[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 94 (Monday, May 17, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27544-27547]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-11716]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research 
(NIDRR)--Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers 
Program--Disability Rehabilitation Research Project (DRRP)--Center on 
Knowledge Translation (KT) for Employment Research (Center)

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.133A-5.

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

ACTION: Notice of proposed priority for a DRRP.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services proposes a priority for the Disability and 
Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program administered by 
NIDRR. Specifically, this notice proposes a priority for a DRRP. The 
Assistant Secretary may use this priority for a competition in fiscal 
year (FY) 2010 and later years. We take this action to focus research 
attention on areas of 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 16, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments about this notice to Lynn Medley, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 5140, Potomac 
Center Plaza (PCP), Washington, DC 20202-2700.
    If you prefer to send your comments by e-mail, use the following 
address: [email protected]. You must include the term ``Proposed 
Priority for a DRRP on KT for Employment Research Findings'' in the 
subject line of your electronic message.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lynn Medley. Telephone: (202) 245-7338 
or by e-mail: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the 
Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  This notice of proposed priority is in 
concert with NIDRR's Final Long-Range Plan for FY 2005-2009 (Plan). The 
Plan, which was published in the Federal Register on February 15, 2006 
(71 FR 8165), can be accessed on the Internet at the following site: 
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/nidrr/policy.html.
    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.
    Invitation to Comment:
    We invite you to submit comments regarding this notice. To ensure 
that your comments have maximum effect in developing the notice of 
final priority, we urge you to identify clearly the specific topic 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 this proposed 
priority. Please let us know of any further ways we could 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 this notice in Room 5142, 550 12th Street, SW., PCP, 
Washington, DC, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., 
Washington, DC, time, Monday through Friday of each week except Federal 
holidays.
    Assistance to Individuals with Disabilities in Reviewing the 
Rulemaking Record: On request we will provide an appropriate 
accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability who 
needs assistance to review the comments or other documents in the 
public rulemaking record for this notice. If you want to schedule an 
appointment for this type of accommodation or auxiliary aid, please 
contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Disability and 
Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program is to plan and 
conduct research, demonstration projects, training, and related 
activities, including international 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.

DRRP Program

    The purpose of the DRRP program is to improve the effectiveness of 
services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, 
by developing methods, procedures, and rehabilitation technologies that 
advance a wide range of independent living and employment outcomes for 
individuals with disabilities, especially individuals with the most 
severe disabilities. 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, training, demonstration, development, 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). In addition, NIDRR intends to require all DRRP

[[Page 27545]]

applicants to meet the requirements of the General Disability and 
Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) Requirements priority that it 
published in a notice of final priorities in the Federal Register on 
April 28, 2006 (71 FR 25472).
    Additional information on the DRRP program can be found at: http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/res-program.html#DRRP.
    Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 762(g) and 764(a).
    Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR part 350.
    Proposed Priority:
    This notice contains one proposed priority.
    Center on Knowledge Translation (KT) for Employment Research 
Findings (Center).
    Background:
    The employment rate for individuals with disabilities is 
substantially lower than the rate for individuals without disabilities: 
18.6 percent versus 63.3 percent, respectively, as of December 2009 
(U.S. Department of Labor, 2009). This disparity in employment rates is 
across all age groups and for both men and women (U.S. Department of 
Labor, 2009).
    To improve the employment outcomes for individuals with 
disabilities, employers, policy makers, vocational rehabilitation (VR) 
practitioners, individuals with disabilities, and other stakeholders 
need to make use of the best available research to inform practice and 
policy. With the notable exception of a body of experimental research 
that demonstrates the effectiveness of one model practice, the 
Individual Placement and Support model of supported employment for 
individuals with psychiatric disabilities (Bond, 2004; Loprest, 2007), 
many findings from research related to improving the employment 
outcomes of individuals with disabilities are preliminary in nature. 
Findings from preliminary, non-experimental research can, however, 
appropriately be used to guide further research, provide preliminary 
knowledge about a problem in the field, or direct resources and 
services to groups of individuals with the greatest needs.
    NIDRR has adopted the conceptual framework of KT to help guide its 
effort to promote the effective use of research findings. KT in the 
NIDRR context refers to a multidimensional, active process of ensuring 
that new knowledge and products gained via research and development 
reach practitioners, employers, policy makers, and individuals with 
disabilities; are understood by these audiences; and are used to 
improve the employment outcomes and participation of individuals with 
disabilities in society. KT encompasses all steps from the creation of 
new knowledge to the synthesis, dissemination, and implementation of 
such knowledge (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 2004), and is 
built upon continuing interactions and partnerships within and between 
different groups of knowledge creators and users. Knowledge synthesis 
is an important step within the KT process because it provides an 
understanding of a topic based on an integration of the relevant body 
of knowledge rather than a single research study.
    Research findings related to improving employment outcomes of 
individuals with disabilities have not been extensively and 
systematically examined. Appraising and synthesizing this research can 
inform practice by providing practitioners information that can 
facilitate their use of currently available research findings and help 
them distinguish between promising practices and proven interventions. 
Effective research syntheses package information in ways that can be 
understood and used appropriately by different audiences and end users, 
and educate users about the strengths or limitations of specific 
findings. The identification of the best available research will also 
help highlight critical research gaps.
    While research investigating effective KT methods and strategies 
has been conducted in other contexts such as public health and 
healthcare (Fixsen, Naoom, Blase, Friedman, & Wallace, 2005; Metcalfe 
et al., 2001; Milner, Estabrooks, & Humphrey, 2005; Peterson, Rogers, 
Cunningham-Sabo, & Davis, 2007; Van Duyn et al., 2007), there has been 
no previous research investigating effective approaches for identifying 
and promoting the use of research related to employment of individuals 
with disabilities. Determining which approaches and strategies are 
effective will be useful in ensuring that employment-related knowledge 
is incorporated into practice by individuals with disabilities, policy 
makers, employers, and VR practitioners.

