**Archived Information**

**National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)**

### Long Range Plan for Fiscal Years 1999-2003

## Executive Summary

##### Table of Contents

#### Introduction 2

> **New Paradigm of Disability 3**
>
> **The Emerging Universe of Disability 4**
>
> **Research Agenda for NIDRR 4**
>
> **Knowledge Dissemination and Utilization 9**
>
> **Capacity-building for Research and Training 9**
>
> **Enhancing NIDRR\'s Management of Research 10**
>
> **Conclusion 11**
>
> **Appendix Long-Range Plan Steering Committee Members 13**

# Introduction

The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research's
(NIDRR) *Long-Range Plan* presents a five-year agenda to advance the
vital work being done in applied rehabilitation research. This
*Long-Range Plan* fulfills NIDRR's obligation under the Rehabilitation
Act to provide a plan that identifies research needs and sets research
priorities for the disability field. This plan is intended to balance
the competing demands of consumer relevance and scientific rigor, to
present an agenda that is scientifically sound and accountable, and to
contribute to the refinement of the nation's science and technology
policy. This *Executive Summary* describes the purpose and scope of the
*Long-Range Plan*, which was published in the *Federal Register* on
December 7, 1999 (64 FR 68575-68614).

NIDRR's plan serves the following purposes:

• to set broad general directions that will guide NIDRR's policies and
use of resources as the field of disability prepares for the 21st
century;

• to establish objectives for research and dissemination that will
improve the lives of individuals with disabilities and from which annual
research priorities can be formulated;

• to describe a system for operationalizing the plan in terms of annual
priorities, evaluation of the implementation of the plan, and updates of
the plan as necessary; and

• to direct new emphasis to the management and administration of the
research endeavor.

The *Long-Range Plan* was developed with the guidance of a distinguished
group of NIDRR constituents---individuals with disabilities and their
family members and advocates, service providers, researchers, educators,
administrators, and policy-makers. The plan draws upon public hearings
and planning activities conducted by NIDRR, as well as papers prepared
specifically for the plan by several authors.

The plan also addresses a range of diverse objectives intended to meet
the following needs of the rehabilitation community:

• the needs of individuals with disabilities for knowledge and
information that will enable them to achieve their aspirations for
self-direction, independence, inclusion, and functional competence;

• the needs of rehabilitation service providers for information on new
techniques and technologies that will enable them to assist in the
rehabilitation of individuals with disabilities;

• the needs of researchers to advance the capabilities of science as
well as the body of scientific knowledge;

• the needs of society and its leadership for strategies that will
facilitate the potential contributions of all citizens; and

• the need to transfer findings from basic to applied research.

Since Congress created NIDRR in 1978, rehabilitation researchers have
achieved many significant outcomes that benefit both the individual and
society. For example, at the individual level, the concerted efforts of
U.S. researchers, most of whom received NIDRR support, have decreased
medical complications for individuals with spinal cord injuries, thus
significantly increasing their life expectancy. In addition,
rehabilitation engineering research has led to the use of new materials
for wheelchairs and for orthotic and prosthetic devices, making this
essential equipment more comfortable, functional, and attractive.

At the environmental-societal level, technology has greatly enhanced
accommodations for people with all types of disabilities. Research has
led to new applications of the principles of universal design to the
built environment, information technology, telecommunications,
transportation, and mass-market consumer products. These advances, which
allow more people with disabilities to access buildings,
telecommunications devices, and computer technology, illustrate a
significant change in the disability paradigm----a change that expands
the focus of disability to include environmental factors, as well as
individual factors.

###### New Paradigm of Disability

NIDRR has provided leadership in research that has introduced a new
conceptual foundation for organizing and interpreting the phenomenon of
disability---a new paradigm of disability. The paradigm provides a way
to apply scientific research to help people with disabilities achieve
their goals and address their concerns. This disability paradigm, which
undergirds NIDRR's future research strategy, maintains that disability
is a product of an interaction between characteristics of an individual
(e.g., conditions and impairments, functional status, or personal and
socioeconomic qualities) and characteristics of the natural, built,
cultural, and social environments. The new paradigm is integrative and
holistic, focusing on the whole person functioning in his or her
environment. The paradigm recognizes the contextual aspect of
disability---the dynamic interaction between individual and environment.
Conversely, the old paradigm, which the new paradigm replaces, presented
disability as the result of a deficit(s) in an individual that prevented
the individual from performing certain functions or activities.

The new paradigm has significant implications for NIDRR's research
agenda during the next decade. Examples include:

• changes in the way disability is defined and conceptualized;

• new approaches for measuring and counting disability, including
changes in the methods for conducting demographic studies and national
surveys to reflect the new definitions or concepts;

• changes in the focus of research, such as studies of the dynamic
interplay between an individual and the environment and of the adapting
process by the society and the individual; and

• changes in the way research is managed and conducted.

