymakers;
        (5) Hispanics with rights and duties under the ADA whose 
    proficiency in English is limited; and
        (6) Standards for accessible design.
        Authority for the D&U program is contained in sections 202(b)(2) 
    and 204(a) and 204(b)(6) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended 
    (29 U.S.C. 760-762). Under this program the Secretary makes awards to 
    public and private organizations, including institutions of higher 
    education and Indian tribes or tribal organizations. Under the 
    regulations for this program (see 34 CFR 355.32), the Secretary may 
    establish priorities by reserving funds to support particular 
    activities.
        These proposed priorities support the National Education Goals. 
    National Education Goal 5 calls for all Americans to possess the 
    knowledge and skills necessary to compete in a global economy and 
    exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
        The Secretary will announce the final funding priorities in a 
    notice in the Federal Register. The final priorities will be determined 
    by responses to this notice, available funds, and other considerations 
    of the Department. Funding of particular projects depends on the final 
    priorities, the availability of funds, and the quality of the 
    applications received. The publication of these proposed priorities 
    does not preclude the Secretary from proposing additional priorities, 
    nor does it limit the Secretary to funding only these priorities, 
    subject to meeting applicable rulemaking requirements.
    
        Note: This notice of proposed priorities does not solicit 
    applications. A notice inviting applications under these 
    competitions will be published in the Federal Register concurrent 
    with or following publication of the notice of final priorities.
    
    General
    
        Unless indicated otherwise in the proposed priority, the Secretary 
    proposes that the following requirements apply to the training 
    projects:
        Applicants for the training projects must identify the target 
    groups and organizations that will be selected for training as 
    specified in each of the priorities and describe in detail how the 
    project will schedule and provide training during national, regional, 
    State, or local conferences and meetings of the selected organizations. 
    Applicants must demonstrate knowledge of the extent to which the target 
    groups and organizations have received prior training on the ADA.
        Applicants for training projects must describe how the project will 
    utilize a variety of training methods and deliver training in formats 
    and styles that are accessible to individuals with a range of sensory, 
    communication, cognitive, and learning disabilities.
        Applicants for training projects must describe the training 
    materials that the project will develop as well as identify existing 
    training materials that the project will use.
        Applicants must establish a timetable for beginning training 
    activities and demonstrate that key staff and facilities will be 
    available in order to achieve a comprehensive nationwide program within 
    the period of the project.
        The training project must consult with each of NIDRR's regional 
    Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTACs) during 
    the development of its schedule of training activities. To the maximum 
    extent feasible, the training project must conduct its training 
    activities in collaboration with each of the DBTACs.
        The training project must develop two schedules of regional 
    training activities. The first schedule of training activities must be 
    finalized and training must begin within six months after the award of 
    the grant. The second schedule must be finalized within eighteen months 
    after the award of the grant. The training project must carry out its 
    training activities as equitably as possible across and within each 
    region of the country.
        The training project must have a staff with expertise on the ADA 
    and training, and carry out its training activities using those staff 
    persons. The training project must not rely primarily on subcontractors 
    to carry out its training activities.
        The training project must include individuals with disabilities or 
    their family members or representatives to the maximum extent possible 
    in all phases of the project's activities.
        The training project must submit final drafts of the training 
    materials it produces to NIDRR for review of their legal sufficiency. 
    The training project must submit monthly status reports on its training 
    activities through NIDRR's ADA Technical Assistance Coordination 
    Contract to NIDRR. Each training project must submit its final report 
    to the National Rehabilitation Information Center clearinghouse.
        The training project must cooperate with other Federal agencies 
    that provide technical assistance and training on the ADA, such as the 
    Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Department of 
    Justice (DOJ), and the Architectural and Transportation Barriers 
    Compliance Board (ATBCB).
    
