(a) A Head Start grantee, or delegate agency, if appropriate, must develop a disabilities service plan providing strategies for meeting the special needs of children with disabilities and their parents. The purposes of this plan are to assure:

(1) That all components of Head Start are appropriately involved in the integration of children with disabilities and their parents; and

(2) That resources are used efficiently.

(b) The plan must be updated annually.

(c) The plan must include provisions for children with disabilities to be included in the full range of activities and services normally provided to all Head Start children and provisions for any modifications necessary to meet the special needs of the children with disabilities.

(d) The Head Start grantee and delegate agency must use the disabilities service plan as a working document which guides all aspects of the agency's effort to serve children with disabilities. This plan must take into account the needs of the children for small group activities, for modifications of large group activities and for any individual special help.

(e) The grantee or delegate agency must designate a coordinator of services for children with disabilities (disabilities coordinator) and arrange for preparation of the disabilities service plan and of the grantee application budget line items for services for children with disabilities. The grantee or delegate must ensure that all relevant coordinators, other staff and parents are consulted.

(f) The disability service plan must contain:

(1) Procedures for timely screening;

(2) Procedures for making referrals to the LEA for evaluation to determine whether there is a need for special education and related services for a child, as early as the child's third birthday;

(3) Assurances of accessibility of facilities; and

(4) Plans to provide appropriate special furniture, equipment and materials if needed.

(g) The plan, when appropriate, must address strategies for the transition of children into Head Start from infant/toddler programs (0-3 years), as well as the transition from Head Start into the next placement. The plan must include preparation of staff and parents for the entry of children with severe disabilities into the Head Start program.

(h) The grantee or delegate agency must arrange or provide special education and related services necessary to foster the maximum development of each child's potential and to facilitate participation in the regular Head Start program unless the services are being provided by the LEA or other agency. The plan must specify the services to be provided directly by Head Start and those provided by other agencies. The grantee or delegate agency must arrange for, provide, or procure services which may include, but are not limited to special education and these related services:

(1) Audiology services, including identification of children with hearing loss and referral for medical or other professional attention; provision of needed rehabilitative services such as speech and language therapy and auditory training to make best use of remaining hearing; speech conservation; lip reading; determination of need for hearing aids and fitting of appropriate aids; and programs for prevention of hearing loss;

(2) Physical therapy to facilitate gross motor development in activities such as walking prevent or slow orthopedic problems and improve posture and conditioning;

(3) Occupational therapy to improve, develop or restore fine motor functions in activities such as using a fork or knife;

(4) Speech or language services including therapy and use of assistive devices necessary for a child to develop or improve receptive or expressive means of communication;

(5) Psychological services such as evaluation of each child's functioning and interpreting the results to staff and parents; and counseling and guidance services for staff and parents regarding disabilities;

(6) Transportation for children with disabilities to and from the program and to special clinics or other service providers when the services cannot be provided on-site. Transportation includes adapted buses equipped to accommodate wheelchairs or other such devices if required; and

(7) Assistive technology services or devices necessary to enable a child to improve functions such as vision, mobility or communication to meet the objectives in the IEP.

(i) The disabilities service plan must include options to meet the needs and take into consideration the strengths of each child based upon the IEP so that a continuum of services available from various agencies is considered.

(j) The options may include:

(1) Joint placement of children with other agencies;

(2) Shared provision of services with other agencies;

(3) Shared personnel to supervise special education services, when necessary to meet State requirements on qualifications;

(4) Administrative accommodations such as having two children share one enrollment slot when each child's IEP calls for part-time service because of their individual needs; and

(5) Any other strategies to be used to insure that special needs are met. These may include:

(i) Increased staff;

(ii) Use of volunteers; and

(iii) Use of supervised students in such fields as child development, special education, child psychology, various therapies and family services to assist the staff.

(k) The grantee must ensure that the disabilities service plan addresses grantee efforts to meet State standards for personnel serving children with disabilities by the 1994-95 program year. Special education and related services must be provided by or under the supervision of personnel meeting State qualifications by the 1994-95 program year.