References:

Bond, G. (2004). Supported Employment: Evidence for an Evidence-
Based Practice. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 27(4), 345-359.
Canadian Institutes of Health Research. (2004). Knowledge 
translation strategy 2004-2009: Innovation in action. See http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/26574.html.
Fixsen, D.L., Naoom, S.F., Blase, K.A., Friedman, R.M., & Wallace, 
F. (2005). Implementation Research: A Synthesis of the Literature. 
Tampa, FL: University of South Florida, Louis de la Parte Florida 
Mental Health Institute, The National Implementation Research 
Network (FMHI Publication 231).
Loprest, P. (2007). Strategic assessment of the state of the science 
in research on employment for individuals with disabilities. 
Washington, DC: The Urban Institute.
Metcalfe, C., Lewin, R., Wisher, S., Perry, S., Bannigan, K., & 
Moffett, J.K. (2001). Barriers to implementing the evidence base in 
four NHS therapies: dietitians, occupational therapists, 
physiotherapists, and speech and language therapists. Physiotherapy, 
87(8), 433-441.
Milner, F.M., Estabrooks, C.A., & Humphrey, C. (2005). Clinical 
nurse educators as agents for change: Increasing research 
utilization. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 42, 899-914.
Peterson, J.C., Rogers, E.M., Cunningham-Sabo, L., & Davis, S.M. 
(2007). A framework for research utilization applied to seven case 
studies. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 33 (1S), S21-S34.
U.S. Department of Labor. (2009). Labor force statistics from the 
Current Population Survey: Employment status and disability status, 
December 2009. See http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsdisability_122009.htm.
Van Duyn, M.A.S., McCrae, T., Wingrove, B.K., Henderson, K.M., Boyd, 
J.K., Kagawa-Singer, M., et al. (2007). Adapting evidence-based 
strategies to increase physical activity among African Americans, 
Hispanics, Hmong, and Native Hawaiians: A social marketing approach. 
Preventing Chronic Diseases, 4(4). See http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2007/oct/pdf/07_0025.pdf.

    Proposed Priority:
    The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services proposes a priority for a Disability and Rehabilitation 
Research Project (DRRP) to serve as the Center on Knowledge Translation 
(KT) for Employment Research (Center). The purpose of the Center is to 
conduct systematic reviews of research findings to identify evidence-
based practices and other information that can be used to improve 
employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities, to identify 
research gaps, and to investigate and promote effective strategies to 
increase the appropriate use of these findings. The Center must conduct 
rigorous and relevant research, development, technical assistance, 
dissemination, and utilization activities.
    These activities must contribute to: (1) Improved knowledge of the 
state of research relevant to improving employment outcomes for 
individuals with disabilities; (2) improved

