NIDRR--Disability Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRPs)--Assistive Technology (AT) Outcomes Research Project; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006, CFDA Number 84.133A-8 [OSERS]

FR Doc 06-4934
[Federal Register: June 2, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 106)]
[Notices]
[Page 32205-32209]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr02jn06-154]

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Overview
Information; National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation
Research (NIDRR)--Disability Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRPs)--
Assistive Technology (AT) Outcomes Research Project; Notice Inviting
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.133A-8.

DATES: Applications Available: June 2, 2006.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 21, 2006.
Date of Pre-Application Meeting: June 19, 2006.
Eligible Applicants: States; public or private agencies, including
for-profit agencies; public or private organizations, including for-
profit organizations; institutions of higher education (IHEs); and
Indian tribes and tribal organizations.
Estimated Available Funds: $450,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: $400,000-$450,000.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $450,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal
Register.

Note: The maximum amount includes direct and indirect costs.

Estimated Number of Awards: 1.

Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.

Project Period: Up to 36 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: The purpose of the DRRP program is to plan and
conduct research, demonstration projects, training, and related
activities to develop methods, 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. DRRPs carry out one or more of
the following types of activities, as specified and defined 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).
Additional information on the DRRP program can be found at: http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/res-program.html#DRRP
.

Priorities: NIDRR has established two priorities for this
competition. The General DRRP Requirements priority is from the notice
of final priorities for the Disability and Rehabilitation Research
Projects and Centers program, published in the Federal Register on
April 28, 2006 (71 FR 25472). The AT Outcomes Research Project priority
is from the notice of final priorities for the Disability and
Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers program, published
elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.
Absolute Priorities: For FY 2006 these priorities are absolute
priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications
that meet these priorities.
These priorities are:
General Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP)
Requirements and Assistive Technology (AT) Outcomes Research Project.
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 762(g) and 764(a).
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 81,
82, 84, 85, 86, and 97. (b) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR
part 350. (c) The notice of final priorities for the Disability and
Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers program, published in the
Federal Register on April 28, 2006 (71 FR 25472). (d) The notice of
final priorities for the Disability and Rehabilitation Research
Projects and Centers program, published elsewhere in this issue of the
Federal Register.

[[Page 32206]]

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to IHEs only.

II. Award Information

Type of Award: Discretionary grant.
Estimated Available Funds: $450,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: $400,000--$450,000.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $450,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal
Register.

Note: The maximum amount includes direct and indirect costs.

Estimated Number of Awards: 1.

Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.

Project Period: Up to 36 months.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants: States; public or private agencies,
including for-profit agencies; public or private organizations,
including for-profit organizations; IHEs; and Indian tribes and tribal
organizations.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: Cost sharing is required and will be
negotiated at the time of the grant award.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package: You may obtain an
application package via Internet or from the Education Publications
Center (ED Pubs). To obtain a copy via Internet use the following
address: http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index.html.

To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write or call the following:
Education Publications Center, P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398.
Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use
a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll
free): 1-877-576-7734.
You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html
or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.

If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify
this competition as follows: CFDA Number 84.133A-8.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print,
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact
person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of
this notice.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you
must submit, are in the application package for this competition. Page
Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) is where
you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use
to evaluate your application. We recommend that you limit Part III to
the equivalent of no more than 125 pages, using the following
standards:
A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1''
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the application narrative. Single spacing may be used for
titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as
well as all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
The suggested page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet;
Part II, the budget section, including the narrative budget
justification; Part IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-
page abstract, the resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of
support. However, you must include all of the application narrative in
Part III.
The application package will provide instructions for completing
all components to be included in the application. Each application must
include a cover sheet (either ED 424 or Standard Form 424); budget
requirements (ED Form 524) and a detailed budget narrative
justification; other required forms; an abstract, Human Subjects
narrative, Part III narrative; resumes of staff; and other related
materials, if applicable.
3. Submission Dates and Times: Applications Available: June 2,
2006.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 21, 2006. Pre-
Application Meeting: Interested parties are invited to participate in a
pre-application meeting to discuss the priorities and to receive
information and technical assistance through individual consultation.
The pre-application meeting will be held on June 19, 2006. Interested
parties may participate in this meeting either by conference call or in
person at the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education
and Rehabilitative Services, Potomac Center Plaza, room 6082, 550 12th
Street, SW., Washington, DC between 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. After the
meeting, NIDRR staff also will be available from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on
that same day to provide information and technical assistance through
individual consultation. For further information or to make
arrangements to attend either in person or by conference call, or for
an individual consultation, contact Lynn Medley, U.S. Department of
Education, Potomac Center Plaza, room 6027, 550 12th Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 245-7338 or by e-mail:
lynn.medley@ed.gov.

Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities at the Pre-Application
Meeting

The meeting site is accessible to individuals with disabilities,
and a sign language interpreter will be available. If you will need an
auxiliary aid or service other than a sign language interpreter in
order to participate in the meeting (e.g., other interpreting service
such as oral, cued speech, or tactile interpreter; assistive listening
device; or materials in alternate format), notify the contact person
listed in this notice at least two weeks before the scheduled meeting
date. Although we will attempt to meet a request we receive after this
date, we may not be able to make available the requested auxiliary aid
or service because of insufficient time to arrange it.
Applications for grants under this competition may be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov), or in
paper format by mail or hand delivery. For information (including dates
and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or by
mail or hand delivery, please refer to section IV. 6. Other Submission
Requirements in this notice.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is not subject to
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under
this competition may be submitted electronically or in paper format by
mail or hand delivery.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
We have been accepting applications electronically through the
Department's e-Application system since FY 2000. In

[[Page 32207]]

order to expand on those efforts and comply with the President's
Management Agenda, we are continuing to participate as a partner in the
new government wide Grants.gov Apply site in FY 2006. Disability
Rehabilitation Research Projects--CFDA Number 84.133A-8 is one of the
programs included in this project. We request your participation in
Grants.gov.
If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must
use the Grants.gov Apply site at: http://www.Grants.gov. Through this

site, you will be able to download a copy of the application package,
complete it offline, and then upload and submit your application. You
may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us.
You may access the electronic grant application for Disability
Rehabilitation Research Projects at: http://www.grants.gov. You must

search for the downloadable application package for this program by the
CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your
search.
Please note the following:
Your participation in Grants.gov is voluntary.
When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find
information about submitting an application electronically through the
site, as well as the hours of operation.
Applications received by Grants.gov are time and date
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and
must be date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as
otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application
if it is date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. When we
retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are
rejecting your application because it was date/time stamped by the
Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date.
The amount of time it can take to upload an application
will vary depending on a variety of factors including the size of the
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline
date to begin the application process through Grants.gov.
You should review and follow the Education Submission
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are
included in the application package for this competition to ensure that
you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures
pertaining to Grants.gov at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf
.

To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must
complete all of the steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see
http://www.Grants.gov/GetStarted). These steps include (1) registering

your organization, (2) registering yourself as an Authorized
Organization Representative (AOR), and (3) getting authorized as an AOR
by your organization. Details on these steps are outlined in the
Grants.gov 3-Step Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/assets/GrantsgovCoBrandBrochure8X11.pdf).
You also must provide on your application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration.
Please note that the registration process may take five or more business days
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to
allow you to successfully submit an application via Grants.gov.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you
if you submit your application in paper format.
You may submit all documents electronically, including all
information typically included on the Application for Federal Education
Assistance (ED 424), Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED
524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. If you choose to
submit your application electronically, you must attach any narrative
sections of your application as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich
text), or .PDF (Portable Document) format. If you upload a file type
other than the three file types specified above or submit a password
protected file, we will not review that material.
Your electronic application must comply with any page
limit requirements described in this notice.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive an automatic acknowledgment from Grants.gov that contains a
Grants.gov tracking number. The Department will retrieve your
application from Grants.gov and send you a second confirmation by e-
mail that will include a PR/Award number (an ED-specified identifying
number unique to your application).
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
forms at a later date.

Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System Unavailability

If you are prevented from electronically submitting your
application on the application deadline date because of technical
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension
until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to
enable you to transmit your application electronically, or by hand
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing
instructions as described elsewhere in this notice. If you submit an
application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the deadline date,
please contact the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, and provide an explanation of the
technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov, along with the
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number (if available). We will accept your
application if we can confirm that a technical problem occurred with
the Grants.gov system and that that problem affected your ability to
submit your application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date. The Department will contact you after a
determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.

Note: Extensions referred to in this section apply only to the
unavailability of or technical problems with the Grants.gov system.
We will not grant you an extension if you failed to fully register
to submit your application to Grants.gov before the deadline date
and time or if the technical problem you experienced is unrelated to
the Grants.gov system.

b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail. If you submit your
application in paper format by mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or
a commercial carrier), you must mail the original and two copies of
your application, on or before the application deadline date, to the
Department at the applicable following address:
By mail through the U.S. Postal Service:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center,
Attention: (CFDA Number 84.133A-8), 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20202-4260, or
By mail through a commercial carrier:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center--Stop
4260, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.133A-8), 7100 Old Landover Road,
Landover, MD 20785-1506.

