[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 58 (Thursday, March 25, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15308-15311]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-6727]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

RIN 1820 ZA34


National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research

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

ACTION: Notice of proposed priorities for Community Integration for 
Individuals with Disabilities.

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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services proposes priorities under the National 
Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) 
Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (RRTC) Program. The 
Assistant Secretary may use one or more of these priorities for 
competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2004 and later years. We take this 
action to focus research attention on areas of national need. We intend 
these priorities to improve community integration outcomes of persons 
with disabilities who have psychiatric or other mental health 
conditions.

DATES: We must receive your comments on or before April 27, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments about these proposed priorities 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

[[Page 15309]]

the TDD number at (202) 205-4475 or via 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 these proposed 
priorities. To ensure that your comments have maximum effect in 
developing the notice of final priorities, we urge you to identify 
clearly the specific proposed priority that each comment addresses.
    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 proposed priorities 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 these proposed priorities. 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 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 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 
invitational 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.

    These proposed priorities are in concert with NIDRR's Long-Range 
Plan (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 these proposed priorities, a 
specific reference is included for each priority presented in this 
notice. The Plan can be accessed on the Internet at the following site: 
http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/index.html.
    Through the implementation of the NFI and 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.

Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers

    RRTCs conduct coordinated and integrated advanced programs of 
research targeted toward the production of new knowledge to improve 
rehabilitation methodology and service delivery systems, alleviate or 
stabilize disability conditions, or promote maximum social and economic 
independence for persons with disabilities. Additional information on 
the RRTC program can be found at http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/res-program.html#RRTC.

General Requirements of Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers

    RRTCs must:
     Carry out coordinated advanced programs of 
rehabilitation research;
     Provide training, including graduate, pre-
service, and in-service training, to help rehabilitation personnel more 
effectively provide rehabilitation services to individuals with 
disabilities;
     Provide technical assistance to individuals with 
disabilities, their representatives, providers, and other interested 
parties;
     Disseminate informational materials to 
individuals with disabilities, their representatives, providers, and 
other interested parties; and
     Serve as centers for national excellence in 
rehabilitation research for individuals with disabilities, their 
representatives, providers, and other interested parties.
    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 RRTC. In accordance 
with the provisions of 34 CFR 75.253(a), continued funding depends at 
all times on satisfactory performance and accomplishment of approved 
grant objectives.

Priorities

Background

    Community integration (CI) and independent living (IL) are central 
to NIDRR's mission, which is to develop knowledge that will ``improve 
substantially the options for disabled individuals to perform regular 
activities in the community, and the capacity of society to provide 
full opportunities for its disabled citizens.'' NIDRR's Plan, which 
articulates this mission, emphasizes that community integration is not 
just about being located physically in the community; it is about

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full participation, independence, empowerment, choice, and control.
    The U.S. Supreme Court, in its 1999 L.C. v. Olmstead decision, held 
that title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits 
unjustified isolation or segregation of qualified individuals with 
disabilities, including individuals with mental disabilities, through 
institutionalization. The President issued Executive Order 13217, 
``Community-based Alternatives for Individuals with Disabilities,'' 
which requires Federal agencies to implement the Olmstead decision.
    In April, 2002, President Bush announced the creation of the New 
Freedom Commission on Mental Health. He charged the Commission with 
studying the mental health care system in the United States and making 
recommendations that would enable adults with serious mental illness 
and children with serious emotional disturbance to live, work, learn, 
and participate fully in their communities. The ensuing Commission 
Report, ``Achieving the Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care in 
America'' (July, 2003), along with reports from the Surgeon General and 
numerous other public and private entities, offer consensus on a number 
of findings addressed in the priorities below. These include the 
importance of enhancing: (1) Recovery as an organizing framework; (2) 
recovery-oriented, community-based interventions that are consumer and 
family-driven; (3) integration of care and collaboration across service 
sectors serving persons with psychiatric disability (e.g., health, 
mental health, substance abuse, corrections/juvenile justice, 
education, social services); (4) financial flexibility, workforce 
development, and accountability across service sectors; (5) access to 
care by reducing stigma; and culturally competent care and service to 
rural and other underserved populations; and (6) culturally competent 
care and service to rural and other underserved populations.
    NIDRR, in keeping with its long-standing commitment to CI for 
people with disabilities, and consistent with findings from the 
President's Commission and findings from the field, announces its 
intention to fund three RRTCs related to child, adolescent, and adult 
mental health. Each of these priorities addresses at least some of the 
findings previously discussed.
    New to this set of priorities is a focus on outcomes rather than 
activities. The overall outcome for each of these priorities mirrors 
the President's charge: To work towards enabling adults with serious 
mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbance to live, 
work, learn, and participate fully in their communities and to provide 
supports for their families and caregivers.

