[Federal Register: July 12, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 132)]
[Notices]
[Page 40008-40010]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12jy05-56]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research--
Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program--
Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers
AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services,
Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of final priority (NFP) for children with special health
care needs.
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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services announces a funding priority for the National
Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research's (NIDRR)
Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program,
Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (RRTC) program. The
Assistant Secretary may use this priority for competitions in fiscal
year (FY) 2005 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: This priority is effective August 11, 2005.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donna Nangle, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 6030, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 245-7462 or by e-mail:
donna.nangle@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
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:
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;
Demonstrate in its application how it will address, in
whole or in part, the needs of individuals with disabilities from
minority backgrounds;
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.
Analysis of Comments and Changes
We published a notice of proposed priority (NPP) for this program
in the Federal Register on April 18, 2005 (70 FR 20219). Page 20221 of
the NPP included a background statement that described our rationale
for proposing this priority.
In response to our invitation in the NPP, one party submitted a
comment on the proposed priority. An analysis of the comment and our
response follows.
Generally, we do not address technical and other minor changes and
suggested changes we are not authorized to make under the applicable
statutory authority.
Comment: One commenter stated that all children with disabilities
have special health care needs, and that children with disabilities are
included in the Maternal and Child Health Bureau's operationalization
of the concept of ``children with special health care needs.'' The
commenter asked whether the priority targets only ``children with
disabilities'' or the broader population of ``children with special
health care needs,'' and noted that the latter includes children who do
not have a current disability but who are at risk of developing one.
The commenter stated that focusing on the broader population makes
greater sense as it allows building in a prevention perspective to the
work of the RRTC.
Discussion: The target population is specific to children who have
both a disability and special health care needs. We acknowledge that
there is frequent overlap between children with disabilities and
children with special health care needs. However, we also acknowledge
that not every child with a special health care need necessarily has a
disability, and that not every child with a disability necessarily has
significant health care needs beyond those required by children
generally. This priority specifies ``children with disabilities'' with
special health care needs in order to highlight the disability focus
within the broader group of children with special health care needs.
This focus on disability includes the interaction of personal and
environmental factors impacting the experience of function and
disability. This priority does not target children who do not currently
have a disability but who are at risk for developing one. However, it
could target children who have both a disability and special health
care needs who are at risk for developing additional disabilities. In
their applications, applicants will be expected to specify their target
population and explain the basis for their decision. The peer review
process will evaluate the merits of the proposals.
Change: None.
Note: This notice does not solicit applications. In any year in
which we choose to use this final priority, we invite applications
through a notice in the Federal Register. When inviting applications
we designate the priority as absolute, competitive preference, or
invitational. The effect of the 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 competitive
[[Page 40009]]
preference priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i)); or (2) selecting an
application that meets the competitive preference 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 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/infocus/newfreedom.
The final priority is in concert with NIDRR's 1999-2003 Long-Range
Plan (Plan). The Plan is comprehensive and integrates many issues
relating to disability and rehabilitation research topics. Applicants
will find many sections throughout the Plan that support potential
research to be conducted under the final priority. The references to
the topic of this priority may be found in the Plan, Chapter 4, Health
and Function and Chapter 6, Independent Living and Community
Integration. 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.
Priority
The Assistant Secretary intends to fund a priority for one RRTC
that must focus on children with disabilities and special health care
needs. Applicants must demonstrate how their research and development
activities will meet the needs of individuals from traditionally
underserved populations including, but not limited to, children from
low-income backgrounds.
The RRTC must conduct at least two, but not more than four, of the
following research activities:
Identify, develop, and evaluate models and strategies for
implementing effective community-based practices for children with
disabilities who have special health care needs;
Identify, develop, and evaluate models and strategies for
effective transition of children and adolescents with disabilities who
have special health care needs to adulthood, including access to adult
health care services, personal assistance services, and full
participation in community life;
Identify and evaluate strategies for maximizing family
partnership and decision-making related to access to and use of home-
and community-based services for children with disabilities who have
special health care needs;
Identify and evaluate innovative and effective strategies
for facilitating access to service delivery for children with
disabilities who have special health care needs, including health care
reimbursement, assistive technology, and other specialized
rehabilitative services (e.g., physical therapy, occupational therapy,
telehealth); and
Identify and evaluate innovative and effective models for
establishing coordination within the service delivery system for
children with disabilities who have special health care needs.
In addition to the activities proposed by the applicant to carry
out this priority, 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;
Involve individuals with disabilities in planning and
implementing its research, training, and dissemination activities, and
in evaluating the RRTC;
Coordinate on research projects of mutual interest with
relevant NIDRR-funded projects as identified through consultation with
the NIDRR project officer; and
Identify anticipated outcomes (i.e., advances in knowledge
and/or changes and improvements in policy, practices, behavior, and
system capacity) that are linked to the applicant's stated grant
objectives.
Executive Order 12866
This NFP 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 NFP 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 NFP, we have determined that the benefits of
the final priority justify the costs.
Summary of potential costs and benefits: The potential costs
associated with this final priority are minimal while the benefits are
significant. Grantees may incur some costs associated with completing
the application process in terms of staff time, copying, and mailing or
delivery. The use of Grants.gov technology reduces mailing and copying
costs significantly.
The benefits of the RRTC program have been well established over
the years in that similar projects have been completed successfully.
This final priority will generate new knowledge and technologies
through research, development, dissemination, utilization, and
technical assistance projects.
Another benefit of this final priority is that the establishment of
a new RRTC will support the President's NFI and will improve the lives
of persons with disabilities, in particular promoting research and
development activities for children with disabilities and special
health care needs. The new RRTC will generate, disseminate, and promote
the use of new information that will improve options for children with
disabilities and special health care needs, their families, and
caregivers.
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:
http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
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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
.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.133B
Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers Program)
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Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 762(g) and 764(b)(2).
Dated: July 6, 2005.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 05-13678 Filed 7-11-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P