Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities and demonstration and Training Programs—National Technical Assistance Center on Transition for Students and youth With disabilities

Overview

Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities program is to promote academic achievement and to improve results for children with disabilities by providing TA, supporting model demonstration projects, disseminating useful information, and implementing activities that are supported by scientifically based research. 

The purpose of the Demonstration and Training program is to provide competitive grants, including cooperative agreements, to, or enter into contracts with, eligible entities to expand and improve the provision of vocational rehabilitation (VR) and other services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Rehabilitation Act), or to further the purposes and policies in sections 2(b) and (c) of the Rehabilitation Act by supporting activities that increase the provision, extent, availability, scope, and quality of rehabilitation services under the Rehabilitation Act, including related research and evaluation activities.

Background: While overall high school graduation rates for students with disabilities have increased in recent years, students with disabilities still lag behind their peers without disabilities by 16 percent (NCES, 2024a). A recent report indicates that in 2021, the dropout rate for students without a disability was 4.8 percent, while the rate for students with disabilities was more than double that at 10.1 percent (NCES, 2024b). High quality secondary transition planning is critical to reducing the likelihood of dropout and increasing graduation rates for students with disabilities (National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: The Collaborative, 2022). To ensure effective secondary transition planning for, and active participation in decision making by, students with disabilities, members of the planning team should be well informed about the student’s abilities, needs, and available 

services. We consider only applications that meet both of these priorities.

This Program Contains two Priorities:

Absolute Priority 1: National Technical Assistance Center on Transition for Students and Youth with Disabilities. The purpose of this priority is to fund a cooperative agreement to establish and operate a National Technical Assistance Center on Transition for Students and Youth with Disabilities (Center). 

Absolute Priority 2:Technical Assistance and Dissemination To Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities and demonstration and Training Programs—National Technical Assistance Center on Transition for Students and youth With disabilities—Vocational Rehabilitation Demonstration and Training Program.

Projects that are designed to include initiatives focused on improving transition from education, including postsecondary education, to employment, particularly in competitive integrated employment, for youth who are individuals with significant disabilities and address the needs of underserved populations, unserved and underserved areas, individuals with significant disabilities, low-incidence disability population or individuals residing in federally designated empowerment zones and enterprise communities.

Estimated Available Funds: $4,099,988.

The Administration has requested $39,345,000 for the Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities program for FY 2025, of which we intend to use an estimated $2,099,988 for this competition.

Project Period: Up to 60 months.