FR Doc 05-9000
[Federal Register: May 5, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 86)]
[Notices]
[Page 23852-23854]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05my05-46]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research--
Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program--
Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects
AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services,
Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of proposed priority for a National Center for the
Dissemination of Disability Research (NCDDR).
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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services proposes one funding priority for the National
Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research's (NIDRR)
Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program,
Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP). The Assistant
Secretary may use this priority for competitions in fiscal year (FY)
2005 and later years. We take this action to focus research attention
on areas of national need. We intend this priority to improve
rehabilitation services and outcomes for individuals with disabilities.
DATES: We must receive your comments on or before June 6, 2005.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments about this proposed priority to Donna
Nangle, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room
6030, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20204-2700. 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) 245-
7462.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
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 proposed priority in room 6030, 550 12th Street,
SW., Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC, between the hours of 8:30
a.m. and 4 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 using
additional priorities, subject to meeting applicable rulemaking
requirements.
Note: This notice does not solicit applications. In any year in
which 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. The effect of each type of priority
follows:
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 competitive priority (34 CFR
75.105(c)(2)(i)); or (2) selecting an application that meets the
competitive 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
invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference over other
applications (34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).
Note: NIDRR supports the goals of President Bush's New Freedom
Initiative (NFI). The NFI can be accessed on the Internet at the
following site:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/newfreedom/.
The proposed priority is in concert with NIDRR's Long-Range Plan
(Plan). The Plan is comprehensive and integrates many issues relating
to disability and rehabilitation research topics. While applicants will
find many sections throughout the Plan that support potential research
and dissemination to be conducted under the proposed priority, a
specific reference is included for the priority presented in this
notice. The Plan can be accessed on the Internet at the following site:
http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/index.html.
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.
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 to develop
methods,
[[Page 23853]]
procedures, and rehabilitation technology that maximize the full
inclusion and integration into society, employment, independent living,
family support, and economic and social self-sufficiency of individuals
with disabilities, especially individuals with the most severe
disabilities and to improve the effectiveness of services authorized
under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (the Act). DRRPs carry
out one or more of the following types of activities, as specified in
34 CFR 350.13 through 350.19: research, development, demonstration,
training, dissemination, utilization, and technical assistance.
An applicant for assistance under this program must demonstrate in
its application how it will address, in whole or in part, the needs of
individuals with disabilities from minority backgrounds (34 CFR
350.40(a)). The approaches an applicant may take to meet this
requirement are found in 34 CFR 350.40(b).
Under the DRRP program, we define a utilization activity as
relating the research findings to practical applications in planning,
policy making, program administration, and delivery of services to
individuals with disabilities (34 CFR 350.17). We define a
dissemination activity as the systematic distribution of information or
knowledge through a variety of ways to potential users or beneficiaries
(34 CFR 350.18). Additional information on the DRRP program can be
found at:
http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/res-program.html#DRRP.
Priority
Background
With this priority, NIDRR plans to fund a National Center for the
Dissemination of Disability Research (NCDDR) to serve as the
cornerstone for Knowledge Dissemination and Utilization (KDU) and
Knowledge Translation (KT) efforts. KDU projects ensure widespread
distribution, in usable formats, of practical scientific and
technological information generated by research, development, and
demonstration projects. KT projects encompass the exchange, synthesis,
and ethically sound application of knowledge within a complex system of
relationships among researchers and users.
(http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/7518.html
) NIDRR expects KT concepts and activities to increasingly
shape the effective dissemination and utilization of disability and
rehabilitation research results critical to achieving NIDRR's mission.
Research findings can improve the quality of life of people with
disabilities and further their full inclusion into society. These
benefits are feasible only if the findings and technologies are
available to, known by, and accessible to potential users.
NIDRR is particularly interested in ensuring that information to be
disseminated is of high quality and is based on scientifically rigorous
research and development. Potential users need to be able to assess the
quality of research and development findings and products and the
relevance of these findings and products to their particular needs.
