[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 130 (Thursday, July 8, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39429-39431]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-16689]


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

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research 
(NIDRR)--Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers 
Program--Disability Rehabilitation Research Project (DRRP)--
International Exchange of Knowledge and Experts in Disability and 
Rehabilitation Research

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.133A-6.

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

ACTION: Notice of final priority.

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

SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services announces a priority for the Disability and 
Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program administered by 
NIDRR. Specifically, this notice announces a priority for a DRRP 
entitled International Exchange of Knowledge and Experts in Disability 
and Rehabilitation Research. 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: Effective Date: This priority is effective August 9, 2010.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marlene Spencer, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5133, Potomac Center Plaza 
(PCP), Washington, DC 20202-2700. Telephone: (202) 245-7532 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 final 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.
    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 (Rehabilitation Act).
    Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 762(g) and 764(b)(6).

[[Page 39430]]

    Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR part 350.
    We published a notice of proposed priority (NPP) for NIDRR's 
Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program in 
the Federal Register on May 14, 2010 (75 FR 27324). The NPP included a 
background statement that described our rationale for the priority 
proposed in that notice.
    There is one significant difference between the NPP and this notice 
of final priority (NFP) as discussed in the following section.
    Public Comment: In response to our invitation in the NPP, three 
parties submitted comments on the proposed priority. An analysis of the 
comments and of any changes in the priority since publication of the 
NPP follows.
    Generally, we do not address technical and other minor changes or 
suggested changes the law does not authorize us to make under the 
applicable statutory authority. In addition, we do not address general 
comments that raised concerns not directly related to the proposed 
priority.
    Analysis of Comments and Changes:
    Comment: One commenter suggested that NIDRR consider how the 
activities to be carried out under this priority will be sustained over 
time.
    Discussion: NIDRR agrees that the sustainability of activities 
carried out under this priority is an important goal. Paragraph (b) of 
the priority requires that the Center identify or develop, and then 
evaluate and implement, sustainable methods for carrying out the 
overall mission of this center; namely, domestic dissemination of 
research findings produced by disability and rehabilitation personnel 
from other countries. NIDRR does not wish to specify the methods an 
applicant must use in order to ensure that dissemination activities are 
sustainable. We believe the choice of methods to sustain the 
dissemination of research findings is best left to the applicant.
    Changes: None.
    Comment: One commenter expressed appreciation for the Center for 
International Rehabilitation Research Exchange (CIRRIE) database 
described in paragraph (a) of the priority. However, this commenter 
noted that, as more research is exchanged globally, it may be difficult 
to determine if a study from another country is applicable to one's own 
country. This commenter suggested that the Center produce ``country 
profiles'' to help those who are trying to interpret studies but lack 
knowledge of the health care practices and culture in which the study 
was produced.
    Discussion: Applicants are free to propose the development of 
``country profiles'' to support the success of required activities 
under this priority. However, NIDRR does not have a sufficient basis 
for requiring all applicants to include this approach.
    Changes: None.
    Comment: One commenter suggested that the requirement to propose 
and justify one substantive area of focus for activities under 
paragraph (b) of the priority is too restrictive for a number of 
reasons. This commenter noted that the restriction to one substantive 
area under paragraph (b) contradicts the broader requirements of the 
opening paragraph of the priority, which states that the Center must 
promote the following outcomes for individuals with disabilities: 
improved education, employment, health, and community living. In 
addition, this commenter noted that there is no basis in NIDRR's Long-
Range Plan for limiting this priority's focus to one substantive area. 
This commenter also stated that substantive outcome areas are 
intertwined in the rehabilitation research and development literature 
and in the lives of individuals with disabilities. Therefore, this 
commenter recommended that the restrictive language requiring 
applicants to specialize in a specific substantive area be removed and 
that applicants be allowed to propose approaches that would be as 
specific or comprehensive as they deem appropriate.
    Discussion: NIDRR agrees that substantive outcome areas such as 
education, employment, health, and community living are intertwined in 
the disability and rehabilitation research literature and in the lives 
of individuals with disabilities. NIDRR proposed the requirement that 
applicants specify one subject area recognizing that the Center might 
not have sufficient resources to support research in many different 
areas. After further review, however, we are removing this requirement 
because we believe it is too prescriptive and that it would be best to 
allow applicants to specify how they will define the body of research 
to be studied. We are therefore, revising the priority to provide that 
each applicant must describe and justify the inclusion and exclusion 
criteria it will use to define a body of research literature that can 
be evaluated and disseminated within the resource constraints of this 
Center.
    Changes: NIDRR has revised paragraph (b) of the priority to state 
that applicants must describe the criteria and methods that they will 
use to define the body of research literature that they will evaluate 
and disseminate to U.S. stakeholders.
    Comment: One commenter suggested that the requirement in paragraph 
(b) of the priority to propose and justify the countries or global 
regions to be targeted is overly restrictive. This commenter noted that 
disseminating knowledge from only a subset of countries or regions 
would deprive the disability and rehabilitation community in the U.S. 
of knowledge from many other sources outside the chosen geographic 
focus.
    Discussion: Nothing in this priority precludes applicants from 
proposing to target all countries or global regions as sources of 
disability and rehabilitation research and development. The peer review 
process will evaluate the merits of each proposal.
    Changes: None.
    Final Priority:
    The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services announces a priority for a Disability and Rehabilitation 
Research Project (DRRP) to serve as a Center for International Exchange 
of Knowledge and Experts in Disability and Rehabilitation Research 
(Center). This Center must promote improved education, employment, 
health, and community living outcomes for individuals with disabilities 
by developing and implementing methods for the international exchange 
of knowledge generated by disability and rehabilitation research and 
development (R&D). Under this priority, the Center must contribute to 
the following outcomes:
    (a) A well-maintained, publicly accessible, and searchable database 
containing citations of publications from disability and rehabilitation 
R&D that was conducted in other countries. The Center must contribute 
to this outcome by assuming the operation of an existing database 
presently operated by the Center for International Rehabilitation 
Research Exchange (CIRRIE). The Center must establish sound strategies 
and approaches to ensure that the database is comprehensive, easy to 
use, and up-to-date at all times.
    (b) Improved methods for the identification and domestic 
dissemination of findings from R&D generated by disability and 
rehabilitation R&D personnel in other countries. The Center must 
contribute to this outcome by developing or identifying, evaluating, 
and applying methods for the identification of research findings to be 
disseminated in the U.S. The application of these methods must lead to 
information on the methodological rigor with which the R&D was 
conducted, as well as the