(l) The disabilities service plan must include commitment to specific efforts to develop interagency agreements with the LEAs and other agencies within the grantee's service area. If no agreement can be reached, the grantee must document its efforts and inform the Regional Office. The agreements must address:

(1) Head Start participation in the public agency's Child Find plan under Part B of IDEA;

(2) Joint training of staff and parents;

(3) Procedures for referral for evaluations, IEP meetings and placement decisions;

(4) Transition;

(5) Resource sharing;

(6) Head Start commitment to provide the number of children receiving services under IEPs to the LEA for the LEA Child Count report by December 1 annually; and

(7) Any other items agreed to by both parties. Grantees must make efforts to update the agreements annually.

(m) The disabilities coordinator must work with the director in planning and budgeting of grantee funds to assure that the special needs identified in the IEP are fully met; that children most in need of an integrated placement and of special assistance are served; and that the grantee maintains the level of fiscal support to children with disabilities consistent with the Congressional mandate to meet their special needs.

(n) The grant application budget form and supplement submitted with applications for funding must reflect requests for adequate resources to implement the objectives and activities in the disability services plan and fulfill the requirements of these Performance Standards.

(o) The budget request included with the application for funding must address the implementation of the disabilities service plan. Allowable expenditures include:

(1) Salaries. Allowable expenditures include salaries of a full or part-time coordinator of services for children with disabilities (disabilities coordinator), who is essential to assure that programs have the core capability to recruit, enroll, arrange for the evaluation of children, provide or arrange for services to children with disabilities and work with Head Start coordinators and staff of other agencies which are working cooperatively with the grantee. Salaries of special education resource teachers who can augment the work of the regular teacher are an allowable expenditure.

(2) Evaluation of children. When warranted by screening or rescreening results, teacher observation or parent request, arrangements must be made for evaluation of the child's development and functioning. If, after referral for evaluation to the LEA, evaluations are not provided by the LEA, they are an allowable expenditure.

(3) Services. Program funds may be used to pay for services which include special education, related services, and summer services deemed necessary on an individual basis and to prepare for serving children with disabilities in advance of the program year.

(4) Making services accessible. Allowable costs include elimination of architectural barriers which affect the participation of children with disabilities, in conformance with 45 CFR part 84, Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Handicap in Program and Activities Receiving or Benefiting from Federal Financial Assistance and with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101). The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that public accommodations including private schools and day care centers may not discriminate on the basis of disability. Physical barriers in existing facilities must be removed if removal is readily achievable (i.e., easily accomplishable and able to be carried out without much difficulty or expense). If not, alternative methods of providing the services must be offered, if those methods are readily achievable. Alterations must be accessible. When alterations to primary function areas are made, an accessible path of travel to the altered areas (and the bathrooms, telephones and drinking fountains serving that area) must be provided to the extent that the added accessibility costs are not disproportionate to the overall cost of the alterations. Program funds may be used for ramps, remodeling or modifications such as grab bars or railings. Grantees must meet new statutory and regulatory requirements that are enacted.

(5) Transportation. Transportation is a related service to be provided to children with disabilities. When transportation to the program site and to special services can be accessed from other agencies, it should be used. When it is not available, program funds are to be used to provide it. Special buses or use of taxis are allowable expenses if there are no alternatives available and they are necessary to enable a child to be served.

(6) Special Equipment and Materials. Purchase or lease of special equipment and materials for use in the program and home is an allowable program expense. Grantees must make available assistive devices necessary to make it possible for a child to move, communicate, improve functioning or address objectives which are listed in the child's IEP.

(7) Training and Technical Assistance. Increasing the abilities of staff to meet the special needs of children with disabilities is an allowable expense. Appropriate expenditures may include but are not limited to:

(i) Travel and per diem expenses for disabilities coordinators, teachers and parents to attend training and technical assistance events related to special services for children with disabilities;

(ii) The provision of substitute teaching staff to enable staff to attend training and technical assistance events;

(iii) Fees for courses specifically related to the requirements of the disabilities service plan, a child's IEP or State certification to serve children with disabilities; and

(iv) Fees and expenses for training/technical assistance consultants if such help is not available from another provider at no cost.