The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) of the U.S Department of Education has announced the details for a series of public meetings that it is hosting to seek comments and suggestions about the IDEA Part C proposed rules which were recently released, based on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 that amended the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Part C affects those ASHA members who work with infants and toddlers with disabilities by offering federal funds to states for early intervention services.
Talking points on IDEA are available to aid you in preparing your comments. If you plan on attending a meeting or would like additional information, please contact Catherine D. Clarke, ASHA's Director of Education and Regulatory Advocacy, at 444 North Capitol Street, NW, Suite 715, Washington, DC 20001, by e-mail at cclarke@asha.org, or by phone at 800-498-2071, ext. 4159; or Deborah Darcy, ASHA's Director of Grassroots, by e-mail at ddarcy@asha.org or by phone at 800-498-2071, ext. 4427.
When you attend these regional meetings, please remember that:
- Registration to comment is at the door, on a first-come first-served basis;
- Each person will have two to five minutes to comment, depending upon the amount of individuals registered; and
- Oral and written comments can be provided at the meetings, written comments that accompany oral remarks are optional.
It is suggested that you use the following format for your oral comments:
- Introduce yourself – who you are and what you do concerning students being served by IDEA;
- Who you represent (e.g., a concerned practitioner, state association, ASHA); and
- Issues of concern to you supported by providing local examples of what is working and what is not (e.g., personal stories, anecdotes, statistics).
Additional information on the Part C proposed rule can be found on ED's Web site or ASHA's IDEA Action Center.
If you are unable to attend a meeting and would like to submit comments, please send your written comment to ED by July 23, 2007. You can submit your comments through the Federal eRulemaking Portal or via postal mail. ED will not accept comments by fax or by e-mail. Please also include the Docket ID at the top of your comments.
- Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov, select "Department of Education" from the agency drop-down menu, click "Submit." In the Docket ID column, select ED-2007-OSERS-131 to add or view public comments and to view supporting and related materials available electronically.
- If you mail or deliver your comments about these proposed regulations, address them to Alexa Posny, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4109, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2600.
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