[[Page 27546]]

knowledge of the findings from high-quality research; (3) 
identification of practices that are promising or proven to have been 
effective for specific purposes or target audiences; and (4) improved 
knowledge on the part of consumers and others not only of the research 
findings but of the strengths of the findings and the appropriate use 
of the research information. These outcomes will lead to the increased 
use of research-based knowledge related to improving employment 
outcomes for individuals with disabilities by the following user 
groups: Individuals with disabilities, employers, policy makers, and 
vocational rehabilitation (VR) practitioners. The Center must work in 
partnership with organizations representing these user groups. These 
user groups must be actively engaged in the planning, conduct, and 
evaluation of all project activities.
    Under this priority, the Center must contribute to the following 
outcomes:
    (a) Establishment of available employment-related knowledge that 
can be used to inform behavior, practices, or policies that improve 
employment outcomes of individuals with disabilities. The Center must 
contribute to this outcome by:
    (1) Systematically reviewing existing research to identify findings 
that can be used by individuals with disabilities, employers, policy 
makers, and VR practitioners to improve the employment of individuals 
with disabilities. The Center must conduct systematic reviews of 
individual studies to assess their strengths and weaknesses; summarize 
findings; assess the appropriate uses of the findings; determine the 
relevance of the findings; and make the information publicly available. 
In so doing, the Center must take into account the types of research 
and stages of knowledge development (i.e., the type of research 
questions being addressed and the methods employed) in each area.
    (2) Producing syntheses on topics, including promising and proven 
practices, for which the Center determines the research to be of 
sufficient quality and relevance pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of this 
proposed priority. The Center must use standards and methods that are 
appropriate for the type of research, the stage of knowledge in the 
identified areas, and its intended use to categorize, evaluate, and 
synthesize the research findings identified in paragraph (a)(1) of this 
proposed priority.
    (3) Suggesting priorities for a future research agenda based on the 
knowledge gaps discovered through the review of existing research 
findings in paragraph (a)(1) of this proposed priority.
    (b) Establishment of effective approaches and strategies to promote 
the appropriate use of research findings on improving the employment of 
individuals with disabilities, by individuals with disabilities, 
employers, policy makers, and VR practitioners.
    The Center must contribute to this outcome by:
    (1) Conducting research on factors impeding and contributing to the 
use of research findings on employment of individuals with disabilities 
by individuals with disabilities, employers, policy makers, and VR 
practitioners.
    (2) Identifying, selecting, refining, and testing approaches and 
strategies that can be used to promote the appropriate use of research 
findings on employment of individuals with disabilities by individuals 
with disabilities, employers, policy makers, and VR practitioners. 
These approaches and strategies must be refined and tested within each 
of the user groups. The Center must use at least one of the areas of 
the synthesized knowledge from paragraph (a)(2) of this proposed 
priority as a subject for further refinement and testing of KT 
approaches and strategies.
    (c) Increased utilization of approaches and strategies determined 
to be effective under paragraph (b) of this proposed priority to 
promote the use of research findings on employment of individuals with 
disabilities.
    The Center must contribute to this outcome by:
    (1) Providing training and technical assistance to NIDRR-funded 
grantees in the employment area to facilitate the implementation and 
evaluation of these KT approaches and strategies.
    (2) Coordinating KT research and development activities with 
existing NIDRR-funded KT and employment projects through consultation 
with NIDRR project officers.
    (3) Using appropriate approaches and strategies established under 
paragraph (b) of this proposed priority to disseminate the synthesized 
knowledge established under paragraph (a) of this proposed priority to 
individuals with disabilities, employers, policy makers, and VR 
practitioners.
    (4) Organizing and hosting a state-of-the-science conference by the 
end of the fourth project year.
    Types of Priorities:
    When inviting applications for a competition using one or more 
priorities, we designate the type of each priority as absolute, 
competitive preference, or invitational through a notice in the Federal 
Register. 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 (1) 
awarding additional points, depending on the extent to which the 
application meets the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i)); or (2) 
selecting an application that meets the priority over an application of 
comparable merit that does not meet the priority (34 CFR 
75.105(c)(2)(ii)).
    Invitational priority: Under an invitational priority, we are 
particularly interested in applications that meet the priority. 
However, we do not give an application that meets the priority a 
preference over other applications (34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).
    Final priority: 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 
additional priorities, requirements, definitions, or selection 
criteria, subject to meeting applicable rulemaking requirements.

    Note:  This notice does not solicit applications. In any year in 
which we choose to use this priority, we invite applications through 
a notice in the Federal Register.

    Executive Order 12866: This notice 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 this proposed regulatory action 
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 proposed regulatory action, we have determined 
that the benefits of the proposed priority justify the costs.
    Discussion of costs and benefits:
    The benefits of the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects 
and Centers Programs have been well established over the years in that 
similar projects have been completed successfully. This proposed 
priority will generate new knowledge through research, development, 
dissemination, utilization, and technical assistance projects that will 
enhance the lives of individuals with disabilities by improving their 
employment outcomes.

[[Page 27547]]

    Intergovernmental Review: This program is not subject to Executive 
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the Grants and Contracts 
Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 
Room 5075, PCP, Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: (202) 245-7363. 
If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
    Electronic Access to This Document: You can 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.

    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 12, 2010.
Alexa Posny,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 2010-11716 Filed 5-14-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P