20 U.S.C. § 1424a
Section 1424a · Postsecondary education
Amended 7 times on record
(a)(1) The Secretary may make grants to, or enter into contracts with, State educational agencies, institutions of higher education, junior and community colleges, vocational and technical institutions, and other appropriate nonprofit educational agencies for the development, operation, and dissemination of specially designed model programs of postsecondary, vocational, technical, continuing, or adult education for individuals with disabilities. Such model programs may include joint projects that coordinate with special education and transition services.
(2) In making grants or contracts on a competitive basis under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give priority consideration to 4 regional centers for the deaf and to model programs for individuals with disabling conditions other than deafness—
(A) for developing and adapting programs of postsecondary, vocational, technical, continuing, or adult education to meet the special needs of individuals with disabilities,
(B) for programs that coordinate, facilitate, and encourage education of individuals with disabilities with their nondisabled peers;1 and
(C) for outreach activities that include the provision of technical assistance to strengthen efforts in the development, operation, and design of model programs that are adapted to the special needs of individuals with disabilities.
(3) Persons operating programs for persons with disabilities under a grant or contract under paragraph (1) must coordinate their efforts with and disseminate information about their activities to the clearinghouse on postsecondary programs established under section 1433(b)2 of this title.
(4) At least one year before the termination of a grant or contract with any of the 4 regional centers for the deaf, the Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register a notice of intent to accept applications for such grant or contract, contingent on the appropriation of sufficient funds by Congress.
(5) To the extent feasible, programs authorized by paragraph (1) shall be geographically dispersed throughout the Nation in urban and rural areas.
(6) Of the sums made available for programs under paragraph (1), not less than $4,000,000 shall first be available for the 4 regional centers for the deaf. The Secretary shall continue to provide assistance through September 30, 1994, to the current grantees operating the four regional centers for the deaf under this subsection. The Secretary shall continue to provide such assistance through September 30, 1995, unless the authorization of appropriations for subchapters III VII of this chapter is extended by September 30, 1994.
(b) For purposes of subsection (a) of this section, the term “individuals with disabilities” means individuals—
(1) with mental retardation, hearing impairments including deafness, speech or language impairments, visual impairments including blindness, serious emotional disturbance, orthopedic impairments, autism, traumatic brain injury, other health impairments, or specific learning disabilities; and
(2) who, by reason thereof, need special education and related services.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
References in Text
Section 1433 of this title, referred to in subsec. (a)(3), was amended generally by Pub. L. 101 476, title IV, §403, Oct. 30, 1990, 104 Stat. 1133, and, as so amended, provisions of subsec. (b) relating to a clearinghouse on postsecondary education for individuals with disabilities are contained in subsec. (c).
Amendments
1992—Subsec. (a)(6). Pub. L. 102 421 inserted at end “The Secretary shall continue to provide assistance through September 30, 1994, to the current grantees operating the four regional centers for the deaf under this subsection. The Secretary shall continue to provide such assistance through September 30, 1995, unless the authorization of appropriations for subchapters III VII of this chapter is extended by September 30, 1994.”
1991—Pub. L. 102 119 amended directory language of Pub. L. 101 476, §901(b). See 1990 Amendment note below.
1990—Pub. L. 101 476, §901(b), was amended in its directory language by Pub. L. 102 119, requiring no change in text.
Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 101 476, §§305(a)(1), 901(b)(111), substituted “individuals with disabilities” for “handicapped individuals” and inserted at end “Such model programs may include joint projects that coordinate with special education and transition services.”
Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 101 476, §901(b)(112), substituted “disabling” for “handicapping”.
Subsec. (a)(2)(A). Pub. L. 101 476, §901(b)(113), substituted “individuals with disabilities” for “handicapped individuals”.
Subsec. (a)(2)(B). Pub. L. 101 476, §901(b)(114), (115), substituted “individuals with disabilities” and “nondisabled” for “handicapped individuals” and “nonhandicapped”, respectively.
Subsec. (a)(2)(C). Pub. L. 101 476, §305(a)(2), added subpar. (C).
Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 101 476, §901(b)(116), substituted “persons with disabilities” for “handicapped persons”.
