FR Doc 03-11625
[Federal Register: May 9, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 90)]
[Notices]
[Page 25009-25011]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr09my03-74]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
RIN 1820 ZA25
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 proposes a priority for Research
Infrastructure Capacity Building under the Disability and
Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) Program under the National
Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). The
Assistant Secretary may use this priority for competitions in fiscal
year (FY) 2003 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.
DATES: We must receive your comments on or before June 9, 2003.
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.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the TDD number at (202) 205-4475 or via the Internet:
donna.nangle@ed.gov. 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 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. In any year in
which we choose to use this proposed priority, we invite
applications through a notice published in the Federal Register.
When inviting applications we designate each 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 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 competitive 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)).
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/news/freedominitiative/freedominitiative.html.
The proposed priority is in concert with NIDRR's Long-Range Plan
(the 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 to be conducted under this proposed priority, a
specific reference is included for the topic presented in this notice.
The Plan can be accessed on the Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/NIDRR/Products.
Through the implementation of 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 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).
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 may include one or more of the following (34 CFR
350.40(b)):
(1) Proposing project objectives addressing the needs of
individuals with disabilities from minority backgrounds.
(2) Demonstrating that the project will address a problem that is
of particular significance to individuals with disabilities from
minority backgrounds.
(3) Demonstrating that individuals from minority backgrounds will
be included in study samples in sufficient numbers to generate
information pertinent to individuals with disabilities from minority
backgrounds.
[[Page 25010]]
(4) Drawing study samples and program participant rosters from
populations or areas that include individuals from minority
backgrounds.
(5) Providing outreach to individuals with disabilities from
minority backgrounds to ensure that they are aware of rehabilitation
services, clinical care, or training offered by the project.
(6) Disseminating materials to or otherwise increasing the access
to disability information among minority populations.
Priority
Background
This priority supports one DRRP on Research Infrastructure Capacity
Building. This DRRP will improve the rehabilitation research
infrastructure and rehabilitation services and outcomes for individuals
with disabilities from minority populations. Minority population refers
to specific race and ethnicity categories. The following race and
ethnic categories are applicable for this priority: (1) American Indian
or Alaska Native, (2) Asian, (3) Black or African American, (4) Native
Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and (5) Hispanic or Latino.
Definitions and further information about race and ethnic categories is
available in the Office of Management and Budget Directive 15 at http://www.whitehouse.gov/OMB/fedreg/ombdir15.html.
Minority populations are among the fastest growing racial and
ethnic groups in the United States. The U.S. Census Bureau predicts
that the American Indian, Asian and Pacific Islander, Black, and
Hispanic population will increase to 40 percent of the U.S. population
by 2010 and 50 percent by 2050. Additionally, more than 32 million
individuals in the U.S. speak a language other than English (latest
figures available from the U.S. Census Bureau). Currently, about 10.4
percent of the U.S. population is foreign-born; by the year 2050, this
figure is likely to rise to approximately 13.3 percent (U.S. Census
Bureau, 2000).
Historically, disability disproportionately affects minority racial
and ethnic populations. The changing demographic profile of the U.S.
will potentially increase the demand for a disability and
rehabilitation community that is better prepared to address the needs
of a more ethnically, racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse
population.
Language barriers and lack of understanding about cultural values
and beliefs are challenges that may impact access to services,
rehabilitation outcomes, and research activities. Additionally,
traditional theories and methodologies may ignore the unique
characteristics and needs of minority populations and be ineffective
for conducting research activities, disseminating research findings,
and fostering the participation of minority racial and ethnic
populations in research activities. Research activities are often
challenged by methodological issues, particularly questions about the
use of specific research approaches within certain cultural contexts.
NIDRR is interested in funding activities focused on high quality
research that will assist with further development of the research
infrastructure, particularly activities that expand research approaches
for scientific inquiry of relevant variables to improve understanding
of the needs of minority populations, including issues of race,
ethnicity, and cultural context; improve our understanding about
rehabilitation outcomes, and the disparate rate of disability in
minority racial and ethnic populations; and assist with development of
innovative methods for establishing collaborative research
partnerships.
Proposed Priority--Research Infrastructure Capacity Building
The Assistant Secretary proposes to fund one DRRP that will focus
on a research, development, and dissemination project on Research
Infrastructure Capacity Building. The reference for this topic can be
found in the Plan, Chapter 9, Capacity Building: Priorities in Capacity
Building. In carrying out this purpose the DRRP must:
(1) Develop and evaluate an innovative method(s) for establishing
long-term collaborative research partnerships, with an emphasis on
relationships between minority entities, Indian tribes, and nonminority
entities;
(2) Research, develop, and evaluate strategies to assess the
efficacy of existing research theories, methodologies, and measures for
studying and describing underrepresented individuals with disabilities
from minority racial and ethnic populations and their needs;
(3) Research, identify and modify or develop, and evaluate
scientifically valid measurement strategies and methodologies for
research involving the study of underrepresented minority racial and
ethnic populations; determine their efficacy; and examine the
implications of introducing newly developed approaches designed
specifically for the study of this population;
(4) Develop and evaluate research principles or standards for
culturally appropriate and linguistically competent disability and
rehabilitation research, and disseminate guidelines; and
(5) Develop, implement, and evaluate approaches for disseminating
research findings, information about best practices for research
involving underrepresented minority race and ethnic populations, and
information about research collaboration.
In carrying out the purposes of the priority, the DRRP must:
[sbull] In the first three months of the grant, develop and
implement a research partnership plan ensuring that all activities are
predominantly focused on research infrastructure capacity building and
provide for mutual benefit for each member of the partnership,
including persons with disabilities or their representatives;
[sbull] In the first year of the grant, implement a plan to
disseminate research results;
[sbull] In the third year of the grant, conduct a state-of-the-
science conference focused on the funded area of research and related
topics;
[sbull] In the fourth year of the grant, publish and disseminate a
comprehensive report on the outcomes and proceedings of the conference;
[sbull] Demonstrate how the research project can transfer research
findings to practical applications in planning, policy-making, program
administration, and delivery of services to individuals with
disabilities; and
[sbull] Conduct ongoing program evaluation and produce a closing
report describing research outcomes, as they relate to the research
goals and objectives, and future directions for research infrastructure
development and capacity building.
Executive Order 12866
This notice of proposed priority 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 notice of proposed priority
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 notice of proposed priority, we have
determined that the benefits of the proposed priority justify the
costs.
[[Page 25011]]
Summary of potential costs and benefits: The potential cost
associated with this proposed priority is minimal while the benefits
are significant. Grantees may anticipate costs associated with
completing the application process in terms of staff time, copying, and
mailing or delivery. The use of e-Application technology reduces
mailing and copying costs significantly.
The benefits of the research infrastructure capacity building
projects have been well established over the years in that similar
projects have been completed. This proposed priority will generate new
knowledge through a dissemination, utilization, training, and technical
assistance project.
The benefit of this proposed priority and proposed applications and
project requirements will be the establishment of a new DRRP projects
that generates, disseminates, and promotes the use of new information
that will improve the options for disable individuals to perform
regular activities in the community.
Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR part 350.
Electronic Access to This Document
You may view this document, as well as all other Department of
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Note: The official version of this document is 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(a).
Dated: May 6, 2003.
Robert H. Pasternack,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 03-11625 Filed 5-8-03; 8:45 am]
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