    Priority
    
        Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) the Secretary proposes to give an 
    absolute preference to applications that meet the following priorities. 
    The Secretary proposes to fund under this program only applications 
    that meet these absolute priorities:
    
    Proposed Priorities--Americans With Disabilities Act Training Projects
    
    Background
        Public Law 101-336, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 
    which was enacted on July 26, 1990, prohibits discrimination against 
    individuals with disabilities in employment, public accommodations, 
    transportation, State and local government services, and 
    telecommunications. In 1991 NIDRR established an ADA technical 
    assistance program made up of ten regional Disability and Business 
    Technical Assistance Centers (DBTACs--previously, Disability and 
    Business Accommodation Centers), two national training projects, three 
    materials development projects, and an ADA technical assistance 
    coordination contract. The two national training projects addressed the 
    needs of persons affiliated with independent living centers and peer 
    and family networks. These training projects' which were awarded for 
    three years, will complete their activities in fiscal year (FY) 1994.
        For FY 1994 Congress provided NIDRR with additional funding which 
    it directed be used ``for training activities related to the 
    implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act'' (1994 Senate 
    Appropriations Committee Report, p. 207). In accordance with this 
    congressional directive, NIDRR proposes to establish six new training 
    projects that will be supported by the additional funding that Congress 
    provided as well as by existing NIDRR funds. The training projects will 
    enhance the capacity of those with rights and duties under the ADA to 
    facilitate its implementation.
        NIDRR has consulted with a range of relevant Federal agencies, 
    including, but not limited to, DOJ, EEOC, the Architectural and 
    Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (ATBCB), the Department of 
    Transportation, and the National Council on Disability, as well as 
    representatives from disability organizations, to develop responsive 
    and meaningful training projects that will complement the planned 
    efforts of other public and private agencies. These priorities were 
    developed on the basis of these consultations and relevant information 
    from NIDRR projects, including the ADA technical assistance projects. 
    NIDRR intends to continue to coordinate activities under this program 
    with other Federal agencies and with other public and private 
    initiatives to implement the ADA.
    
    Proposed Priority 1: ADA Training for Independent Living Centers
    
    Background
        The more than 400 Independent Living Centers (ILCs) in the United 
    States emphasize consumer control and peer services. These ILCs have a 
    strong incentive to promote the successful implementation of the ADA. 
    ILCs serve as resources not only to persons with disabilities in their 
    communities, but also to individuals and entities with responsibilities 
    under the Act.
        Preliminary results from a survey conducted by the Independent 
    Living Research Utilization Program (ILRU) of persons associated with 
    ILCs from around the country indicate that knowledge concerning 
    specific sections of the ADA is not high, even among persons who have a 
    direct interest in effective ADA implementation. Initial analysis of 
    these data suggests that a lack of training opportunities and high-
    turnover among the staff who are trained are factors in the current 
    level of knowledge of persons associated with ILCs.
        Some ILCs have had opportunities to participate in ADA training 
    activities sponsored by Federal agencies, and many ILCs have developed 
    into sophisticated community resources on the ADA. Training projects 
    for the ILCs have generally taken the form of an ILC sending a 
    representative to attend an intensive ADA training session over a 
    number of days. This approach has some limitations in terms of impact 
    due to the high turnover of ILC staff and multiple or shifting work 
    responsibilities in the ILC.
        Other ILCs, due in large part to their size or location, have not 
    had ADA training opportunities sponsored by Federal agencies. This 
    group of ILCs is the primary target audience for this training project. 
    The secondary target group for the training project is composed of 
    those ILCs who have lost their ADA-trained staff person. The project is 
    intended to enable both of these groups of ILCs to become experts on 
    the ADA so that their staff, associates and volunteers can answer 
    technical questions, advise individuals on their rights or 
    responsibilities, make referrals, increase awareness of the ADA in 
    their community, and conduct ADA training activities for covered 
    entities in their community.
    Proposed Priority
        An ADA training project for ILCs shall--
         Identify and select for training, ILCs that have either 
    not received training from a NIDRR, EEOC, or DOJ ADA project, or lost 
    their staff representative who was trained by a NIDRR, EEOC, or DOJ 
    project;
         Develop a strategy and schedule for training as many of 
    these ILCs as possible using a variety of approaches, including, but 
    not limited to, on-site training, regional, State, and local meetings, 
    teleconferences, and audioconferences;
         Utilizing existing federally-approved materials to the 
    maximum extent appropriate, develop an array of training materials and 
    activities that vary in length and content in order to accommodate the 
    information and scheduling needs of selected organizations;
         Provide training to staff, associates, and volunteers from 
    each selected ILC in order to enable them to answer technical questions 
    on the ADA, advise individuals or entities on their rights or 
    responsibilities, make referrals, increase awareness of the ADA in 
    their community, and conduct ADA training activities for covered 
    entities in their community;
         To the maximum extent possible, utilize as trainers those 
    individuals with disabilities who are from the same approximate area of 
    the country as the selected ILC and who have been trained as trainers 
    on the ADA by a NIDRR, EEOC, or DOJ technical assistance or training 
    project; and
         For the length of the project, provide selected ILCs with 
    quarterly ADA information updates, before and after training, regarding 
    legal and policy developments.
    
