[Federal Register: June 4, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 107)]
[Notices]
[Page 38579-38582]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr04jn02-129]
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Part IV
Department of Education
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National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research; Notice
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services,
Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of proposed priority.
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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services proposes a priority for Capacity Building,
Coordination, and Collaboration projects under the Disability and
Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) Program of the National
Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). The
Assistant Secretary may use one or more of these priorities for
competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2002 and later years. We take this
action to focus research attention on an identified national need. We
intend this priority to improve rehabilitation services and outcomes
for individuals with disabilities from traditionally underserved racial
and ethnic populations.
DATES: We must receive your comments on or before July 5, 2002.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments about this proposed priority to Donna
Nangle, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room
3412, Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-2645. If you prefer
to send your comments through the Internet, use the following address:
donna.nangle@ed.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donna Nangle. Telephone: (202)
205-5880 or via the Internet: donna.nangle@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the TDD number at (202) 205-4475.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Invitation to Comment
We invite you to submit comments regarding this proposed priority.
We invite you to assist us in complying with the specific
requirements of Executive Order 12866 and its overall requirement of
reducing regulatory burden that might result from this proposed
priority. Please let us know of any further opportunities we should
take to reduce potential costs or increase potential benefits while
preserving the effective and efficient administration of the program.
During and after the comment period, you may inspect all public
comments about this priority in room 3412, Switzer Building, 330 C
Street, SW., Washington, DC, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00
p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday of each week except Federal
holidays.
Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities in Reviewing the Rulemaking
Record
On request, we will supply an appropriate aid, such as a reader or
print magnifier, to an individual with a disability who needs
assistance to review the comments or other documents in the public
rulemaking record for this proposed priority. If you want to schedule
an appointment for this type of aid, please contact the person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
We will announce the final priority in a notice in the Federal
Register. We will determine the final priority after considering
responses to this notice and other information available to the
Department. This notice does not preclude us from proposing or funding
additional priorities, subject to meeting applicable rulemaking
requirements.
Note: This notice does not solicit applications. If we choose to
use this proposed priority, we invite applications through a notice
in the Federal Register. When inviting applications we designate the
priority as absolute, competitive preference, or invitational.
Absolute priority: Under an absolute priority, we consider only
applications that meet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(3)).
Competitive preference priority: Under a competitive preference
priority, we give competitive preference to an application by either
(1) awarding additional points, depending on how well or the extent to
which the application meets the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i)); or
(2) selecting an application that meets the priority over an
application of comparable merit that does not meet the priority (34 CFR
75.105(c)(2)(ii)).
Invitational priority: Under an invitational priority, we are
particularly interested in applications that meet the invitational
priority. However, we do not give an application that meets the
priority a competitive or absolute preference over other applications
(34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).
Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) Program
The purpose of the DRRP Program is to plan and conduct research,
demonstration projects, training, and related activities that help to
maximize the full inclusion and integration of individuals with
disabilities into society and to improve the effectiveness of services
authorized under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (the Act).
Section 21
Section 21(b)(2)(A) of the Act authorizes NIDRR to make awards to
minority entities and Indian tribes to carry out activities authorized
under title II of the Act. A minority entity is defined as a
historically black college or university (a Part B institution, as
defined in section 322(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as
amended), a Hispanic-serving institution of higher education, an
American Indian tribal college or university, or another institution of
higher education whose minority student enrollment is at least 50
percent. Consistent with section 21(b)(2)(A), eligibility is limited to
minority entities and Indian tribes.
New Freedom Initiative and The NIDRR Long-Range Plan
This priority reflects issues discussed in the New Freedom
Initiative (NFI) and NIDRR's Long-Range Plan (the Plan). The NFI can be
accessed on the Internet at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/
freedominitiative/freedominiative.html.
The Plan can be accessed on the Internet at: http://www.ed.gov/
offices/OSERS/NIDRR/Products.
Through the implementation of the NFI and the Plan, NIDRR seeks to:
(1) Improve the quality and utility of disability and rehabilitation
research; (2) foster an exchange of expertise, information, and
training to facilitate the advancement of knowledge and understanding
of the unique needs of traditionally underserved populations; (3)
determine best strategies and programs to improve rehabilitation
outcomes for underserved populations; (4) identify research gaps; (5)
identify mechanisms of integrating research and practice; and (6)
disseminate findings.
Priority
Background
In establishing section 21 of the Act, Congress noted patterns of
inequitable treatment of traditionally underserved racial and ethnic
populations (also referred to as minorities) in all major junctures of
the vocational rehabilitation (VR) process. However,
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research findings have not yielded conclusive evidence about factors
that contribute to the persistent pattern of inequitable treatment.