[[Page 39431]]

relevance of findings to U.S. stakeholders (e.g., researchers, 
rehabilitation service providers, educators, clinicians, and 
individuals with disabilities and their families). The Center also must 
identify or develop, and then evaluate and implement, sustainable 
methods for domestic dissemination of relevant findings produced by 
disability and rehabilitation R&D personnel from other countries. Given 
the breadth of disability and rehabilitation R&D conducted in countries 
outside of the U.S. and the limited resources of this Center, 
applicants must propose and justify the criteria or methods they will 
use to define the body of research that they will evaluate. Applicants 
must also propose and justify the countries or global regions they will 
target as the sources of disability and rehabilitation R&D.
    (c) Improved cross-cultural and cross-national awareness and 
expertise among personnel from NIDRR-funded grants. The Center must 
contribute to this outcome by administering an international exchange 
of R&D personnel from NIDRR-funded projects and disability and 
rehabilitation R&D personnel from other countries. The Center must 
establish criteria for reviewing and selecting personnel to participate 
in the exchange. These criteria must emphasize the extent to which 
proposed exchanges will promote cross-cultural and cross-national 
awareness and expertise among NIDRR grantees and contribute to the 
quality and relevance of disability and rehabilitation research 
conducted in the U.S.
    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)).

    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 final 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 final regulatory action, we have determined 
that the benefits of the final 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 priority will generate new knowledge 
through research and development. Another benefit of this priority is 
that the establishment of a new DRRP will improve the lives of 
individuals with disabilities. The new DRRP will generate, disseminate, 
and promote the use of new information that will improve the options 
for individuals with disabilities to perform regular activities in the 
community.
    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: July 2, 2010.
Alexa Posny,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 2010-16689 Filed 7-7-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P