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(4) promotion of the use of technology, including assistive technology devices and assistive technology services;

(5) reaching underserved populations;

(6) including children with disabilities in general education programs;

(7) facilitation of transitions from

(A) early intervention services to preschool;

(B) preschool to school; and

(C) secondary school to postsecondary environ-ments; and

(8) promotion of alternative methods of dispute resolution. SEC. 685. [20 U.S.C. 1485] COORDINATED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND DISSEMINATION.

(a) IN GENERAL.-The Secretary shall, by competitively making grants or entering into contracts and cooperative agreements with eligible entities, provide technical assistance and information, through such mechanisms as institutes, Regional Resource Centers, clearinghouses, and programs that support States and local entities in building capacity, to improve early intervention, educational, and transitional services and results for children with disabilities and their families, and address systemic-change goals and priorities. (b) SYSTEMIC TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE; AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.

(1) IN GENERAL.-In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall carry out or support technical assistance activities, consistent with the objectives described in subsection (a), relating to systemic change.

(2) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.-Activities that may be carried out under this subsection include activities such as the following:

(A) Assisting States, local educational agencies, and other participants in partnerships established under subpart 1 with the process of planning systemic changes that will promote improved early intervention, educational, and transitional results for children with disabilities.

(B) Promoting change through a multistate or regional framework that benefits States, local educational agencies, and other participants in partnerships that are in the process of achieving systemic-change outcomes.

(C) Increasing the depth and utility of information in ongoing and emerging areas of priority need identified by States, local educational agencies, and other participants in partnerships that are in the process of achieving systemic-change outcomes.

(D) Promoting communication and information exchange among States, local educational agencies, and other participants in partnerships, based on the needs and concerns identified by the participants in the partnerships, rather than on externally imposed criteria or topics, regarding

(i) the practices, procedures, and policies of the States, local educational agencies, and other participants in partnerships; and

(ii) accountability of the States, local educational agencies, and other participants in partnerships for improved early intervention, educational, and transitional results for children with disabilities.

(c) SPECIALIZED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE; AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.

(1) IN GENERAL.-In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall carry out or support activities, consistent with the objectives described in subsection (a), relating to areas of priority or specific populations.

(2) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.-Examples of activities that may be carried out under this subsection include activities that

(A) focus on specific areas of high-priority need that— (i) are identified by States, local educational agencies, and other participants in partnerships;

(ii) require the development of new knowledge, or the analysis and synthesis of substantial bodies of information not readily available to the States, agencies, and other participants in partnerships; and

(iii) will contribute significantly to the improvement of early intervention, educational, and transitional services and results for children with disabilities and their families;

(B) focus on needs and issues that are specific to a population of children with disabilities, such as the provision of single-State and multi-State technical assistance and in-service training

(i) to schools and agencies serving deaf-blind children and their families; and

(ii) to programs and agencies serving other groups of children with low-incidence disabilities and their families; or

(C) address the postsecondary education needs of individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.

(d) NATIONAL INFORMATION DISSEMINATION; AUTHORIZED AC

TIVITIES.

(1) IN GENERAL.-In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall carry out or support information dissemination activities that are consistent with the objectives described in subsection (a), including activities that address national needs for the preparation and dissemination of information relating to eliminating barriers to systemic-change and improving early intervention, educational, and transitional results for children. with disabilities.

(2) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.-Examples of activities that may be carried out under this subsection include activities relating to

(A) infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families, and children with disabilities and their families; (B) services for populations of children with low-incidence disabilities, including deaf-blind children, and targeted age groupings;

(C) the provision of postsecondary services to individuals with disabilities;

(D) the need for and use of personnel to provide services to children with disabilities, and personnel recruitment, retention, and preparation;

(E) issues that are of critical interest to State educational agencies and local educational agencies, other agency personnel, parents of children with disabilities, and individuals with disabilities;

(F) educational reform and systemic change within States; and

(G) promoting schools that are safe and conducive to learning.

(3) LINKING STATES TO INFORMATION SOURCES.-In carrying out this subsection, the Secretary may support projects that link States to technical assistance resources, including special education and general education resources, and may make research and related products available through libraries, electronic networks, parent training projects, and other information sources.

(e) APPLICATIONS.-An eligible entity that wishes to receive a grant, or enter into a contract or cooperative agreement, under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.

SEC. 686. [20 U.S.C. 1486] AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out sections 681 through 685 such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 1998 through 2002.

