regional education programs for deaf and other handicapped persons

regional education programs for deaf and other handicapped persons Sec. 616. Part C of the Education of the Handicapped Act is amended by redesignating sections 625 and 626 thereof as sections 626 and 627, respectively, and by inserting a new section as follows: “regional education programs “Sec. 625. (a) The Commissioner is authorized to make grants to or contracts with institutions of higher education, including junior and community colleges, vocational and technical institutions, and other appropriate nonprofit educational agencies for the development and operation of specially designed or modified programs of vocational, technical, postsecondary, or adult education for deaf or other handicapped persons. “(b) In making grants or contracts authorized by this section the Commissioner shall give priority consideration to— “(1) programs serving multistate regions or large population centers; “(2) programs adapting existing programs of vocational, technical, postsecondary, or adult education to the special needs of handicapped persons: and “(3) programs designed to serve areas where a need for such services is clearly demonstrated. “(c) For purposes of this section, the term ‘handicapped persons’ means persons who are mentally retarded, hard of hearing, deaf, speech impaired, visually handicapped, emotionally disturbed, crippled, or in other ways health impaired and by reason thereof require special education programming and related services.”.