    Proposed Priority 2: ADA Training for Family Organizations
    
    Background
        The National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC) publishes a 
    National Directory of Information Sources on Disability that includes 
    information on organizations serving the disability community. 
    According to the NARIC staff who are updating this directory, there are 
    a minimum of 411 organizations providing information or direct services 
    to persons with disabilities and their families. These organizations 
    disseminate information through national, State, and local conferences, 
    as well as publications such as newsletters and brochures. They also 
    provide training, using a variety of means and settings, to their 
    professional staff as well as to their membership.
        According to representatives of disability organizations, the 
    extent to which national disability organizations, as well as their 
    State and local affiliate organizations, have provided training or 
    information to their members about the ADA varies according to the 
    primary mission of the organization (e.g., provision of services or 
    advocacy), resources available to the organization, and the interest of 
    the membership and its leaders. As a result, knowledge about the ADA 
    among these organizations can vary widely from one organization to 
    another as well as from one affiliate to another within the same 
    organization.
        The purpose of this proposed priority is to provide training on the 
    ADA to persons who are members or staff of disability organizations 
    that provide services and information primarily to persons with 
    disabilities and their families by utilizing the existing training and 
    information systems of these organizations.
    Proposed Priority
        An ADA training project for family organizations shall--
         Placing special emphasis on those organizations that have 
    had limited access to ADA training and information, identify and select 
    for training a range of disability organizations that provide services 
    and information primarily to persons with disabilities and their 
    families, including those organizations focused on developmental, 
    cognitive, emotional, physical, or sensory disabilities;
         Develop a strategy and schedule for training the 
    membership and staff of these organizations using a variety of 
    approaches including, but not limited to, on-site training, regional, 
    State, and local meetings, teleconferences, and audioconferences;
         Utilizing existing Federally approved materials to the 
    maximum extent appropriate, develop an array of training materials and 
    activities that vary in length and content in order to accommodate the 
    information and scheduling needs of selected organizations;
         Provide training to the membership and staff of selected 
    organizations on the provisions of the ADA and the resources available 
    to them to facilitate the implementation of the ADA;
         To the maximum extent possible, utilize as trainers those 
    individuals with disabilities who have been trained as trainers on the 
    ADA by a NIDRR, EEOC, or DOJ technical assistance or training project; 
    and
         For the length of the project, provide selected 
    organizations with quarterly ADA information updates, before and after 
    training, regarding legal and policy developments.
    
