[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 82 (Friday, April 27, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21125-21129]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-10499]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, 
Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of Proposed Funding Priorities for Fiscal Years (FYs) 
2001-2003 for three Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects.

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SUMMARY: We propose three funding priorities under the Disability and 
Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program (DRRP): Strategies 
for Promoting Information Technology (IT)-based Educational 
Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities, Strategies for 
Promoting Information Technology (IT)-based Employment and Training 
Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities, and Wayfinding 
Technologies for Individuals Who are Blind under the National Institute 
on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) for FYs 2001-2003. We 
may use these priorities for competitions in FY 2001 and later years. 
We take this action to focus research attention on areas of national 
need. We intend these priorities to improve the rehabilitation services 
and outcomes for individuals with disabilities.

DATES: We must receive your comments on or before May 29, 2001.

ADDRESSES: All comments concerning these proposed priorities should be 
addressed to Donna Nangle, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland 
Avenue, SW., room 3414, Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-2645. 
Comments may also be sent through the Internet: [email protected]

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donna Nangle. Telephone: (202) 205-
5880. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf 
(TDD) may call the TDD number at (202) 205-4475.
    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 in the preceding 
paragraph.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Invitation to Comment

    We invite you to submit comments regarding these proposed 
priorities.
    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 these proposed 
priorities. 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 these priorities in Room 3414, Switzer Building, 330 C 
Street SW., Washington, DC, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 
p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday of each week except Federal 
holidays.

[[Page 21126]]

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 these proposed priorities. If you want to 
schedule an appointment for this type of aid, you may call (202) 205-
8113 or (202) 260-9895. If you use a TDD, you may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.

National Education Goals

    These proposed priorities will address the National Education Goal 
that every adult American will be literate and will possess the 
knowledge and skills necessary to compete in a global economy and 
exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
    The authority for the program to establish research priorities by 
reserving funds to support particular research activities is contained 
in sections 202(g) and 204 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as 
amended (29 U.S.C. 762(g) and 764). Regulations governing this program 
are found in 34 CFR part 350.
    We will announce the final priorities in a notice in the Federal 
Register. We will determine the final priorities 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 these proposed priorities, 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 proposed priorities refer to NIDRR's Long-Range Plan that can 
be accessed on the World Wide Web at: (http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/NIDRR/#LRP).

Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program

    The purpose of the program is to plan and conduct research, 
demonstration projects, training, and related activities to:
    (a) Develop methods, procedures, and rehabilitation technology that 
maximizes the full inclusion and integration into society, employment, 
independent living, family support, and economic and social self-
sufficiency of individuals with disabilities; and
    (b) Improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Act.

