[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 58 (Monday, March 25, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12063-12066]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-7075]



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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__E[email protected]

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]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P