[Federal Register: March 25, 1996 (Volume 61, Number 58)]
[Notices]
[Page 12063-12066]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
AGENCY: Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of Proposed Funding Priorities for Fiscal Years 1996-
1997 for Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers.
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SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes funding priorities for Rehabilitation
Research and Training Centers (RRTCs) under the National Institute on
Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) for fiscal years 1996-
1997. The Secretary takes this action to focus research attention on
areas of national need identified through NIDRR's long-range planning
process. These proposed priorities are intended to improve outcomes for
individuals with disabilities.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 24, 1996.
ADDRESSES: All comments concerning these proposed priorities should be
addressed to David Esquith, U.S. Department of Education, 600
Independence Avenue, S.W., Switzer
[[Page 12064]]
Building, Room 3424, Washington, D.C. 20202-2601.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Esquith. Telephone: (202) 205-
8801. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) may call the TDD number at (202) 205-8133. Internet:
David__Esquith@ed.gov
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice contains two proposed priorities
under the RRTC program. The proposed priorities are for research
related to vocational rehabilitation services to individuals who are
blind or visually impaired and vocational rehabilitation services to
individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Authority for the RRTC program of NIDRR is contained in section
204(b)(2) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 760-
762). Under this program the Secretary makes awards to public and
private organizations, including institutions of higher education and
Indian tribes or tribal organizations for coordinated research and
training activities. These entities must be of sufficient size, scope,
and quality to effectively carry out the activities of the Center in an
efficient manner consistent with appropriate State and Federal laws.
They must demonstrate the ability to carry out the training activities
either directly or through another entity that can provide such
training.
The Secretary may make awards for up to 60 months through grants or
cooperative agreements. The purpose of the awards is for planning and
conducting research, training, demonstrations, and related activities
leading to the development of methods, procedures, and devices that
will benefit individuals with disabilities, especially those with the
most severe disabilities.
These proposed priorities support the National Education Goal that
calls for all Americans to possess the knowledge and skills necessary
to compete in a global economy and exercise the rights and
responsibilities of citizenship.
Under the regulations for this program (see 34 CFR 352.32) the
Secretary may establish research priorities by reserving funds to
support particular research activities.
NIDRR is in the process of developing a revised long-range plan.
The priorities proposed in this notice are consistent with the long-
range planning process.
Description of the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center
Program
RRTCs are operated in collaboration with institutions of higher
education or providers of rehabilitation services or other appropriate
services. RRTCs serve as centers of national excellence and national or
regional resources for providers and individuals with disabilities and
the parents, family members, guardians, advocates or authorized
representatives of the individuals.
RRTCs conduct coordinated and advanced programs of research in
rehabilitation targeted toward the production of new knowledge to
improve rehabilitation methodology and service delivery systems,
alleviate or stabilize disabling conditions, and promote maximum social
and economic independence of individuals with disabilities.
RRTCs provide training, including graduate, pre-service, and in-
service training, to assist individuals to more effectively provide
rehabilitation services. They also provide training including graduate,
pre-service, and in-service training, for rehabilitation research
personnel and other rehabilitation personnel.
RRTCs serve as informational and technical assistance resources to
providers, individuals with disabilities, and the parents, family
members, guardians, advocates, or authorized representatives of these
individuals through conferences, workshops, public education programs,
in-service training programs and similar activities.
NIDRR encourages all Centers to involve individuals with
disabilities and minorities as recipients in research training, as well
as clinical training.
Applicants have considerable latitude in proposing the specific
research and related projects they will undertake to achieve the
designated outcomes; however, the regulatory selection criteria for the
program (34 CFR 352.31) state that the Secretary reviews the extent to
which applicants justify their choice of research projects in terms of
the relevance to the priority and to the needs of individuals with
disabilities. The Secretary also reviews the extent to which applicants
present a scientific methodology that includes reasonable hypotheses,
methods of data collection and analysis, and a means to evaluate the
extent to which project objectives have been achieved.
The Department is particularly interested in ensuring that the
expenditure of public funds is justified by the execution of intended
activities and the advancement of knowledge and, thus, has built this
accountability into the selection criteria. Not later than three years
after the establishment of any RRTC, NIDRR will conduct one or more
reviews of the activities and achievements of the Center. In accordance
with the provisions of 34 CFR 75.253(a), continued funding depends at
all times on satisfactory performance and accomplishment.
General: The Secretary proposes that the following requirements
will apply to all of the RRTCs pursuant to the priorities:
Each RRTC must conduct an integrated program of research to develop
solutions to problems confronted by individuals with disabilities.