Priorities for IT-based Employment and Education Initiatives

Background

    The mission of the National Institute on Disability and 
Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) is to ``generate, disseminate, and 
promote the full use of new knowledge that improves substantially the 
options for disabled individuals to perform regular activities in the 
community, and the capacity of society to provide full opportunities 
and appropriate supports for its disabled citizens'' (NIDRR Long-Range 
Plan, 64 FR 68575-68614, http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/NIDRR). 
Consistent with NIDRR's mission, the NIDRR long-range plan introduced 
an expanded research agenda focused on elucidating the ``New Paradigm 
of Disability.'' The new paradigm of disability presents a framework 
for conceptualizing and understanding the interaction between 
individuals and the environment and how it impacts the lives of persons 
with disabilities. The dynamic person-environment relationship is 
complex, encompassing both influences and consequences in a variety of 
domains at the individual, institutional, and community levels. These 
complex person-environment relationships are not clearly understood 
although they have the potential to either facilitate community 
integration and independence for individuals with disabilities or, 
conversely, to serve as barriers to full participation in society, 
including education and employment.
    Employment is a critical factor in providing individuals with 
disabilities opportunities to function independently in society. 
Employment frequently engenders empowerment, inclusion, and 
independence to the fullest extent possible. The National Organization 
on Disability, Harris Survey of Americans with Disabilities (2000) 
found that only 32% of individuals with disabilities of working age 
(18-64) work full or part time compared to 81% of the non-disabled 
population, a difference of 49 percent. More than two-thirds of those 
individuals with disabilities who are not employed say they would 
prefer to be working.
    The Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected that four of the top 
ten fastest growing occupations over the next eight years will be in 
the information technology industry (``The 10 fastest growing 
occupations, 1998-2008'', Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department 
of Labor, 2000, http://stats.bls.gov/news.release/ecopro.t06.htm). 
Information technology (IT) is also projected to be the number one 
industry with the fastest wage and salary employment growth through 
2008 (``Career Guide to Industries 2001-01 Edition, Bureau of Labor 
Statistics'', U.S. Department of Labor, pg. 4, 2000, http://stats.bls.gov/cghome.htm,). Given the increase in IT employment 
opportunities along with the flexibility these careers provide, the IT 
field offers tremendous opportunities for individuals with 
disabilities. One needs only to scan the daily newspapers to see the 
abundance of openings for skilled IT professionals. Therefore, research 
examining opportunities and barriers for individuals with disabilities 
in IT-based employment is crucial in this IT driven society.
    For purposes of this discussion, IT-based education and training 
may occur in secondary, post-secondary, and vocational environments. 
IT-based employment careers encompass the use of, but are not limited 
to, high speed computers, modems, sophisticated telecommunications 
networks, cable networks, intranets, the Internet, the World Wide Web, 
and satellites.
    In general, people with disabilities are less likely to have access 
to technology. For example, 11 percent of people with disabilities aged 
15 and above have access to the Internet at home, compared to 31 
percent of individuals without disabilities (National Center for 
Education Statistics, ``Students with disabilities in post-secondary 
education: A profile of preparation, participation, and outcomes'', 
NCES 199-187, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, pg. 12, 
1999, http://nces.ed.gov/spider/webspider/1999187.shtml). Consequently, 
many individuals with disabilities have not experienced the benefits of 
using information technology to advance their education or employment 
careers.
    Students of all ages with disabilities encounter barriers that 
limit their participation in IT-based education and training. 
Environmental, attitudinal, technical, social, and financial barriers 
that limit access to IT-based education and training in IT are often 
referred to as the ``digital divide'' (U.S. Department of Commerce 
Report, ``Falling through the Net II: New Data on the Digital Divide'', 
pg. 2, 1998, http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/net2/falling.html). 
Studies have found that students with disabilities in grades K-12 
receive the poorest exposure to science and math of any category of 
students. Data comparing college students with and without disabilities 
indicates that students with disabilities are underrepresented in life 
sciences,