Although recent research findings indicate that the experiences and
rehabilitation outcomes for individuals from traditionally underserved
racial and ethnic populations differ from nonminority individuals, the
factors that influence rehabilitation outcomes is not clear. For
example, evidence about the significance of race as a correlate of
acceptance for VR services and contributor for differential
rehabilitation outcomes are inconclusive.
NIDRR undertakes this priority to enhance our understanding of the
unique needs of individuals with disabilities from traditionally
underserved racial and ethnic populations and to support cooperative
partnerships between minority and nonminority entities.
The priority invites capacity-building activities and development
of strategies to improve the participation of consumers with
disabilities from traditionally underserved racial and ethnic
populations in research and decision-making activities in a variety of
settings.
Proposed Priority
This proposed priority is intended to improve the quality and
utility of research related to individuals with disabilities from
traditionally underserved racial and ethnic populations and to enhance
knowledge and awareness of issues related to these populations. The
proposed priority would achieve this goal by (1) building the capacity
of researchers, especially individuals from traditionally underserved
racial and ethnic populations, and (2) conducting disability research
that examines the unique needs and factors that influence
rehabilitation outcomes for individuals with disabilities from
traditionally underserved racial and ethnic populations.
Applicants must choose a minimum of three and up to a maximum of
five research areas below. Due to the need to focus research and
capacity-building activities on specific groups or topics, applicants
may target those populations appropriate to the activities that they
propose.
The DRRP research and capacity-building areas are:
(1) To investigate and evaluate disability and rehabilitation
outcomes for individuals with disabilities from traditionally
underserved racial and ethnic populations in State VR systems, and
assess between State and within State differences in outcomes.
(2) To investigate and evaluate access to and acceptance rates for
VR services, types of services provided, and costs of rehabilitation
services for individuals with disabilities from traditionally
underserved racial and ethnic populations compared to nonminority
individuals.
(3) To investigate, evaluate, and develop, as needed, indices and
measures to assess the capacity of the disability and VR personnel
workforce to provide quality services to individuals with disabilities
from traditionally underserved racial and ethnic populations.
(4) To investigate, evaluate, and report activities that strengthen
disability-related research collaboration between minority entities and
nonminority entities, particularly collaboration to improve
rehabilitation services and outcomes for traditionally underserved
racial and ethnic populations.
(5) To investigate, develop as needed, and evaluate strategies for
strengthening resources and research capacity of minority entities,
particularly the expertise and infrastructure requirements that are
needed to ensure the optimal participation of minority entities in
disability and rehabilitation research.
(6) To investigate, develop, and evaluate strategies, such as
cultural competency training, targeted recruitment efforts, and
incentives, to include and enhance retention of students and
investigators from traditionally underserved racial and ethnic
populations as rehabilitation researchers, administrators, and
educators.
(7) To investigate and evaluate the effect of persons from
traditionally underserved racial and ethnic populations participating
in disability and rehabilitation research activities, direct service
delivery, and training programs, and determine to what extent
participation assists to improve VR outcomes for these underserved
populations.
The DRRP project will provide information leading to better
understanding of: (1) Factors that contribute to different VR outcomes
for traditionally underserved racial and ethnic populations compared to
nonminorities, (2) training needs and effective training strategies,
(3) effective approaches for improving collaboration between minority
entities and Indian tribes and other institutions, and (4) strategies
that strengthen the research infrastructure and capacity-building for
minority entities and Indian tribes.
In carrying out the purposes of the priority, the DRRP must:
&sbull; Through consultation with the NIDRR project officer,
coordinate and establish partnerships, as appropriate, with other
academic institutions and organizations that are relevant to the
project's proposed activities, including minority entities and Indian
tribes;
&sbull; Demonstrate use of culturally appropriate data
collection, evaluation, dissemination, training, and research
methodologies and significant knowledge of the needs of individuals
with disabilities from traditionally underserved populations;
&sbull; Develop, implement, and evaluate dissemination
strategies for research and capacity-building products developed by the
project;
&sbull; Demonstrate appropriate multidisciplinary linkages;
&sbull; Develop and regularly update an online information
dissemination system and make material readily available in alternate
formats;
&sbull; Conduct an annual evaluation of all activities
undertaken in support of capacity-building using formal measures and
indicators;
&sbull; Provide expertise, consultation, and technical
assistance on capacity-building and cultural competence to individuals
and organizations seeking information; and
&sbull; Ensure an interdisciplinary outreach effort in
conducting research and capacity-building activities.
Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR part 350.
Electronic Access to This Document
You may review this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe
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Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO access at: http://
www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.133A, Disability
Rehabilitation Research Project.)
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 762(g) and 764(b).
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Dated: May 10, 2002.
Andrew J. Pepin,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services.
[FR Doc. 02-13985 Filed 6-3-02; 8:45 am]
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