    Proposed Priority 3: ADA Training for School Districts
    
    Background
        There are 15,173 regular school districts in the United States 
    according to the U.S. Department of Education National Center for 
    Education Statistics (1993 Digest of Education Statistics in the United 
    States). These school districts are covered under Title II of the ADA. 
    Title II of the ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability 
    in all services, programs, and activities of State and local 
    governments. The Office for Civil Rights within the U.S. Department of 
    Education (OCR/ED) has been designated to enforce Title II in public 
    elementary and secondary educational systems and institutions, public 
    institutions of higher education and vocational education (other than 
    schools of medicine, dentistry, nursing, and other health-related 
    schools) and public libraries.
        Title II covers three major categories of programs or activities: 
    Employment; activities involving general public contact as part of an 
    entity's ongoing operation (e.g., telephone contacts, office walk-ins, 
    interviews, and public use of the facilities); and activities or 
    programs directly administered by the entity for program beneficiaries 
    and participants (e.g., programs that provide State or local government 
    services or benefits).
        School districts that have received Federal funds have been covered 
    by section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act since 1973. Title II is 
    patterned after section 504, and many school districts need information 
    and training to understand not only their responsibilities under the 
    ADA, but also the relationship of section 504 to the ADA. OCR/ED and 
    NIDRR have cooperated to produce a self-evaluation guide for school 
    districts that includes information addressing the relationship between 
    section 504 and the ADA.
        One of the primary purposes of this training project will be to 
    assist school districts to conduct their self-evaluations with this new 
    self-evaluation guide and implement their plans to comply with the ADA. 
    As part of this process, the project will enable trainees to understand 
    not only their responsibilities under the ADA, but also the 
    relationship of section 504 to the ADA. The project will place special 
    emphasis on school districts where a majority of the students are from 
    minority background because of their limited access to outside training 
    opportunities. The project will train selected educational 
    organizations whose membership have responsibility for complying with 
    the ADA in school districts (e.g., superintendents, principals, special 
    education directors, school boards, etc.), as well as selected 
    individual school district's staffs.
    Proposed Priority
        An ADA training project for school districts shall--
         Placing special emphasis on school districts where a 
    majority of the students are from minority background, identify and 
    select for direct training a range of school districts, equitably 
    distributed throughout the country, including those from urban, rural, 
    and suburban areas;
         Identify and select for training the membership and staff 
    of educational organizations whose members have responsibility for 
    complying with the ADA in school districts;
         Develop a strategy and a schedule for directly training 
    school districts as well as the membership and staff of selected 
    organizations using a variety of approaches including, but not limited 
    to, on-site training, regional, State, and local meetings, 
    teleconferences, and audioconferences;
         Utilizing the OCR/ED self-evaluation guide and other 
    existing federally-approved materials to the maximum extent 
    appropriate, develop an array of training materials and activities that 
    vary in length and content in order to accommodate the information and 
    scheduling needs of selected school districts and organizations;
         Provide training to selected school districts and 
    organizations on updating or conducting self-evaluations using the new 
    guide, understanding the responsibilities of school districts under the 
    ADA, on implementing changes to comply with the ADA, and on the 
    resources available to them to facilitate the implementation of the 
    ADA;
         To the maximum extent possible, utilize as trainers those 
    individuals with disabilities who have been trained as trainers on the 
    ADA by NIDRR, EEOC, or DOJ technical assistance or training project;
         For the length of the project, provide selected school 
    districts and organizations with quarterly ADA information updates, 
    before and after training, regarding legal and policy developments; and
         Coordinate training activities with the regional offices 
    of OCR/ED.
    
    Proposed Priority 4: ADA Training for State and Local ADA Coordinators 
    and Policymakers
    
    Background
        Governors, mayors, city managers, city planners, county boards, 
    agency directors, and other State and local government officials bear 
    responsibility for ensuring compliance with Title II of the ADA. In 
    addition Sec. 35.107 of the ADA regulations (28 CFR part 35) requires 
    that a public entity that employs 50 or more persons shall designate at 
    least one employee to coordinate its efforts to comply with the ADA, 
    including investigation of any complaint alleging its noncompliance or 
    alleging any prohibited actions. Such persons are frequently identified 
    as ``ADA Coordinators'' by State or local governments. According to the 
    most recent (1987) report of the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 
    approximately 7,665 counties, municipalities, and townships that have 
    50 or more full-time employees.
        Title II requires public entities to evaluate their current 
    services, policies, and practices to identify and correct any that are 
    not consistent with the requirements of Title II. State and local ADA 
    Coordinators and government policymakers are responsible for ensuring 
    that the self-evaluations are carried out. To ensure that these self-
    evaluations are appropriately carried out and the necessary changes 
    made, State and local ADA Coordinators and government policymakers need 
    information and training about the requirements of the ADA and policy 
    developments in the field.
    Proposed Priority
        An ADA training project for State and local ADA coordinators and 
    policymakers shall--
         Identify and select for direct training State and local 
    ADA coordinators and government policymakers from every Federal Region 
    of the country, including those from urban, rural, and suburban areas, 
    and ensuring the broad representation of local governments where a 
    majority of the citizens are from minority backgrounds;
         Identify and select for training organizations whose 
    members are policymakers in State and local government with 
    responsibilities for complying with the ADA;
         Develop a strategy and a schedule for directly training 
    State and local ADA coordinators and policymakers as well as the 
    membership and staff of selected organizations using a variety of 
    approaches including, but not limited to, on-site training, regional, 
    State, and local meetings, teleconferences, and audioconferences;
         Utilizing existing federally-approved materials to the 
    maximum extent appropriate, develop an array of training materials and 
    activities that vary in length and content in order to accommodate the 
    information and scheduling needs of selected coordinators and 
    organizations;
         Provide training to selected State and local ADA 
    coordinators, policymakers and members of organizations on the 
    responsibilities of State and local governments under Title II of the 
    ADA and in order to assist State and local governments to undertake 
    their self-evaluation plans and make the changes needed to comply with 
    the ADA;
         To the maximum extent possible, utilize as trainers those 
    individuals with disabilities who have been trained as trainers by a 
    NIDRR, EEOC, or DOJ technical assistance or training project;
         For the length of the project provide selected 
    coordinators, policymakers and organizations with quarterly ADA 
    information updates, before and after training, regarding legal and 
    policy developments.
    