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physical sciences, and math (National Center for Education Statistics, 
``Students with disabilities in post-secondary education: A profile of 
preparation, participation, and outcomes'', NCES 199-187, Washington, 
DC: U.S. Department of Education, pg. 12, 1999, http://nces.ed.gov/spider/webspider/1999187.shtml). Therefore, an under-exposure to the 
disciplines of science, engineering and technology increases the 
likelihood that students with disabilities who seek higher education 
will arrive poorly prepared to pursue educational opportunities in 
these disciplines, further limiting their chances to compete for 
employment in these and related areas.
    Strategies to expand access to IT careers vary immensely. Private 
and public partnerships may provide one mechanism for promoting skill 
and knowledge acquisition and employment in the field of information 
and communication technology. For instance, the DO-IT Scholars program 
at the University of Washington is an example of collaboration between 
educational and business partners to help students with disabilities 
explore technology careers and encourage the acquisition of knowledge 
and skills necessary to pursue technology careers. The National High 
School and High Tech Program allows students with disabilities to 
participate in ``hands on'' enrichment activities including site visits 
to laboratories and manufacturing plants, mentoring with professionals 
in high tech fields, and paid summer employment and internship 
opportunities in high tech environments (U.S. Department of Labor, 
``High School and High Tech--Chapter I--Introduction,'' Office of 
Disability Employment Policy--U.S. Department of Labor, 2001, pg. 1, 
http://www.dol.gov/pcepd/pubs/hsht00/chapter1.htm).
    Increased knowledge and understanding of different disabilities as 
well as reasonable accommodations, including assistive technologies and 
access to IT, are critical to the recruitment and ongoing support of 
individuals with disabilities in IT-based employment. In addition, 
expanded knowledge of employee rights and responsibilities, cost 
factors, legal issues, healthcare liabilities, and disability culture 
will have an impact on the development of strategies used by employers 
to successfully train and employ individuals with disabilities.
    While individuals with disabilities are faced with barriers that 
limit access to technology and related education and training, the 
Internet and other information and communications technologies are 
changing the way our society operates. For example, these technologies 
have increased entrepreneurial and self-employment opportunities for 
individuals with and without disabilities (``Career Guide to Industries 
2001-01 Edition'', Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of 
Labor, pg. 42, 1999, http://stats.bls.gov/cghome.htm). To encourage 
growth in this sector, an examination of the factors involved in IT-
related self-employment is needed to ensure that individuals with 
disabilities have access to a full-range of employment options. It is 
vital that more individuals with disabilities possess the skills 
necessary for employment in IT-related fields as this will greatly 
facilitate their full participation in America's economic, political, 
and social life.
Proposed Priority 1: Strategies for Promoting IT-Based Educational 
Opportunities for Individuals With Disabilities
    We propose to establish multiple research projects to develop and 
evaluate IT-based education and training strategies that increase the 
employment of individuals with disabilities in IT related jobs. These 
projects must:
    (1) Identify, develop, and evaluate strategies that assist with 
overcoming barriers that limit or preclude access to IT education and 
training in secondary, postsecondary, and vocational education 
programs;
    (2) Identify and evaluate private and public partnerships between 
educational entities and businesses to provide education or skill-based 
training that assist individuals with disabilities in preparing for and 
securing employment in the IT industry or employment in jobs requiring 
expertise and training in IT; and
    (3) Develop and implement in the first year of the grant, in 
consultation with the NIDRR-funded National Center for the 
Dissemination of Disability Research (NCDDR), a plan to disseminate the 
project's research results to the appropriate audiences including, but 
not limited to, educators, employers, manufacturers, persons with 
disabilities, disability organizations, technology service providers, 
businesses, and journals.
    In addition to activities proposed by the applicants to carry out 
these purposes, the projects must:
     Coordinate with appropriate private and federally funded 
programs, such as the NIDRR-funded Community Based Rehabilitation 
Research Projects on Technology for Independence and the National 
Center on Accessible Education-Based Information Technology as 
identified through consultation with the NIDRR project officer; and
     Involve individuals with disabilities and underserved 
populations in all aspects of this project.
Proposed Priority 2: Strategies for Promoting IT-based Employment and 
Training Opportunities for Individuals With Disabilities
    We propose to establish a project that will conduct research on IT-
based employment and training strategies to identify barriers at the 
systems and individual level and to identify and evaluate effective 
strategies for promoting increased employment opportunities for 
individuals with disabilities. This project must:
    (1) Identify and evaluate IT-based training and employment 
recruitment, hiring and placement strategies, including entrepreneurial 
opportunities, that promote successful employment for persons with 
disabilities in the IT industry;
    (2) Identify, develop, and evaluate strategies to assist with 
overcoming barriers that limit opportunities for advanced skill 
development and promotions in jobs requiring significant IT knowledge 
and skills (including training for individuals currently working in IT 
industry and those in jobs requiring significant expertise with IT);
    (3) Develop and evaluate training programs to inform employers, 
educators, and individuals with disabilities about effective strategies 
that will assist with overcoming barriers for IT-based training and 
improve IT based employment opportunities; and
    (4) Develop and implement in the first year of the grant, in 
consultation with the NIDRR-funded National Center for the 
Dissemination of Disability Research (NCDDR), a plan to disseminate the 
project's research results to the appropriate audiences including, but 
not limited to, educators, employers, manufacturers, persons with 
disabilities, disability organizations, technology service providers, 
businesses, and journals.
    In addition to activities proposed by the applicant to carry out 
these purposes, the project must:
     Coordinate with appropriate private and federally funded 
programs, such as the NIDRR-funded Community Based Rehabilitation 
Research Projects on Technology for Independence, Projects with 
Industry (PWI), as identified through consultation with the NIDRR 
project officer; and

