00-17820. Federal Interagency Coordinating Council Meeting (FICC)

AGENCY:

Federal Interagency Coordinating Council, Education.

ACTION:

Notice of a public meeting.

SUMMARY:

This notice describes the schedule and agenda of a forthcoming meeting of the Federal Interagency Coordinating Council (FICC), and invites people to participate. Notice of this meeting is required under section 644(c) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and is intended to notify the general public of their opportunity to attend the meeting. The meeting will be accessible to individuals with disabilities. The FICC will attend to ongoing work including reports from committees and task forces. A Policy Forum on Reaching Out to Families who are Homeless with Young Children with Disabilities sponsored by the Office of Special Education Programs and Rehabilitative Services, will be held on Thursday September 14, from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 noon in the Barnard Auditorium, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. S.W., Washington, DC 20202. The meeting is open to the public.

DATE AND TIME:

FICC Meeting: Thursday, September 14, 2000 from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES:

U.S. Department of Education, Barnard Auditorium, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20202 (near the Federal Center Southwest and L'Enfant metro stops).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Bobbi Stettner-Eaton or Obral Vance, U.S. Department of Education, 330 C Street, S.W., Room 3080, Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202, Telephone: [phone]. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Federal Interagency Coordinating Council (FICC) is established under section 644(c) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1484a). The Council is established to: (1) minimize duplication across Federal, State and local agencies of programs and activities relating to early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families and preschool services for children with disabilities; (2) ensure effective coordination of Federal early intervention and preschool programs, including Federal technical assistance and support activities; and (3) identify gaps in Federal agency programs and services and barriers to Federal interagency cooperation. To meet these purposes, the FICC seeks to: (1) identify areas of conflict, overlap, and omissions in interagency policies related to the provision of services to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities; (2) develop and implement joint policy interpretations on issues related to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers that cut across Federal agencies, including modifications of regulations to eliminate barriers to interagency programs and activities; and (3) coordinate the provision of technical assistance and dissemination of best practice information. The FICC is chaired by the Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

The meeting for the FICC is open to the public and is physically accessible. Anyone requiring accommodations such as an interpreter, materials in Braille, large print, or cassette please call Obral Vance at [phone] (voice) or [phone] (TDD) ten days in advance of the meeting.

Summary minutes of the FICC meetings will be maintained and available for public inspection at the U.S. Department of Education, 330 C Street, S.W., Room 3080, Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202, from the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., weekdays, except Federal holidays.

Judith E. Heumann,

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.