Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 112 Part 5.djvu/890

 112 STAT. 3648 PUBLIC LAW 105-394—NOV. 13, 1998 (d) EFFECT ON OTHER ASSISTANCE.—T h is title may not be construed as authorizing a Federal or a State agency to reduce medical or other assistance available, or to alter eligibility for a benefit or service, under any other Federal law. 29 USC 3014. SEC. 104. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. (a) IN GENERAL. —Through grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements, awarded on a competitive basis, the Secretary is authorized to fund a technical assistance program to provide technical assistance to entities, principally entities funded under section 101 or 102. (b) INPUT. —In designing the program to be funded under this section, and in deciding the differences in function between national and regionsdly based technical assistance efforts carried out through the program, the Secretary shall consider the input of the directors of comprehensive statewide programs of technology-related assistance and other individuals the Secretary determines to be appropriate, especially— (1) individuals with disabilities who use assistive technology and understand the barriers to the acquisition of such technology and assistive technology services; (2) family members, guardians, advocates, and authorized representatives of such individuals; and (3) individuals employed by protection and advocacy systems funded under section 102. (c) SCOPE OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— (1) NATIONAL PUBLIC INTERNET SITE. — (A) ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERNET SITE.— The Secretary shall fund the establishment and maintenance of a National Public Internet Site for the purposes of providing to individuals with disabilities and the general public technical assistance and information on increased access to assistive technology devices, assistive technology services, and other disability-related resources. (B) ELIGIBLE ENTITY. —TO be eligible to receive a grant or enter into a contract or cooperative agreement under subsection (a) to establish and maintain the Internet site, an entity shall be an institution of higher education that emphasizes research and engineering, has a multidisciplinary research center, and has demonstrated expertise in— (i) working with assistive technology and intelligent agent interactive information dissemination systems; (ii) managing libraries of assistive technology and disability-related resources; (iii) delivering education, information, and referral services to individuals with disabilities, including technology-based curriculum development services for adults with low-level reading skills; (iv) developing cooperative partnerships with the private sector, particularly with private sector computer software, hardware, and Internet services entities; and (v) developing and designing advanced Internet sites.

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