Each RRTC must conduct a coordinated and advanced program of
training in rehabilitation research, including training in research
methodology and applied research experience, that will contribute to
the number of qualified researchers working in the area of
rehabilitation research.
Each Center must disseminate and encourage the use of new
rehabilitation knowledge. They must publish all materials for
dissemination or training in alternate formats to make them accessible
to individuals with a range of disabling conditions.
Each RRTC must involve individuals with disabilities and, if
appropriate, their family members, as well as rehabilitation service
providers in planning and implementing the research and training
programs, in interpreting and disseminating the research findings, and
in evaluating the Center.
Priorities: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) the Secretary proposes to
give an absolute preference to applications that meet one of the
following proposed priorities. The Secretary would fund under these
competitions only applications that meet one of these absolute
priorities:
Proposed Priority 1: Vocational Rehabilitation Services for Individuals
Who are Blind or Visually Impaired
Background
In 1990, approximately 17 out of every 1,000 persons in the
civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States were
unable to see to read ordinary newspaper print even when wearing
glasses. Of these 4.3 million individuals approximately 515,000 were
blind in both eyes (K.A. Nelson and E. Dimitrova, Severe Visual
Impairment in the United States and in Each State, 1990, Journal of
Visual Impairment and Blindness, March 1993, 80). The number of persons
with a visual impairment that substantially limits one or more major
life activity is estimated to be 1.3 million (M. Laplante and D.
Carlson, Disability in the United States: Prevalence and Causes, 1992,
Disability
[[Page 12065]]
Statistics Rehabilitation Research and Training Center, University of
California, San Francisco, October, 1995). These individuals are the
primary target audience for this RRTC.
For the years 1991 and 1992, of the 4.57 million persons 21 to 64
years old who had some functional limitation seeing words or letters,
2.086 million individuals or 45.6 percent were employed, while 144,000
individuals, or 25.6 percent of those who were totally unable to see
words or letters, were employed. By comparison, for the same age group,
80.5 percent of all individuals without a disability were employed (J.
McNeil, Americans with Disabilities: 1991-1992, Household Economic
Studies, P70-33, December 1993). Among the cases closed by State
vocational rehabilitation agencies as non-rehabilitated or
rehabilitated in 1993, 25,488 individuals were blind or visually
impaired. Of those individuals, 18,273 or 71.7 percent, were
rehabilitated (Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), Caseload
Services data, 1993).
In order to improve the employment status of individuals who are
blind and visually impaired, there is a need to identify barriers to
achieving employment outcomes and to develop new and improved
rehabilitation techniques that rehabilitation service providers can use
to address these barriers. In addition, rehabilitation service
providers and employers must be knowledgeable about job accommodations.
Rehabilitation service providers and employers should have the ability
to assist individuals who are blind or visually impaired to overcome
not only physical barriers, but also technological barriers to the
emerging electronic information infrastructure.
Since 1936 the Randolph-Sheppard Act program has been a source of
employment for individuals who are blind. The program enables
individuals who are blind to become licensed facility managers and
operate vending facilities on Federal property. According to RSA, in
fiscal year 1994, 3,524 blind vendors operated 3,419 vending facilities
under the Randolph-Sheppard Act program. The program generated $401
million in gross earnings with vendors averaging an annual income of
$26,478.
In order to ensure that the vending facilities are competitive, an
assessment should be undertaken to identify areas of the program that
may be improved by training State Business Enterprise program
counselors and licensed facility managers.
Proposed Priority 1
The Secretary proposes to establish an RRTC on vocational
rehabilitation services for individuals who are blind or visually
impaired that will: (1) investigate and document the employment status
of individuals who are blind or visually impaired; (2) identify the
barriers to employment that can be addressed by rehabilitation service
providers or employers, and develop or identify rehabilitation
techniques or reasonable accommodations that address these barriers;
(3) train rehabilitation professionals on new and effective
rehabilitation techniques and accommodations; (4) develop a national
information and resource referral data base for rehabilitation
professionals and employers; and (5) identify the training needs of
State Business Enterprise program counselors and licensed facility
managers that will enable the vending facilities to be competitive,
develop and deliver training programs to meet the identified needs, and
evaluate the efficacy of the training.
In carrying out the purposes of the priority, the RRTC shall:
* Solicit and utilize input from individuals who are blind
or severely visually impaired in the planning, development, and
implementation of the activities of the RRTC as much as possible; and
* Coordinate its research efforts with other NIDRR grantees
that address vocational rehabilitation in general, as well as those
that address the needs of individuals who are blind or visually
impaired.