Subsec. (a)(6). Pub. L. 101 476, §305(a)(3), substituted “$4,000,000” for “$2,000,000”.
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 101 476, §901(b)(117), (118), which directed the substitution of “individuals with disabilities” and “visually disabled” for “handicapped individuals” and “visually handicapped”, respectively, could not be executed because those terms did not appear following the general amendment by Pub. L. 101 476, §305(b). See below.
Pub. L. 101 476, §305(b), amended subsec. (b) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (b) read as follows: “For the purposes of subsection (a) of this section the term ‘handicapped individuals’ means individuals who are mentally retarded, hard of hearing, deaf, speech or language impaired, visually handicapped, seriously emotionally disturbed, orthopedically impaired, other health impaired individuals, or individuals with specific learning disabilities who by reason thereof require special education and related services.”
1988—Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 100 630, §103(f)(1), substituted “applications” for “application”.
Subsec. (a)(5). Pub. L. 100 630, §103(f)(2), substituted “dispersed throughout the Nation” for “dispensed throughout the nation”.
1986—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 99 457 amended subsec. (a) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (a) read as follows:
“(a)(1) The Secretary is authorized to make grants to or enter into contracts with State educational agencies, institutions of higher education, junior and community colleges, vocational and technical institutions, and other appropriate nonprofit educational agencies for the development, operation, and dissemination of specially designed model programs of postsecondary, vocational, technical, continuing, or adult education for handicapped individuals.
“(2) In making grants or contracts on a competitive basis under this section, the Secretary shall give priority consideration to the four regional centers for the deaf and to model programs for individuals with handicapping conditions other than deafness—
“(A) for developing and adapting programs of postsecondary, vocational, technical, continuing, or adult education to meet the special needs of handicapped individuals; and
“(B) for programs that coordinate, facilitate, and encourage education of handicapped individuals with their nonhandicapped peers.
“(3) Of the sums made available for programs under this section, not less than $2,000,000 shall first be available for the four regional centers for the deaf.”
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 99 457, in amending subsec. (b) generally, substituted “subsection (a) of this section” for “this section” and struck out “or” after “orthopedically impaired,”.
1983—Pub. L. 98 199, §10, amended section generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (a) authorized the Secretary to make grants to or contracts with institutions of higher education, including junior and community colleges, vocational and technical institutions, and other appropriate nonprofit educational agencies for the development and operation of specially designed or modified programs of vocational, technical, postsecondary, or adult education for deaf or other handicapped persons; subsec. (b) required the Secretary in making grants or contracts authorized by this section, to give priority consideration to (1) programs serving multistate regions or large population centers; (2) programs adapting existing programs of vocational, technical, postsecondary, or adult education to the special needs of handicapped persons; and (3) programs designed to serve areas where a need for such services is clearly demonstrated; and subsec. (c), for purposes of this section, defined “handicapped persons” as meaning persons who are mentally retarded, hard of hearing, deaf, speech impaired, visually handicapped, emotionally disturbed, crippled, or in other ways health impaired and by reason thereof require special education programming and related services.
Subsecs. (a), (b). Pub. L. 98 199, §3(b), substituted “Secretary” for “Commissioner”.
Effective Date of 1992 Amendment
Section 221 of title II of Pub. L. 102 421 provided that: “The amendments described in this title [amending this section and sections 1431 and 1441 of this title] shall take effect on October 1, 1992.”
Effective Date of 1990 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 101 476 effective Oct. 1, 1990, see section 1001 of Pub. L. 101 476, set out as a note under section 1087ee of this title.
Effective Date of 1983 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 98 199 effective Dec. 2, 1983, with an exception for previously obligated funds and certain interim provisions for financial assistance, see section 18 of Pub. L. 98 199 set out as a note under section 1401 of this title.
Effective Date
Section effective on and after sixtieth day after Aug. 21, 1974, see section 2(c) of Pub. L. 93 380, set out as a note under section 1221 1 of this title.
Study of Regional Centers
Section 201(b) of Pub. L. 102 421 directed a General Accounting Office study of the four regional centers for the deaf under 20 U.S.C. 1424a(a)(2).