[[Page 21128]]

     Involve individuals with disabilities and underserved 
populations in all aspects of this project.
Proposed Priority 3: Wayfinding Technologies for Individuals Who Are 
Blind
    Background. Traveling independently without the use of sight 
presents certain challenges for some individuals and significant 
limitations for others. Typical approaches used to reduce problems 
associated with independent travel include environmental features that 
provide audible or tactile equivalents of information available 
visually to sighted pedestrians, training for individuals who are blind 
or visually impaired, and the provision of devices to aid in 
wayfinding.
    Wayfinding refers to techniques used by people who are blind or 
visually impaired as they move from place to place independently and 
safely. Wayfinding is typically divided into two categories: 
orientation and mobility. Orientation concerns the ability for one to 
monitor his or her position in relationship to the environment; and 
mobility refers to one's ability to travel safely, detecting and 
avoiding obstacles and other potential hazards. In general terms, 
wayfinding is the ability to; know where you are, where you are headed, 
and how best to get there; recognize when you have reached your 
destination; and find your way out--all accomplished in a safe and 
independent manner.
    On September 28, 1999, the Interagency Committee on Disability 
Research (ICDR), Subcommittee on Technology, sponsored a workshop to 
explore the state-of-the-art of wayfinding technology and to identify 
research and development activities that could improve the wayfinding 
capabilities of individuals who are blind or visually impaired. A panel 
of researchers, supported by the National Institute on Disability and 
Rehabilitation Research, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the 
National Science Foundation, and the Architectural and Transportation 
Barriers Compliance Board, described the state of current technology as 
well as ongoing research in the field. A panel of individuals who are 
blind or visually impaired provided consumer perspectives. A common 
theme expressed by the consumer panel was that newly developed 
wayfinding technologies should supplement, and not supplant, already 
accepted mobility aids such as white canes and guide dogs. Some 
expressed concern that individuals could become too dependent on 
electronic travel aids and lose their ability (or readiness) to travel 
elsewhere. However, the panel also expressed the need for better 
technical and environmental solutions that provide location and 
mobility orientation for blind individuals at critical points in their 
daily activities. (http://www.ncddr.org/icdr/icdr_wayfinding.html)
    People who are blind or visually impaired rely heavily on their 
senses to gather information about their surroundings, then use their 
cognitive abilities, especially reasoning and memory, to determine what 
the sensory information ``means'' for spatial orientation. Typically 
individuals use auditory, tactile, olfactory and kinesthetic feedback 
as they move about and associate certain sensory and perceptual 
experiences with locations along a route. The quality and usefulness of 
sensory information depends in part on how the individual who is blind 
or visually impaired perceives the information and the specificity of 
the information provided (Blasch, B., ``An Overview of Wayfinding 
Issues and Technology,'' presented at the Interagency Committee on 
Disability Research, Subcommittee on Technology Wayfinding Technology 
Workshop, September 28, 1999).
    Blind pedestrians often experience difficulty navigating where 
there is free flowing traffic such as in parking lots, malls and office 
complexes, campuses, and roads constructed to keep traffic flowing. 
They frequently find it difficult and dangerous to obtain information 
needed to cross at traffic intersections because of noise, intermittent 
traffic flow, veering due to little or no acoustic guidelines or the 
street being too wide, and intersections that offset from one another. 
Conventional traffic signals often complicate the situation. In 
contrast, intersections equipped with accessible pedestrian signal 
(APS) technologies (e.g., audible or vibrotactile information sources) 
have been shown to be helpful to blind and visually impaired 
pedestrians.
    Another problem stems from a growing trend of using free-flowing 
roundabout intersections to move traffic quickly and safely. 
Roundabouts, also referred to as traffic circles, are defined as 
circular intersections typically with a center island and no traffic 
signals. Many traffic engineers feel that roundabouts increase safety 
because vehicles: (1) must yield on entry to a roundabout; (2) rarely 
travel perpendicular to one another: and (3) travel at relatively low 
rates of speed while in roundabouts (Guth, D., ``Wayfinding at Modern 
Roundabouts,'' presented at the Interagency Committee on Disability 
Research, Subcommittee on Technology Wayfinding Technology Workshop, 
September 28, 1999). However, much of the planning efforts for 
roundabouts have neglected the wayfinding requirements and as a result, 
blind or visually impaired pedestrians have reported difficulty with 
perceiving gaps in traffic that are sufficient to cross safely at high-
volume roundabouts (National Safety Council, ``Pedestrian Accidents,'' 
National Safety Council Accident Facts (Injury Statistics), 1998). (See 
http://www.nsc.org/Irs/stainfo/af80.html)
    Due to tremendous advances in electronic and computer technologies, 
there is great potential for development of new electronic travel aids 
(ETAs). Ubiquitous computing, Global Positioning Systems, wearable 
computers, wireless connectivity, microelectronic mechanical systems, 
and new interface technologies are all examples of technological 
advances that could be incorporated into a new generation of ETAs and 
ultimately improve the wayfinding skills of individuals who are blind 
or visually impaired. For example: traffic control buttons could be 
programmed to be interactive with a wearable device; digital compasses 
could aid users with alignment and veering; accessible digital maps 
could provide blind pedestrians with information regarding street 
names, addresses, and businesses; and sensor technology could help 
blind pedestrians navigate hallways in large buildings and correct 
veering in open spaces (i.e., malls, parks, transit plazas, etc.) 
(Ross, D., ``Integrating Current Wayfinding Technology,'' presented at 
the Interagency Committee on Disability Research, Subcommittee on 
Technology Wayfinding Technology Workshop, September 28, 1999). 
However, there is little evidence that advances in electronic and 
computer technologies have been incorporated into new ETAs.
Proposed Priority 3: Wayfinding Technologies for Individuals Who Are 
Blind
    We propose to establish a project to investigate wayfinding 
strategies, designs, environmental features, and electronic information 
and travel aids that will enable blind and visually impaired 
pedestrians to safely and independently navigate their surroundings 
including traffic intersections and roundabouts. The project must:
    (a) Identify, assess, and evaluate current and emerging needs, and 
barriers to meeting those needs, that affect the wayfinding abilities 
of blind and visually impaired pedestrians to safely, and 
independently, navigate

