96-17087. Reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as Amended

[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 130 (Friday, July 5, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35195-35197]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-17087]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services


Reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as Amended

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary announces a series of public meetings 
to solicit comments from the public regarding needed improvements in 
the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 701 et seq.), to 
assist in the development of reauthorization legislation.

DATES: Meetings will be held in Oakland, California, on July 8, 1996, 
in Washington, D.C., on July 11, 1996, in Boston, Massachusetts, on 
July 23, 1996, in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 17, 1996, in Chicago, 
Illinois, on September 19, 1996, and in Bellevue, Washington, on 
October 29, 1996.
    In addition, written comments will be accepted and must be received 
on or before October 29, 1996.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the following locations:

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    1. Oakland, California--Marriott City Center, Jewett Ballroom A & 
B, 1001 Broadway, Oakland, California.
    2. Washington, D.C.--Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building, 1st Floor 
Auditorium, 300 C Street, S.W., Washington, D.C.
    3. Boston, Massachusetts--Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. Federal Building, 
1st Floor Auditorium, 10 Causeway Street, Boston, Massachusetts.
    4. Atlanta, Georgia--Shepherd Center, Callaway Auditorium, Marcus 
Building, 2020 Peachtree Road, N.W., Atlanta, Georgia.
    5. Chicago, Illinois--O'Hare Marriott Hotel, 8535 W. Higgens Road, 
Chicago, Illinois.
    6. Bellevue, Washington--Red Lion Inn, 300 112th Street, S.E., 
Bellevue, Washington.
    Individuals who cannot attend the meeting are invited to send in 
written comments. Written comments should be addressed to Fredric K. 
Schroeder, U. S. Department of Education, 600 Independence Avenue, 
S.W., Room 3028, Mary E. Switzer Building, Washington, D.C. 20202-2531. 
Comments transmitted by facsimile should be sent to [phone] or 
[phone]. Comments can be transmitted in an electronic format 
either through the electronic bulletin board system (BBS) of the 
Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) or through internet. The 
internet address is ``[e-mail]''. The access number for the 
RSA BBS is [phone] for low speed (2400 BPS or lower) modems and 
[phone] for high speed (9600 BPS and higher) modems. Comments 
can also be transmitted to the RSA BBS through Fedworld via internet 
using the telnet command. Telnet to: ``Fedworld.gov''. All comments 
transmitted in an electronic format should be sent to the following RSA 
BBS mailbox: ``RSADPPES''. To facilitate the analysis of comments, 
electronic transmission of comments is preferred.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Persons desiring to participate in the 
meetings or seeking additional information should contact Beverlee 
Stafford, U.S. Department of Education, 600 Independence Avenue, S.W., 
Room 3014, Mary E. Switzer Building, Washington, D.C. 20202-2550. 
Telephone [phone]. Individuals who use a telecommunications 
device for the deaf (TDD) may call [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Need for Reauthorization

    The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Act) was reauthorized in 1992. The 
current Act expires on September 30, 1997. The need for another 
reauthorization in 1997 provides an opportunity to review and revise 
the Act to strengthen Federal efforts to assist individuals with 
disabilities and to support the National Education Goal that, by the 
year 2000, every adult American will possess the knowledge and skills 
necessary to compete in a global economy and exercise the rights and 
responsibilities of citizenship.

Description of the Act

    The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, contains eight titles. 
Section 2 of the Act specifies that the purposes of the Act are: (1) To 
empower individuals with disabilities to maximize employment, economic 
self-sufficiency, independence, and inclusion and integration into 
society through comprehensive and coordinated state-of-the art programs 
of vocational rehabilitation, independent living centers and services, 
research, training, demonstration projects, and the guarantee of equal 
opportunity; and (2) to ensure that the Federal Government plays a 
leadership role in promoting the employment of individuals with 
disabilities, especially individuals with severe disabilities, and in 
assisting States and providers of services in fulfilling the 
aspirations of individuals with disabilities for meaningful and gainful 
employment and independent living.
    Title I of the Act establishes The State Vocational Rehabilitation 
Services Program that supports the Federal-State partnership in 
providing vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with 
disabilities with the goal of gainful employment. The Act requires 
that, in the event services cannot be provided to all eligible 
individuals with disabilities who apply, States shall give priority to 
individuals with the most severe disabilities. Each State is required 
to define who is an ``individual with the most severe disabilities'' 
for services in that State. Each State vocational rehabilitation agency 
that is not a consumer-controlled independent commission primarily 
concerned with rehabilitation is also required to establish a State 
Rehabilitation Advisory Council to provide advice and guidance to the 
State agency to ensure that individuals with disabilities and other 
stakeholders have input in the agency's policies and practices. This 
title also includes the authorization for the State Client Assistance 
Program and the American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services 
Program.
    Title II of the Act establishes the National Institute on 
Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) and authorizes research 
and related activities. NIDRR administers a program of rehabilitation 
research, including research and training centers, rehabilitation 
engineering research centers, research and demonstration projects, 
field-initiated research projects, utilization and dissemination 
projects, innovative research grants, and career development grants.
    Title III authorizes personnel training programs and special 
demonstrations. Training grants are authorized to assist in increasing 
the numbers of and skills of qualified personnel who provide services 
to individuals with disabilities. The training program supports pre-
service training at degree granting institutions, experimental and 
innovative training, continuing education programs, in-service training 
for personnel of State vocational rehabilitation agencies, and training 
of interpreters for individuals who are deaf or deaf-blind.
    The discretionary project authority under title III funds 
demonstration projects that focus on the service delivery needs of 
individuals with severe disabilities, including supported employment 
and transition from school-to-work services, projects for migratory 
workers with disabilities, and recreational programs for individuals 
with disabilities.
    Title IV of the Act establishes the National Council on Disability. 
The National Council on Disability is an independent Federal agency 
whose duties include providing advice to Congress and the President on 
the development of programs under the Rehabilitation Act and reviewing 
and evaluating, on a continuing basis, all policies and programs for 
individuals with disabilities conducted or assisted by the Federal 
Government.
    Title V contains various civil rights provisions and establishes 
the Access Board. The function of the Access Board is to develop 
accessibility guidelines and to ensure compliance with Federal statutes 
requiring accessibility for persons with disabilities. This title also 
authorizes the Protection and Advocacy of Individual Rights Program, 
which supports a system in each State to protect the human and legal 
rights of individuals with disabilities who need services that are 
beyond the scope of the State Client Assistance Program and who are not 
eligible for services from other protection and advocacy programs.
    Title VI of the Act includes authorization for funding Projects 
With Industry and supported employment programs. The primary goal of 
the

