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1 year ending June 30, 1975. Funds appropriated pursuant

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231

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to this subsection shall remain available until expended.

(b) In order to

(1) demonstrate methods of (A) providing the specialized services needed to rehabilitate and make maximum use of the vocational potential of deaf individuals, and (B) training the specialized professional and allied personnel required adequately to staff facilities designed to provide such services and training personnel who have been or will be working with such individuals; (2) conduct research in the nature and prevention of the problems of such deaf individuals and in the rehabilitation of these individuals; and

(3) improve the understanding of the general public, employers in particular, of both the assets and problems of such deaf individuals,

17 the Secretary, subject to the provisions of section 212, is 18 authorized to make grants to or contracts with any public or 19 nonprofit agency or organization for payment by the United 20 States of all or part of the costs of the establishment and oper21 ation, including construction and equipment, of one or more 22 centers for the vocational rehabilitation of deaf individuals 23 whose maximum vocational potential has not been achieved, 24 which shall be known as Rehabilitation Centers for Deaf 25 Individuals.

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1 (c) Any agency or organization desiring to receive a 2 grant or enter into a contract under this subsection shall sub3 mit a proposal therefor at such time, in such manner, and 4 containing such information as may be prescribed in regula5 tions by the Secretary. In considering such proposals the 6 Secretary shall give preference to those proposals which (1) 7 give promise of maximum effectiveness in the organization 8 and operation of a Rehabilitation Center for Deaf Individuals, 9 and (2) give promise of offering the substantial capability 10 in providing a broad program of service and related research, 11 training, and other activities in the field of rehabilitation of 12 deaf individuals whose maximum vocational potential has 13 not been achieved.

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(d) For the purposes of this section, the Secretary

15 shall prescribe regulations to

(1) provide a means of determining the population of deaf individuals whose maximum vocational potential

has not been achieved;

(2) insure that, in carrying out the purposes of this section, provision has been made for coordination be

tween the agency or organization receiving funds under

this section on the one hand, and the State and local

educational agencies in the area to be served on the

other; and

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(3) provide that an advisory board, comprised of qualified professional and expert individuals in the fields of rehabilitation and education of deaf individuals, be appointed to assure proper functioning of a Center established under this section in accordance with its stated objectives and to provide assistance in professional, technical, and other related areas; and that at least one-third of the members of such board shall be

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deaf individuals.

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(e) To be eligible to receive vocational or comprehensive rehabilitation services under this section, a deaf indi12 vidual must be sixteen years of age or older, must have

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reached the age at which the compulsory school attendance 14 laws of the State in which he resides are no longer applicable 15 to him, and must be an individual whose maximum voca16 tional potential (as defined in regulations which the Secre17 tary shall prescribe) has not been achieved.

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(f) Programs carried out under this section shall be 19 coordinated with programs carried out by the Bureau 20 of Education for the Handicapped within the Office of Edu21 cation in order to achieve a consistent education and rehabili22 tation philosophy, to provide for continuity of services and 23 program purpose, and to avoid unnecessary duplication or 24 overlap of programs.

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NATIONAL CENTERS FOR SPINAL CORD INJURIES

SEC. 207. (a) For the purpose of establishing and op3 erating National Centers for Spinal Cord Injuries, there is 4 authorized to be appropriated $15,000,000 for the fiscal 5 year ending June 30, 1973; $25,000,000 for the fiscal 6 year ending June 30, 1974; and $30,000,000 for the fiscal 7 year ending June 30, 1975. Funds appropriated under this 8 section shall remain available until expended.

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(b) In order

(1) to help form a national network of centers with special competencies in providing prompt, complete vocational and comprehensive rehabilitation services and acute medical care to individuals with spinal cord injuries;

(2) to assist in meeting the costs of such services to such individuals;

(3) to encourage and assist the study and development of methods for the provision of such services; and (4) to develop new methods of achieving cooperation with and among community and other public and nonprofit organizations concerned with the problems of spinal cord injury;

23 the Secretary, subject to the provisions of section 212, is 24 authorized to enter into an agreement with any public or non

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1 profit private agency or organization to pay all or part of the 2 costs of the establishment and operation, including construc3 tion and equipment, of centers to carry out the purposes of 4 this subsection, which centers shall be known as National 5 Centers for Spinal Cord Injuries.

6 (c) Any agency or organization desiring to enter into 7 such an agreement shall submit a proposal therefor at such 8 time, in such manner, and containing such information as 9 may be prescribed in regulations by the Secretary. In con10 sidering such proposals the Secretary shall provide an op11 portunity for submission of comments by the State agency 12 administering the State plan under section 101, and shall give 13 preference to those proposals which (1) give promise of 14 maximum effectiveness in the organization and operation of 15 National Centers for Spinal Cord Injuries, and which in16 cludes provisions to

(A) establish,、 on an appropriate regional basis, a multidisciplinary system of providing vocational and comprehensive rehabilitation services, specifically designed to meet the special needs of individuals with spinal cord injuries including, but not limited to, acute medical care and periodic inpatient or outpatient followup;

(B) demonstrate and evaluate the benefits to indi

viduals with spinal cord injuries served in, and the de

gree of cost effectiveness of, such a regional system;