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their surroundings, including traffic intersections and roundabouts;
    (b) Based upon the activities described in paragraph (a), 
investigate, evaluate, and develop new planning strategies, 
environmental features, and electronic travel aids that can be used by 
blind and visually impaired pedestrians to safely and independently, 
navigate their surroundings, including traffic intersections and 
roundabouts; and
    (c) Develop and explore various strategies for strengthening 
partnerships with industry to facilitate the development and 
implementation of new designs, technologies and applications that are 
appropriate for blind and visually impaired pedestrians to use for 
wayfinding.
    In addition to activities proposed by the applicant to carry out 
these purposes, the project must:
     Collaborate on research projects of mutual interest with 
relevant projects such as the NIDRR-funded RERCs on Low Vision and 
Blindness and Information Technology Access as identified through 
consultation with the NIDRR project officer;
     Collaborate with relevant Federal agencies responsible for 
the administration of public laws that address access to and usability 
of traffic intersection for individuals with disabilities such as the 
Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, the U.S. 
Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration, Federal 
Transit Administration and National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration, and other relevant Federal agencies identified by 
NIDRR; and
     Involve individuals who are blind and visually impaired in 
all aspects of this project.
    Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR part 350.
    Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 762(g) and 764(a).

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(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 84.133A, Disability 
and Rehabilitation Research Project and Centers Program)

    Dated: April 10, 2001.
Francis V. Corrigan,
Deputy Director, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation 
Research.
[FR Doc. 01-10499 Filed 4-26-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P