    Proposed Priority 5: ADA Training for Hispanics With Rights and Duties 
    Under the ADA Whose Proficiency in English Is Limited
    
    Background
        The Hispanic population in the U.S. totals approximately 22 million 
    people, or 9.0 percent of the population. By the year 2010, the 
    Hispanic population is expected to become the second-largest racial/
    ethnic group (National Council of La Raza Census Information Center, 
    Hispanic Population Factsheet, November 1993).
        There are approximately 3,343,000 persons of Hispanic origin with a 
    disability. In other words, one out of every fifteen Americans with a 
    disability is Hispanic (McNeil, Americans with Disabilities: 1991-1992, 
    Current Population Reports, U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1993).
        In 1990, 17.4 million persons reported that they spoke Spanish at 
    home. Of these persons, 8.3 million persons, or 50.8 percent, reported 
    that they do not speak English ``very well'' (U.S. Census Bureau, 
    Language Spoken at Home and Ability to Speak English for U.S. Regions 
    and States, 1993).
        Hispanics with disabilities whose proficiency in English is 
    limited, as well as Hispanic business owners and service providers 
    whose proficiency in English is limited, need to understand the 
    requirements of the ADA. Federal agencies have made a number of their 
    ADA publications available in Spanish, and NIDRR has piloted an effort 
    with its Region 6 Southwest DBTAC to provide training and technical 
    assistance to persons in the Spanish-speaking community. This pilot 
    project has included the publication of additional documents in Spanish 
    as well as efforts to provide popular Hispanic media with information 
    about the ADA that is sensitive to cultural norms regarding disability. 
    While these efforts have made certain ADA materials and technical 
    assistance available to persons whose proficiency in English is 
    limited, more needs to be done.
        Reaching a target population that is broadly dispersed and as 
    diverse as Hispanics whose proficiency in English is limited is 
    particularly challenging. The Hispanic population includes people from 
    different cultural backgrounds and different countries and regions of 
    the world, such as Mexico (63.6 percent), Puerto Rico (10.6 percent), 
    Cuba (4.7 percent), and Central and South America (14.0 percent) 
    (National Council of La Raza Census Information Center, Hispanic 
    Population Factsheet, November 1993). For the purposes of this 
    priority, ``Hispanics whose proficiency in English is limited'' 
    includes all persons from those countries and regions listed above who 
    do not speak English very well, if at all.
        In order to reach as wide an audience as possible a training 
    project must collaborate with Hispanic organizations that currently 
    provide training and information to their members. It must also utilize 
    TV, radio, and print media that are popular in the targeted Hispanic 
    community. Applicants for this project must demonstrate Spanish 
    fluency, knowledge, cultural understanding, and experience in providing 
    training and technical assistance to Hispanic organizations and 
    individuals. Applicants must also include a substantial number of 
    Hispanic individuals with disabilities in all phases of the project's 
    activities.
    Proposed Priority
        An ADA training project for Hispanics with right or duties under 
    the ADA whose proficiency in English is limited shall--
         Identify and select for training organizations that 
    provide services and information to Hispanics with rights and duties 
    under the ADA whose proficiency in English is limited;
         Develop a strategy and a schedule for training the 
    membership and staff of selected organizations using a variety of 
    approaches including, but not limited to, on-site training, regional, 
    State, and local meetings, teleconferences, and audioconferences;
         Utilizing existing federally-approved materials to the 
    maximum extent appropriate, develop an array of training materials and 
    activities that vary in length and content in order to accommodate the 
    information and scheduling needs of selected organizations;
         Provide training to the membership and staff of selected 
    organizations on the provisions of the ADA and the resources available 
    to them to facilitate the implementation of the ADA;
         To the maximum extent possible, utilize as trainers those 
    individuals with disabilities who have been trained as trainers on the 
    ADA by a NIDRR, EEOC, or DOJ technical assistance or training project;
         For the length of the project, provide selected 
    organizations with quarterly ADA information updates, before and after 
    training, regarding legal and policy developments; and
         Provide information about the ADA and technical assistance 
    resources in areas with high concentrations of persons who are Spanish-
    speaking utilizing popular mass media such as local Hispanic TV and 
    radio programming as well as Spanish print media.
    