[[Page 35197]]

discretionary Projects With Industry grant program is to expand job 
opportunities for individuals with disabilities in the competitive 
labor market. In order to develop a partnership between business, 
industry, labor, and the rehabilitation community, each project is 
required to have a Business Advisory Council to provide advice on 
available jobs and training requirements.
    Title VI also includes a formula grant program to assist States in 
developing collaborative programs with public agencies and nonprofit 
organizations to provide training and other services leading to 
supported employment for individuals with the most severe disabilities.
    Title VII of the Act was amended significantly in 1992. This title 
authorizes funding for comprehensive services for independent living, 
independent living centers, and independent living services for older 
persons who are blind or visually impaired. Each State must establish a 
State Independent Living Council that jointly prepares and submits the 
required State plan for independent living services.
    A new title VIII was added to the Act in 1992. This title 
authorizes a variety of discretionary special demonstration and 
training programs.

Cooperation with Other Federal Agencies

    The public meetings on the Act will be held in cooperation with the 
National Council on Disability and the Federal agencies that are 
responsible for the various civil rights provisions contained in title 
V of the Act. The Assistant Secretary encourages participants at the 
public meetings and respondents to the request for written comments to 
consider the provisions of titles IV and V of the Act in their 
deliberations, as well as those research, training, and service 
delivery programs contained in the Act that are administered by the 
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

AVAILABILITY OF COPIES OF THE REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973, AS AMENDED: 
An electronic copy of the Act can be accessed through the RSA BBS by 
calling the following access number: [phone]. If you experience 
any difficulty in accessing the BBS, please contact either John Chapman 
at [phone] or Teresa Darter at [phone], co-system 
operators (sysops), for assistance. For those individuals unable to 
access the BBS, copies of the Act are available in regular print, large 
print, and computer diskette (WordPerfect 5.1 and ASCII formats) by 
calling [phone]. A limited number of copies in braille are also 
available.

MEETING INFORMATION: Meetings will be held in Oakland, California, 
Washington, D.C., Boston, Massachusetts, Atlanta, Georgia, Chicago, 
Illinois, and Bellevue, Washington. Individuals desiring to present 
comments at the meetings are encouraged to reserve a time on the 
agenda. Individuals will be allowed between five and seven minutes to 
present comments. The amount of time available will depend upon the 
number of individuals who request reservations. Commenters are 
encouraged to bring two copies of their proposed comments. Reservations 
will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Given the level 
of response expected, individuals should make reservations as soon as 
possible. When making reservations, individuals must indicate the need 
for any special accommodations, including sign language interpreters. 
While reservations are not needed for those individuals who wish to 
attend the meetings but do not want to make formal comments, 
reservations are encouraged to facilitate the participant's access into 
the proceedings held in Federal buildings. The meetings are open to the 
public, and the meeting rooms and proceedings will be accessible for 
individuals with disabilities.
    The meeting in Oakland, California, will be held on July 8, 1996, 
from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The location for the meeting is the 
Marriott City Center Hotel, Jewett Ballroom A & B, 1001 Broadway, 
Oakland, California. For reservations for the meeting in Oakland, 
California, please call Gilbert ``Doc'' Williams at [phone].
    The meeting in Washington, D.C., will be held on July 11, 1996, 
from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The location for the meeting is the Wilbur 
J. Cohen Federal Building, 1st Floor Auditorium, 300 C Street, S.W., 
Washington, D.C. Photo identification is required to enter the Federal 
building, and reservations are encouraged to facilitate access. For 
reservations for the meeting in Washington, D.C., please call Beverlee 
Stafford at [phone].
    The meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, will be held on July 23, 
1996, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. 
Federal Building, 1st Floor Auditorium, 10 Causeway Street, Boston, 
Massachusetts. Participants will have to pass through a security check/
metal detector for admittance into the Federal building. For 
reservations for the meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, please call 
Anthony Ruscio at [phone].
    The meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, will be held on September 17, 
1996, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the Shepherd Center, Callaway 
Auditorium, Marcus Building, 2020 Peachtree Road, N.W., Atlanta, 
Georgia. For reservations for the meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, please 
call Diane Hart at [phone].
    The meeting in Chicago, Illinois, will be held on September 19, 
1996, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the O'Hare Marriott Hotel, 8535 
W. Higgens Road, Chicago, Illinois. For reservations for the meeting in 
Chicago, Illinois, please call Kathleen Niemi at [phone].
    The meeting in Bellevue, Washington, will be held on October 29, 
1996, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the Red Lion Inn, 300 112th 
Street, S.E., Bellevue, Washington. For reservations for the meeting in 
Bellevue, Washington, please call Cecelia Cramer at [phone].

(Authority: 29 U.S.C. 701)

    Dated: June 28, 1996.
Judith E. Heumann,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 96-17087 Filed 7-3-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P