Demonstration Projects To Ensure Students With Disabilities Receive a Quality Higher Education; Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2002, CFDA No. 84.333 [OPE]

[Federal Register: June 21, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 120)]
[Notices]               
[Page 42241-42242]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr21jn02-38]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.333]

 
Demonstration Projects To Ensure Students With Disabilities 
Receive a Quality Higher Education; Notice inviting applications for 
new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2002

    Purpose of Program: The Demonstration Projects to Ensure Students 
with Disabilities Receive a Quality Higher Education program provides 
grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) to develop innovative 
demonstration projects. The purpose of the demonstration program is to 
provide technical assistance and professional development for faculty 
and administrators in IHEs in order to provide them with the skills and 
supports that they need to teach students with disabilities. The 
program will also be used to widely disseminate research and training 
to enable faculty and administrators in other IHEs to meet the 
educational needs of students with disabilities.
    Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education.
    Applications Available: June 21, 2002.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 22, 2002.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 19, 2002.
    Available Funds: $6,930,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000-$350,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $100,000-$290,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 24.

    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this 
notice.

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.
    Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, 
address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your 
application. While we encourage applicants to limit their narrative to 
no more than the equivalent of 25 pages, your application may not 
exceed the equivalent of more than 40 pages. For the application 
narrative, the following standards apply:
     A "page" is 8.5" x 11", on one side only, with 1" 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
     Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text, including titles, headings, quotations, references, and 
captions.
     Use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller 
that 10 pitch (characters per inch).
     For tables, charts, or graphs also use a font that is 
either 12-point or larger or not smaller than 10 pitch.
    Our reviewers will not read any pages of your application that--
     Exceed the page limit if you apply these standards; or
     Exceed the equivalent of the page limit if you apply other 
standards.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 82, 
85, 86, 97, 98 and 99.
    Because there are no program specific regulations for the 
Demonstration

[[Page 42242]]

Projects to Ensure Students with Disabilities Receive a Quality Higher 
Education program, applicants should refer to the authorizing statute 
in Part D, Title VII, of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended 
(HEA). In preparing applications, IHEs should pay particular attention 
to the requirements in section 427 of the General Education Provisions 
Act (GEPA), as detailed later in this notice. Applicants must address 
the requirements in section 427 in order to receive funding under this 
competition. Section 427 requires each applicant to describe the steps 
they propose to take to address one or more barriers (i.e., gender, 
race, national origin, color, disability, or age) that can impede 
equitable access to, or participation in, the program. A restatement of 
compliance with civil rights requirements is not sufficient to meet the 
requirements in section 427 of GEPA.

Application Procedures

    Note: Some of the procedures in these instructions for 
transmitting applications differ from those in the Education 
Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR)(34 CFR 
75.102). Under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the 
Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to 
comment on proposed regulations. However, these amendments make 
procedural changes only and do not establish new substantive policy. 
Therefore, under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A), the Secretary has determined 
that proposed rulemaking is not required.

Pilot Project for Electronic Submission of Applications

    In Fiscal Year 2002, the U.S. Department of Education is continuing 
to expand its pilot project of electronic submission of applications to 
include additional formula grant programs and additional discretionary 
grant competitions. The Demonstration Projects to Ensure Students with 
Disabilities Receive a Quality Higher Education Program, CFDA 84.333, 
is one of the programs included in the pilot project. If you are an 
applicant under the Demonstration Projects to Ensure Students with 
Disabilities Receive a Quality Higher Education Program, you may submit 
your application to us in either electronic or paper format.
    The pilot project involves the use of the Electronic Grant 
Application System (e-APPLICATION, formerly e-GAPS) portion of the 
Grant Administration and Payment System (GAPS). We request your 
participation in this pilot project. We shall continue to evaluate its 
success and solicit suggestions for improvement.
    If you participate in the e-APPLICATION pilot, please note the 
following:
     Your participation is strictly voluntary.
     You will not receive any additional point value or penalty 
because you submit a grant application in electronic or paper format.
     You must submit all grant documents electronically 
including the Application for Federal Assistance (ED 424), the Budget 
Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary 
assurances and certifications.
    Within three working days of submitting your electronic 
application, fax a signed copy of the Application for Federal 
Assistance to the Application Control Center after following these 
steps:
    1. Print ED 424 from the e-APPLICATION system.
    2. Make sure that the institution's Authorizing Representative 
signs this form.
    3. Before faxing this form, submit your electronic application via 
the e-APPLICATION system. You will receive an automatic 
acknowledgement, which will include a PR/Award number (an identifying 
number unique to your application).
    4. Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of ED 
424.
    5. Fax the ED 424 to the Application Control Center at (202) 260-
1349.
     We may request that you give us original signatures on all 
other forms at a later date.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the 
Demonstration Projects to Ensure Student With Disabilities Receive a 
Quality Higher Education Program at http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    We have included additional information about the e-APPLICATION 
pilot project (see Parity Guidelines between Paper and Electronic 
Application) in the application package.
    For Applications Contact: Education Publications Center (ED Pubs), 
P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-
7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a telecommunications device for 
the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free): 1-877-576-7734.
    You may also contact EDPUBS at its web site: http://www.ed.gov/
pubs/edpuds.html.
    Or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: 
edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
    If you request an application from Ed Pubs, be sure to identify 
this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.333.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shedita Ford, U.S. Department of 
Education, 1990 K Street, NW., Room 6147, Washington, DC 20006-8525. 
Telephone: (202) 502-7808 or via Internet: Shedita.Ford@ed.gov.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the program contact person listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format by contacting that person. However, 
the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternate format the 
standard forms included in the application package.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You may view this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe 
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site: 
www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister.
    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. 
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in 
the Washington, DC area at (202) 512-1530.

    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://
www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.


    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1140 et seq. Title VII, Part D of 
the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.

    Dated: June 18, 2002.
Sally L. Stroup,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 02-15728 Filed 6-20-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P