[[Page 32208]]

Regardless of which address you use, you must show proof of mailing
consisting of one of the following:
(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark,
(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the
U.S. Postal Service,
(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial
carrier, or
(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the
U.S. Department of Education.
If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
(1) A private metered postmark, or
(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
If your application is postmarked after the application deadline
date, we will not consider your application.

Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your
local post office.

c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
If you submit your application in paper format by hand delivery,
you (or a courier service) must deliver the original and two copies of
your application by hand, on or before the application deadline date,
to the Department at the following address:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center,
Attention: (CFDA Number 84.133A-8), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041,
Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays,
Sundays and Federal holidays.
Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you mail
or hand deliver your application to the Department:
(1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by the
Department--in Item 4 of the ED 424 the CFDA number--and suffix letter,
if any--of the competition under which you are submitting your
application.
(2) The Application Control Center will mail a grant application
receipt acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the grant
application receipt acknowledgment within 15 business days from the
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are
from 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR and 34 CFR 350.54 and are listed in the
application package.
The Secretary is interested in hypothesis-driven research and
development projects. To address this interest it is expected that
applicants will articulate goals, objectives, and expected outcomes for
the proposed research and development activities. It is critical that
proposals describe expected public benefits, especially benefits for
individuals with disabilities, and propose projects that are optimally
designed to demonstrate outcomes that are consistent with the proposed
goals. Applicants are encouraged to include information describing how
they will measure outcomes, including the indicators that will
represent the end-result, the mechanisms that will be used to evaluate
outcomes associated with specific problems or issues, and how the
proposed activities will support new intervention approaches and
strategies, including a discussion of measures of effectiveness.
Submission of this information is voluntary except where required by
the selection criteria listed in the application package.

VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award
Notification (GAN). We may also notify you informally.
If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding,
we notify you.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify
administrative and national policy requirements in the application
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice.
We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding
commitments under the grant.
3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a
final performance report, including financial information, as directed
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an
annual performance report that provides the most current performance
and financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in
34 CFR 75.118.

Note: NIDRR will provide information by letter to grantees on
how and when to submit the report.

4. Performance Measures: To evaluate the overall success of its
research program, NIDRR assesses the quality of its funded projects
through review of grantee performance and products. Each year, NIDRR
examines, through expert review, a portion of its grantees to
determine:
The percentage of newly awarded NIDRR projects that are
multi-site, collaborative controlled studies of interventions and
programs.
The number of accomplishments (e.g., new or improved
tools, methods, discoveries, standards, interventions, programs, or
devices) developed or tested with NIDRR funding that have been judged
by expert panels to be of high quality and to advance the field.
The percentage of grantee research and development that
has appropriate study design, meets rigorous standards of scientific
and/or engineering methods, and builds on and contributes to knowledge
in the field.
The average number of publications per award based on
NIDRR-funded research and development activities in refereed journals.
The percentage of new grants that include studies funded
by NIDRR that assess the effectiveness of interventions, programs, and
devices using rigorous and appropriate methods.
NIDRR uses information submitted by grantees as part of their
Annual Performance Reports (APRs) for these reviews. NIDRR also
determines, using information submitted as part of the APR, the number
of publications in refereed journals that are based on NIDRR-funded
research and development activities.
Department of Education program performance reports, which include
information on NIDRR programs, are available on the Department's Web
site: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/opepd/sas/index.html.

Updates on the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993
(GPRA) indicators, revisions and methods appear on the NIDRR Program
Review Web site: http://www.neweditions.net/pr/commonfiles/pmconcepts.htm
.

Grantees should consult these sites, on a regular basis, to obtain
details and explanations on how NIDRR programs contribute to the
advancement of the Department's long-term and annual performance goals.

VII. Agency Contact

For Further Information Contact: Donna Nangle, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 6030, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202. Telephone:

[[Page 32209]]

(202) 245-7462 or by e-mail: donna.nangle@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the TDD number at (202) 245-7317 or 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 program contact person listed in this
section.

VIII. Other Information

Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as
well as all other documents of this Department 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.

To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.

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
.

Dated: May 23, 2006.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 06-4934 Filed 6-1-06; 8:45 am]

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