[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 90 (Friday, May 9, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25017-25019]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-11628]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

RIN 1820 ZA19


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 for Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services proposes a priority for a Technical Assistance 
Resource Center on Parenting with a Disability 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: 
[email protected].

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: 
[email protected].
    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

[[Page 25018]]

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 are found in 34 CFR 350.40(b).

Priority

Background

    This DRRP will provide expertise or information to assist people 
who have disabilities to fulfill their roles as parents. Dissemination 
is the systematic distribution of information or knowledge through a 
variety of ways to potential users or beneficiaries. Utilization 
relates research findings to practical applications in planning, 
policymaking, program administration, and delivery of services to 
individuals with disabilities.
    NIDRR research addresses many aspects of parenting with a 
disability. NIDRR projects develop and evaluate assistive devices for 
use in child care; analyze employment and health care benefits and 
options to enhance families; assess the impact of public and private 
policies on parents with a disability; and investigate models of home-
based care and positive family roles as community integration 
strategies. The resource center may provide information and technical 
assistance on custody, prenatal and neonatal, adoption, adaptive 
parenting equipment, and general parenting information. Information and 
technical assistance will assist individuals with a wide range of 
disabilities including, but not limited to, parents with physical, 
vision, hearing, intellectual, and behavioral disabilities.
    In addition to parents with disabilities and their families, 
individuals in need of information about parenting with a disability 
may include advocates and personal care providers (especially those 
working in independent living); legal, social service, and medical 
professionals; rehabilitation personnel; teachers and school 
administrators; librarians and information specialists; and members of 
the media.

Proposed Priority--Resource and Technical Assistance Center on 
Parenting with a Disability

    The Assistant Secretary proposes to fund one DRRP that will focus a 
dissemination, utilization, training, and technical assistance project 
to be a ``Resource and Technical Assistance Center on Parenting with a 
Disability.'' The references for this topic can be found in the Plan, 
chapter 2, Dimensions of Disability: Disability, Employment, and 
Independent Living and chapter 8, Knowledge Dissemination and 
Utilization: Overview. The DRRP must:
    (1) Develop quality standards to guide the identification of 
information for dissemination;
    (2) Provide information and technical assistance to people with 
disabilities who are or wish to be parents. A variety of methods and 
tools will be developed to provide information and technical 
assistance. Tools might include such items as: Catalogues and listings 
of assistive technology, fact sheets, and articles for publication in 
various media. Methods to reach interested parties might include: 
interactive features of the Internet, wide area telephone service, 
presentations at

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meetings or conferences and personal visits;
    (3) Develop parent-to-parent support methods, including approaches 
for sharing of information about ``best practices'' in parenting with a 
disability;
    (4) Train parents, potential parents, service providers and others 
on issues relating to parenting with a disability and the research, 
information and services available to them; and
    (5) Evaluate project technical assistance and information 
dissemination activities.
    In carrying out the purposes of the priority, the DRRP must:
    [sbull] Through consultation with the NIDRR project officer, 
coordinate and establish partnerships, as appropriate, with other 
projects sponsored by OSERS, academic institutions and organizations 
that are relevant to the project's proposed activities;
    [sbull] Demonstrate how the project will yield measurable results 
for people with disabilities;
    [sbull] Identify specific performance targets and propose outcome 
indicators, along with time lines to reach these targets; and
    [sbull] Using information developed from the project's 
dissemination, training, and technical assistance activities, with 
emphasis on materials from NIDRR projects, provide materials, 
consultation, technical assistance, and related capacity-building 
activities to NIDRR grantees on how to assist parents with 
disabilities.

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.
    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 Resource and Technical Assistance Center on 
Parenting with a Disability has 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 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe 
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site: 
www.ed.gov/legislation/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 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. 03-11628 Filed 5-8-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P