SEC. 687. [20 U.S.C. 1487] TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT, DEMONSTRATION, AND UTILIZATION; AND MEDIA SERVICES.

(a) IN GENERAL.-The Secretary shall competitively make grants to, and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with, eligible entities to support activities described in subsections (b) and (c).

(b) TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT, DEMONSTRATION, AND UTILIZATION; AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—

(1) IN GENERAL.-In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall support activities to promote the development, demonstration, and utilization of technology.

(2) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—Activities that may be carried out under this subsection include activities such as the following:

(A) Conducting research and development activities on the use of innovative and emerging technologies for children with disabilities.

(B) Promoting the demonstration and use of innovative and emerging technologies for children with disabilities by improving and expanding the transfer of technology from research and development to practice.

(C) Providing technical assistance to recipients of other assistance under this section, concerning the development of accessible, effective, and usable products.

(D) Communicating information on available technology and the uses of such technology to assist children with disabilities.

(E) Supporting the implementation of research programs on captioning or video description.

(F) Supporting research, development, and dissemination of technology with universal-design features, so that the technology is accessible to individuals with disabilities without further modification or adaptation.

(G) Demonstrating the use of publicly-funded telecommunications systems to provide parents and teachers with information and training concerning early diagnosis of, intervention for, and effective teaching strategies for, young children with reading disabilities.

(c) EDUCATIONAL MEDIA SERVICES; AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.— In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall support

(1) educational media activities that are designed to be of educational value to children with disabilities;

(2) providing video description, open captioning, or closed captioning of television programs, videos, or educational materials through September 30, 2001; and after fiscal year 2001, providing video description, open captioning, or closed captioning of educational, news, and informational television, videos, or materials;

(3) distributing captioned and described videos or educational materials through such mechanisms as a loan service;

(4) providing free educational materials, including textbooks, in accessible media for visually impaired and print-disabled students in elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and graduate schools;

(5) providing cultural experiences through appropriate nonprofit organizations, such as the National Theater of the Deaf, that

(A) enrich the lives of deaf and hard-of-hearing children and adults;

(B) increase public awareness and understanding of deafness and of the artistic and intellectual achievements of deaf and hard-of-hearing persons; or

(C) promote the integration of hearing, deaf, and hardof-hearing persons through shared cultural, educational, and social experiences; and

(6) compiling and analyzing appropriate data relating to the activities described in paragraphs (1) through (5).

(d) APPLICATIONS.-Any eligible entity that wishes to receive a grant, or enter into a contract or cooperative agreement, under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.

(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.-There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 1998 through 2002.

[Parts E through G, as in effect prior to the enactment of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (Public Law 105-17), were repealed, effective October 1, 1997.]

PART H-INFANTS AND TODDLERS WITH DISABILITIES 1
FINDINGS AND POLICY

SEC. 671. [20 U.S.C. 1471] (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that there is an urgent and substantial need

(1) to enhance the development of infants and toddlers with disabilities and to minimize their potential for developmental delay,

(2) to reduce the educational costs to our society, including our Nation's schools, by minimizing the need for special education and related services after infants and toddlers with disabilities reach school age,

(3) to minimize the likelihood of institutionalization of individuals with disabilities and maximize the potential for their independent living in society,

(4) to enhance the capacity of families to meet the special needs of their infants and toddlers with disabilities, and

(5) to enhance the capacity of State and local agencies and service providers to identify, evaluate, and meet the needs of historically underrepresented populations, particularly minority, low-income, inner-city, and rural populations.

(b) POLICY.-It is therefore the policy of the United States to provide financial assistance to States

(1) to develop and implement a statewide, comprehensive, coordinated, multidisciplinary, interagency program of early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families,

(2) to facilitate the coordination of payment for early intervention services from Federal, State, local, and private sources (including public and private insurance coverage), and

(3) to enhance their capacity to provide quality early intervention services and expand and improve existing early intervention services being provided to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families.

DEFINITIONS

SEC. 672. [20 U.S.C. 1472] As used in this part

(1) The term "infants and toddlers with disabilities” means individuals from birth to age 2, inclusive, who need early intervention services because they

(A) are experiencing developmental delays, as measured by appropriate diagnostic instruments and procedures in one or more of the following areas: cognitive development, physical development, language and speech development (hereafter in this part referred to as "communication development"), psychosocial development (here

1 Section 203(b) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (Public Law 105-17; 111 Stat. 157) repeals part H, effective on July 1, 1998.

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