Proposed Priority 2: Vocational Rehabilitation Services for Individuals
Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Background
In 1991-1992 there were approximately 10.9 million persons age 15
and older with a ``functional limitation hearing normal conversation''
and an additional 924,000 persons who were ``unable to hear normal
conversation'' (J. McNeil, Americans with Disabilities: 1991-1992,
Household Economic Studies, P70-33, December 1993). The number of
persons with a hearing impairment that substantially limits one or more
major life activity is estimated to be 1.2 million (M. Laplante and D.
Carlson, Disability in the United States: Prevalence and Causes, 1992,
Disability Statistics Rehabilitation Research and Training Center,
University of California, San Francisco, October, 1995). These
individuals are the primary target audience for this RRTC.
For the years 1991 and 1992, of all persons 21 to 64 years old who
had some functional limitation hearing normal conversation, 3,335,000
individuals or 63.6 percent were employed, while 189,000 individuals,
or 58.2 percent of those who were totally unable to hear normal
conversation, were employed. By comparison, for the same age group,
80.5 percent of all individuals without a disability were employed (J.
McNeil, 1993). Among the cases closed by State vocational
rehabilitation agencies as non-rehabilitated or rehabilitated in 1993,
21,888 individuals were deaf or hard of hearing. Of those individuals,
15,901, or 72.6 percent, were rehabilitated (Rehabilitation Services
Administration (RSA), Caseload Services data, 1993). Although the
Federal vocational rehabilitation system successfully serves and
rehabilitates significant numbers of individuals who are deaf or hard
of hearing, new knowledge is needed to address the vocational
rehabilitation needs of specific subgroups within this population such
as late-deafened adults, individuals who have limited English
proficiency, individuals who are functionally illiterate, and
individuals with co-existing disabilities, including psychiatric
disabilities and mental retardation.
``Low-functioning'' deaf individuals often do not have
comprehensive rehabilitation training and related services accessible
and available to them. This segment of the deaf population--sometimes
called ``low achieving,'' ``multiply disabled deaf,'' or
``traditionally underserved deaf''--requires long-term and intensive
habilitative and rehabilitative services. These individuals exhibit
deficits in vocational skills, independent living skills, manual and
oral communication skills, social skills, and academic skills, and many
have significant secondary disabilities. Many are from
socioeconomically and culturally disadvantaged backgrounds, and many
are from ethnic or linguistic minorities. Services to this population
are scarce and fragmented. In addition to understanding the social,
vocational, and educational implications of the disability, vocational
rehabilitation service providers must also be able to communicate with
the individuals, often through less than optimal means, such as
rudimentary sign language.
The application of emerging technology is expected to play a
pivotal role in improving the vocational rehabilitation and employment
status of persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. This new technology
will address a wide-range of workplace
[[Page 12066]]
accommodation issues including, but not limited to, communication,
safety, and literacy.
Proposed Priority 2
The Secretary proposes to establish an RRTC on the vocational
rehabilitation of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing that
will: (1) investigate and document the employment status of individuals
who are deaf or hard of hearing by age, gender, ethnic or linguistic
background, education, level of impairment, age at on-set of impairment
(particularly late-deafened adults), and co-existing conditions; (2)
identify the barriers to entering or maintaining employment that can be
addressed by vocational rehabilitation service providers or employers,
and identify or develop vocational rehabilitation techniques or
reasonable accommodations that address these barriers, including those
using emerging assistive technology such as assistive listening
devices, telecommunications equipment, and remote access technology;
(3) train rehabilitation professionals, including peer advocates, on
new and effective rehabilitation techniques and accommodations; (4)
develop a national information and resource referral data base for
rehabilitation professionals and employers; and (5) identify the range
of vocational rehabilitation services and service resources required to
meet the needs of low-functioning deaf individuals.
In carrying out the purposes of the priority, the RRTC shall:
* Examine patterns of vocational rehabilitation service
usage by low-functioning deaf individuals with specific attention to
those from diverse cultural backgrounds;
* Solicit and utilize input from individuals who are deaf or
hard of hearing in the planning, development, and implementation of the
activities of the grant as much as possible; and
* Coordinate its research efforts with other NIDRR grantees
that address vocational rehabilitation in general, as well as those
that address the needs of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Invitation to Comment
Interested persons are invited to submit comments and
recommendations regarding these proposed priorities. All comments
submitted in response to this notice will be available for public
inspection, during and after the comment period, in Room 3423, Mary
Switzer Building, 330 C Street SW., Washington, D.C., between the hours
of 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday of each week except
Federal holidays.
Applicable Program Regulations
34 CFR Parts 350 and 352.
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 760-762.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.133B,
Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers)
Dated: February 7, 1996.
Judith E. Heumann,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 96-7075 Filed 3-22-96; 8:45 am]
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