End-users with limited scientific training, in particular, may need
assistance in order to understand competing research claims or to
determine the relevance of particular findings to their individual
situations. In addition, given the nature of scientific study,
practical information often is based on cumulative knowledge, not upon
the results of any one study. We encourage potential applicants, when
identifying standards and procedures for systematic review of evidence,
to examine the work of such organizations as the Campbell Collaboration
(http://www.campbellcollaboration.org/), the Cochrane Collaboration (http://www.cochrane.org/), and the Department of Education What Works
Clearinghouse (http://www.w-w-c.org/).
NIDRR supports a variety of projects designed to help channel the
flow of knowledge gained from rehabilitation research to specific uses.
The National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC) serves as a
clearinghouse or gateway to disability and rehabilitation oriented
information organized in a variety of formats for the public,
researchers, and NIDRR. NARIC provides interactive information to users
through online publications, searchable databases, and timely reference
and referral data. ABLEDATA provides information on assistive
technology products and rehabilitation equipment available from
domestic and international sources. Other NIDRR projects, including
Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers, Rehabilitation
Engineering Research Centers, Model Burn Injury, Spinal Cord Injury,
and Traumatic Brain Injury Systems, and Disability and Rehabilitation
Research Projects provide information on a wide range of topics for
specific target populations.
NIDRR funds more than 300 centers and projects annually. The NCDDR
will serve as the nexus between NIDRR and its grantees. Key activities
will include identifying standards and criteria for conducting research
syntheses and to guide the dissemination of research and development
information and findings; developing partnerships and collaborating
with key constituencies and with groups conducting similar work;
identifying effective dissemination strategies; and serving as a
resource for NIDRR grantees. As the lead project for NIDRR KDU and KT
activities, the Center will provide technical assistance to grantees to
help them plan and carry out dissemination activities that meet high
standards and to help NIDRR move the results of research to the
utilization stage. The center will help NIDRR projects prepare,
maintain, and communicate evidence-based reports and syntheses in topic
areas identified in conjunction with NIDRR.
This project will work closely with NIDRR through a cooperative
agreement.
Proposed Priority
The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services proposes to fund a National Center for the Dissemination of
Disability Research to serve as a lead center in the area of Knowledge
Translation/Knowledge Dissemination and Utilization. This center will
ensure that NIDRR constituencies have ready access to high-quality,
research-based information that has the potential to improve the lives
of individuals with disabilities. The reference to this priority may be
found in the Plan, Chapter 8, Knowledge Dissemination. The center
must--
(1) Identify standards, guidelines, and methods appropriate for
developing evidence-based systematic reviews of disability and
rehabilitation research;
(2) Serve as a technical assistance resource to NIDRR grantees to
ensure that research studies will meet standards for inclusion in
evidence-based systematic reviews;
(3) Develop partnerships with existing collaborations and
registries to identify gaps and opportunities and to facilitate the
systematic review of disability and rehabilitation research;
(4) Identify and promote the use of evidence-based reviews in topic
areas developed in collaboration with NIDRR and its grantees;
(5) Identify, develop, and assess the effectiveness of strategies
for dissemination of high quality information to diverse target
populations; and
(6) Serve as a technical assistance resource to NIDRR grantees to
ensure the use of effective strategies for dissemination of high
quality
[[Page 23854]]
information to diverse target populations.
Executive Order 12866
This NPP has been reviewed in accordance with Executive Order
12866. Under the terms of the order, we have assessed the potential
costs and benefits of this regulatory action.
The potential costs associated with the NPP are those resulting
from statutory requirements and those we have determined as necessary
for administering this program effectively and efficiently.
In assessing the potential costs and benefits--both quantitative
and qualitative--of this NPP, we have determined that the benefits of
the proposed priority justify the costs.
Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR part 350.
Electronic Access to This Document
You may view this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site:
http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
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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.gpoaccess.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(a).
Dated: April 29, 2005.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 05-9000 Filed 5-4-05; 8:45 am]
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