Proposed Priorities

    The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services proposes to fund three RRTCs that will focus on rehabilitation 
related to improving the community integration outcomes of persons with 
disabilities who have psychiatric or other mental health conditions. 
Under each of these priorities, the RRTC must:
    (1) Contribute substantially to the scientific knowledge-base 
relevant to its respective subject area,
    (2) Research, develop, and evaluate interventions and tools to 
improve outcomes in its focus area,
    (3) Develop, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive plan for 
training critical stakeholders (e.g., consumers, family members, 
practitioners, service providers, researchers, and policymakers),
    (4) Provide technical assistance, as appropriate, to critical 
stakeholders, (e.g., consumers, family members, practitioners, and 
service providers) to facilitate utilization of research findings in 
its respective area of research, and
    (5) Develop a systematic plan for widespread dissemination of 
informational materials based on knowledge gained from the RRTC's 
research activities, and disseminate the materials to persons with 
disabilities, their representatives, service providers, and other 
interested parties.
    In addition to the activities proposed by the applicant to carry 
out these purposes, each RRTC must--
     Conduct a state-of-the-science conference on its 
respective area of research in the third year of the grant cycle and 
publish a comprehensive report on the final outcomes of the conference 
in the fourth year of the grant cycle. This conference must include 
materials from experts internal and external to the RRTC;
     Coordinate on research projects of mutual 
interest with relevant NIDRR-funded projects as identified through 
consultation with the NIDRR project officer;
     Involve individuals with disabilities, including 
those from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, in planning and 
implementing its research, training, and dissemination activities, and 
in evaluating the RRTC;
     Demonstrate in its application how it will 
address, in whole or in part, the needs of individuals with 
disabilities from minority backgrounds; and
     Articulate goals, objectives, and expected 
outcomes for the proposed research activities. It is critical that 
proposals describe expected public benefits, especially benefits for 
individuals with disabilities, and propose projects that are designed 
to demonstrate outcomes that are consistent with the proposed goals. 
Applicants must 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.
    Each RRTC must focus research on one of the following priorities:
Priority 1--Recovery and Recovery-Oriented Psychiatric Rehabilitation 
for Persons With Long Term Mental Illness
    The purpose of the priority is to establish an RRTC on Recovery and 
Recovery-Oriented Psychiatric Rehabilitation for Persons with Long Term 
Mental Illness, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and 
Human Services, Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and 
Mental Health Services Administration. The RRTC must be outcomes-
focused, with the aim of enabling adults with serious mental illness to 
live, work, learn, and participate fully in their communities. Emphasis 
must be placed on the development and translation into practice of 
scientific knowledge that is culturally competent and consumer and 
family centered. To achieve these goals, the RRTC will conduct 
research, training, technical assistance, and dissemination activities 
on individual and environmental factors relevant to recovery and 
recovery-oriented psychiatric rehabilitation. Relevant topic areas may 
include, but are not limited to--
     The concept and dimensions of recovery as it 
relates to people with long-term mental illness;
     Factors that inhibit recovery (e.g., stigma and 
discrimination, fragmentation of the service delivery system, workforce 
shortages); or
     Factors that enhance recovery, including model 
interventions and supports (e.g., culturally competent treatment, 
supported employment, supported education, and alternative and 
innovative practices such as exercise, peer supports, and personal 
assistance services).
    The reference for this topic can be found in the Plan, chapter 6,