    Proposed Priority 6: ADA Training on Standards for Accessible Design
    
    Background
        Titles II and III of the ADA require that new governmental and 
    commercial facilities be built in an accessible manner and require 
    that, when existing governmental or commercial facilities are renovated 
    or otherwise altered, the alterations be made in an accessible manner. 
    In their regulations implementing Titles II and III of the ADA, the 
    U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of 
    Transportation (DOT) adopted Standards for Accessible Design for 
    purposes of enforcing the ADA's non- discrimination requirements in the 
    built environment. For commercial facilities and public transportation 
    facilities, they adopted the ADA Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings 
    and Facilities (ADAAG), developed by the Architectural and 
    Transportation Barriers Compliance Board. For government facilities 
    other than transportation facilities covered by DOT, DOJ currently 
    permits the use of either the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards 
    or ADAAG as the ``Standards for Accessible Design.''
        These Standards must be followed in new construction and alteration 
    projects. They also serve as a guide for public accommodations 
    undertaking to remove barriers in inaccessible existing facilities, as 
    required under Title III. These Standards are complex and made up of 
    scoping and technical provisions that contain many discrete 
    requirements and necessitate referencing other technical provisions in 
    order to make an element or space accessible.
        NIDRR proposes a project to develop a series of audio/visual and 
    complementary training materials on the Standards for Accessible Design 
    that can be used across the country at the local level. Local 
    organizations whose members include persons with disabilities, business 
    owners, building managers, employers, government agency officials, city 
    planners, architects, designers, or other relevant parties need access 
    to reliable materials that explain the ADA Standards. NIDRR proposes to 
    develop this series of materials in short discrete segments that could 
    be used in meetings normally scheduled by professional or business 
    organizations such as local chapters of the American Institute of 
    Architects, local Chambers of Commerce, and other groups. These 
    materials could also be used by the DBTACs in carrying out ADA training 
    activities.
        Grant applicants must be able to demonstrate knowledge, 
    understanding, and experience in the following areas: in-depth 
    knowledge of the ADA Standards for Accessible Design; thorough 
    understanding of the rationale(s) underlying the Standards; 
    understanding of the ways in which persons with disabilities use, or 
    are unable to use, the built environment; experience in the development 
    and dissemination of educational videos; and experience in using 
    innovative and engaging video techniques such as animation and fade-ins 
    or transformations from actual scenes to diagrammatic or conceptual 
    material. Samples of an applicant's recent relevant work, including the 
    use of animation or other innovative video techniques and the 
    development of training materials related to the ADA Standards or 
    training materials on accessible design, must be submitted with the 
    grant application.
        Based on the estimated size of the award that will be published in 
    the notice inviting applications, applicants may propose to cover some, 
    but not all of the topics. Grant applicants must propose an order of 
    production of the videos and identify the topics that will be addressed 
    in each video. Applicants must justify their order of production, based 
    on the importance of the topic. Applicants must propose to group topics 
    on each of the videos and explain the rationale for the groupings.
    Proposed Priority
        An ADA training project on the ADA Standards for Accessible Design 
    shall--
         Develop, test, and disseminate a series of short, 
    broadcast quality videos and complementary training materials that 
    address the technical and scoping requirements of the ADA Standards for 
    Accessible Design. These materials shall cover as many of the following 
    topics as possible (emphasis added) as set out in the current Standards 
