Mike DeWine, Governor

Paolo DeMaria, Superintendent of Public Instruction

December 19, 2019

RE: 2020 FEDERAL QUOTA REGISTRATION OF BLIND STUDENTS

Dear Superintendent:

Each year, the Ohio Department of Education’s Office for Exceptional Children requests all Ohio districts participation in the Federal Quota Registration of Blind Students. This registration is, conducted by the Assistive Technology and Accessible Educational Materials (AT&AEM) Center at OCALI on behalf of the Department. The registration of the students results in supplemental funding to purchase accessible educational materials, including textbooks and equipment, for any registered student. These materials are purchased by the center through the American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.

The Department requires the registration of every student attending your district who meets the eligibility requirements outlined in the guidelines. Each registered student generates $381.81 and will be able to obtain accessible educational materials through the Federal Quota Program.*

The Assistive Technology & Accessible Educational Materials Center administers the allocation based on the number of registered Ohio students who are legally blind. The cost of braille and large print textbooks and other specialized materials are expensive, so it is important to register each eligible student.

●	Please complete, sign and return the attached official 2020 FEDERAL QUOTA REGISTRATION OF BLIND STUDENTS form by Jan. 31, 2020;
●	Registration forms are required even if there are no legally blind students attending your district;
●	 Retain a copy of the registration form in the student’s record, along with the parent permission form, in the event of an audit that requires proof of the student’s registration.

This annual registration is not part of the data reporting for EMIS or the deafblind census conducted by the Ohio Center for Deafblind Education. Federal Quota registration is used solely to generate supplemental funds for accessible educational materials for students from the American Printing House for the Blind. Disclosure of this personally identifiable information is authorized under the “Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974,” 34CFR, Part 99.31, Paragraph (a)(4)(i).

Thank you for taking the time to complete the 2020 Federal Quota Registration. Your participation will have a positive impact on the education of blind students in Ohio. If you have questions regarding the registration eligibility or process, please contact Kelly Houston at Kelly_houston@ocali.org or (614) 410-1039 or Judy Siens at judy_siens@ocali.org or (614) 410-1041.

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

Jo Hannah Ward, M. Ed.
Director, Office for Exceptional Children

CC: State Support Teams

*The Federal Quota Program is a supplemental program and is not intended to provide all of the materials required by a student. However, the AT&AEM Center pools the allocation so that a requestor can order based on students’ needs.

25 South Front Street Columbus, Ohio 43215 education.ohio.gov

(877) 644-6338
For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, Please call Relay Ohio first at 711.

Federal Quota Program Registration

REPORTING PROCEDURE

Using the enclosed 2020 FEDERAL QUOTA REGISTRATION OF BLIND STUDENTS FORM, report every student who is legally blind and in attendance in your school district or agency as of Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. The school district of attendance reports each student who is legally blind.

Please note that students who may be eligible may not be prepopulated on the registration form. Additional students to review:
●	Students who have moved into the district within the last year; ●	Students who have a change in their visual acuity.

Superintendents report using one of the two codes: (Forms with incorrect codes will be returned)

●	MDB - Meets the Definition of Blindness or

●	FDB - Functions at the Definition of Blindness.

Superintendents must:

●	Verify the eligibility of each student listed on the registration form;

●	Obtain parental permission for each student being enrolled, if not currently on file; ●	Check the accuracy of the information provided;
●	Update incorrect information; ●	Add new students;
●	Sign the registration form;

●	Make a copy of the registration form for district records; and ●	Mail original registration form to the AT&AEM Center.
o The superintendent’s signature on the completed registration form verifies the existence of these records.

For further registration details and forms or for more information on the Federal Quota Program, please visit the AT&AEM Center website or click the links below.

●	Detailed Eligibility Guidelines

●	Parent Permission forms for registration (available in the following languages)

Albanian | Chinese | English
Japanese | Korean | Russian
Somali | Spanish | Ukrainian

●	Tips Checklist for completing the 2020 FEDERAL QUOTA REGISTRATION OF BLIND STUDENTS

To protect student identity, the AT&AEM Center encrypts all electronic correspondence with districts and provides a method for districts to return encrypted reporting materials.