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Independent Living and Community Integration.
Priority 2--Developing and Implementing Integrated Systems of Care for 
Child and Adolescent Mental Health
    The purpose of the priority is to establish an RRTC on development 
and implementation strategies for effective and integrated systems of 
care for children and adolescents with serious emotional disorders and 
their families and caregivers, in collaboration with the U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Mental Health 
Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 
The RRTC must be outcome-focused, with the aim of developing and 
implementing effective and integrated systems of care that provide 
children and families access to the services and supports they need in 
order to live, learn, work, and thrive in their communities. To achieve 
this, the RRTC must conduct research, training, technical assistance, 
and dissemination activities on relevant areas such as, but not limited 
to--
     Strategies for maximizing collaboration in 
planning, accountability, financing, and service delivery within and 
across service sectors (e.g., mental health, juvenile justice, child 
welfare, education, substance abuse, primary health).
     Strategies for enhancing the child and 
adolescent mental health workforce so that it is more diverse and has 
the training, organizational support, and infrastructure necessary to 
implement family and community-based individualized service plans.
     Strategies for developing culturally competent 
policies, practices, and procedures, and incorporating them into the 
service delivery system.
     Performance measurement and quality improvement 
procedures designed to help systems of care make adjustments and 
improvements as needed to achieve their goals.
     Strategies for developing and implementing 
financial policies that are flexible and encourage home and community-
based care provided in accordance with individualized service plans.
     Strategies for maximizing translation of 
evidence-based research into systems of care that permit families' 
self-determination; maximize partnerships between schools, families, 
and communities; and provide access to effective family and community-
based interventions.
    The reference for this topic can be found in the Plan, chapter 6, 
Independent Living and Community Integration.
Priority 3--Strengthening Family and Youth Participation in Child and 
Adolescent Mental Health Services
    The purpose of the priority is to establish an RRTC on promoting 
effective family-centered and community-based practices and supports 
for children and adolescents with serious emotional disorders and their 
families and other caregivers, in collaboration with the U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Mental Services, 
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The work of 
the RRTC must be outcome-focused with the aim of increasing the extent 
to which families and youth have awareness of and access to supports 
and services that effectively promote their participation in family, 
school, work, and community life and roles. To achieve this, the RRTC 
will conduct research, training, technical assistance, and 
dissemination activities on relevant topic areas such as, but not 
limited to--
     Strategies for reducing stigma as a barrier to 
service delivery for children, families, and other caregivers.
     Strategies for integrating the concept of 
recovery (as discussed in the field of psychiatric rehabilitation) in 
service delivery for children and youth.
     Strategies for developing, delivering, and 
evaluating culturally competent youth and family-driven individualized 
service plans that are applicable across a variety of settings and 
service sectors.
     Strategies for maximizing the translation of 
evidence-based research into effective community-based practices.
     Strategies to support successful transitions 
across settings.
    The reference for this topic can be found in the Plan, chapter 6, 
Independent Living and Community Integration.

Executive Order 12866

    This notice of proposed priorities 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 
priorities 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 priorities, we have 
determined that the benefits of the proposed priorities justify the 
costs.

Summary of Potential Costs and Benefits

    The potential costs associated with these proposed priorities are 
minimal while the benefits are significant. Grantees may anticipate 
incurring costs associated with completing the application, including 
staff time, copying, and mailing or delivery. The use of e-Application 
technology reduces copying and mailing costs significantly.
    The benefits of the RRTC Program have been well established over 
the years. Similar projects have generated findings that advance the 
field and improve options for individuals with disabilities.
    The benefit of these proposed priorities and project requirements 
will be the establishment of new RRTCs that generate, disseminate, and 
promote the use of new information to improve options and participation 
in the community for individuals with disabilities. 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/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 www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 84.133B, 
Rehabilitation Research and Training Center Program)

    Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 762(g) and 764(b)(2).

    Dated: March 22, 2004.
Troy R. Justesen,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 04-6727 Filed 3-24-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P