    as well as new provisions that will be adopted: New construction; 
    additions, alterations, and path of travel; historic buildings; parking 
    and passenger loading zones; exterior accessible routes and curb ramps; 
    drinking fountains; telephones and TDDs; ramps and stairs; platform 
    lifts; entrances and exits (areas of rescue assistance); doors and 
    gates; building lobbies and corridors (interior accessible routes); 
    elevators; rooms and spaces; assembly areas; toilet rooms and 
    bathrooms; bathtubs and showers; dressing and fitting rooms; signage; 
    alarms; detectable warnings; automated teller machines; restaurants and 
    cafeterias; medical care facilities; mercantile facilities; libraries; 
    hotels, motels, inns, boarding houses, dormitories, and similar places; 
    homeless shelters, halfway houses, transient group homes, and similar 
    social services establishments; bus stops; fixed transportation 
    facilities, bus and train terminals and stations; and airports. The 
    project shall address the requirements of the standards from a 
    Universal Design perspective;
         The videos shall illustrate how people with disabilities 
    use the built environment and the rationale(s) that underlie specific 
    technical and scoping provisions of the Standards and how discrete 
    provisions in the Standards fit together with each other to ensure 
    accessibility:
         Use innovative techniques, including animation, fade-ins 
    or transformations to transition from footage showing a person using a 
    space or element to footage showing design layouts and diagrams from 
    the Standards relevant to that kind of space or element;
         Utilizing, as much as possible, materials that have been 
    developed by Federal agencies, develop readily reproducible 
    complementary training materials in conjunction with each video to 
    supplement the video materials and to provide guidance on using the 
    videos effectively;
         Identify organizations whose members include persons with 
    disabilities, business owners, building managers, employers, government 
    agency officials, city planners, architects, designers, and other 
    relevant parties who would be an appropriate audience for the videos;
         Develop and implement a plan to disseminate the videos and 
    complementary training materials to selected organizations;
         Produce the first video and complementary training 
    material of the series within six months of the grant award;
         Coordinate with the Department of Justice and the 
    Department of Transportation in the development and dissemination of 
    the videos and complementary training materials;
         Ensure that the training videos and complementary training 
    material are available in formats that accommodate persons with hearing 
    impairments and vision impairments;
         Provide four one-inch NCSC standard fully mixed and open 
    captioned edited master video tapes, including two master tapes and two 
    safety dub tapes suitable for duplication, and four copies on VHS 
    cassettes of each videotape produced, along with four reproducible 
    copies of each set of complementary training materials to NIDRR for use 
    by the Federal government.
    
    Invitation To Comment
    
        Interested persons are invited to submit comments and 
    recommendations regarding this proposed priority.
        All comments submitted in response to this proposed priority will 
    be available for public inspection, during and after the comment 
    period, in room 3423, Switzer Building, 330 C Street, SW., Washington, 
    DC between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday of 
    each week except Federal holidays.
    
    Applicable Program Regulations
    
        34 CFR parts 350 and 355.
    
        Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 760-762.
    
        Dated: March 8, 1994.
    Judith E. Heumann,
    Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
    [FR Doc. 94-8219 Filed 4-5-94; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 4000-01-U
    
    
    

Document Information

Published:
04/06/1994
Entry Type:
Uncategorized Document
Action:
Notice of Proposed Funding Priorities for Fiscal Years 1994- 1995 for the Knowledge Dissemination and Utilization Program.
Document Number:
94-8219
Dates:
Comments must be received on or before May 6, 1994.
Pages:
0-0 (1 pages)
Docket Numbers:
Federal Register: April 6, 1994