Research also must focus on the development and evaluation of
environmental options in the built environment and the communications
environment. Additionally, researchers need to address critical concerns
that affect people with a wide range of disabilities. These factors
include general fiscal and economic policy issues as well as specific
policies on employment, the delivery and financing of health care,
income support, transportation, social services, telecommunications,
institutionalization, education, and long-term care.

###### The Emerging Universe of Disability

The frequency and widespread dispersion of disabilities among members of
the U.S. population reinforce the need for disability research.
According to estimates, 4 million people need help simply to live, while
40 million report some kind of activity limitation. Disability also is
distributed differently in the population according to characteristics
of age, gender, race and ethnicity, and both the region and size of the
locality in which a person resides. Poverty is a key factor----as a
contributing cause and a result of disability. People with disabilities
tend to have lower-than-average education levels, low income levels, and
high unemployment rates.

For future research, NIDRR has started focusing on an emerging universe
of disability, in which either the conditions associated with
disabilities, their distribution in the population, or their causes and
consequences are substantially different from those in the traditional
disability population. The emerging universe is characterized by new
disabling conditions; new causes for impairments; differential
distribution within the population; increased frequency of some
impairments, including those associated with the aging of the
population; and different consequences of disability, particularly as
related to social-environmental factors, life-span issues, and projected
demands for services and supports.

###### Research Agenda for NIDRR

This Long-Range Plan, which aims to maximize independence and
participation in society by people with disabilities, addresses
priorities in five major research areas: employment outcomes, health and
function, technology for access and function, independent living and
community integration, and associated disability research areas. The
plan also addresses priorities in three significant, related areas:
knowledge dissemination and utilization, capacity-building for
rehabilitation research, and research management.

####### Employment Outcomes

Two-thirds of working-age people with disabilities are not in the labor
force, and those who are employed continue to earn less than their
colleagues without disabilities. Reluctance to participate in the labor
force often stems from disincentives inherent in social and health
insurance policies, from discouragement, and from lack of physical
access to jobs. Several other factors affect employment, including
economy and labor force issues; the appropriateness and adequacy of the
strategies and tools for vocational rehabilitation assessment,
counseling, and training; the operation of community-based
rehabilitation programs; employer roles and workplace supports; and the
transition from school to work.

NIDRR's employment-related research agenda for the next five years will
address these issues. The new research agenda will extend beyond
previous research efforts to investigate mechanisms that make the labor
market more amenable to full employment for people with disabilities. To
address the employment needs of people with disabilities, this research
agenda also incorporates economic research, service delivery research,
and policy research. Most important, the agenda relates to the context
in which employment outcomes are determined.

The purposes of NIDRR's research in the area of employment are as
follows:

• assess the impact of economic policy and labor market trends on the
employment outcomes of people with disabilities;

• improve the effectiveness of community-based employment service
programs;

• improve the effectiveness of state employment service systems;

• evaluate the contribution of employer practices and workplace supports
to the employment outcomes of people with disabilities; and

• improve school-to-work transition outcomes.

####### Health and Function

To maintain their independence, individuals with disabilities must be
able to maximize their health and function through health care,
rehabilitation, and wellness regimens. Health care for people with
disabilities encompasses access to care for routine health problems,
participation in health promotion and wellness activities, and access to
appropriate specialty care, including medical rehabilitation. Medical
rehabilitation is the systematic application of modalities, therapies,
and techniques to restore, improve, or replace impaired human
functioning. It also includes biomedical engineering principles and
techniques to improve the functional ability of people with
disabilities.

NIDRR is committed to supporting research to improve the overall health
and function of people with disabilities. The purposes of NIDRR's
research in the area of health care and medical rehabilitation are as
follows:

• identify and evaluate effective models of health care for people with
disabilities;

• develop models to promote health and wellness for people with
disabilities;

• examine the impact of changes in the health care delivery system on
access to care;

• evaluate medical rehabilitation interventions that maximize function
for individuals with disabilities;

• develop strategies to help disabled individuals avoid secondary
conditions;

• assess delivery of medical rehabilitation services to people with
disabilities; and

• evaluate the health and medical rehabilitation needs of people whose
impairments are attributed to newly recognized causes or whose
conditions are newly recognized as disabilities (e.g., disabilities
resulting from interpersonal violence or emergent chronic diseases such
as childhood asthma or chronic fatigue immune deficiency syndrome).

####### Technology for Access and Function

Today, technology plays a vital role in the lives of millions of
disabled and older Americans. Federal funds have supported research,
development, and training in rehabilitation and biomedical engineering.
Useful products have resulted from this research and development
activity. These innovations enable people with significant disabilities
to achieve and maintain maximum physical function, to live in their own
homes, to study and learn, to attain gainful employment, and to
participate in and contribute to society in meaningful and resourceful
ways.

In planning the future of rehabilitation engineering research, NIDRR and
its constituents in the consumer, service, research, and business
communities will continue to identify flexible strategies to address
emerging issues and technologies, to promote widespread use of research
findings, and to maximize the impact of NIDRR programs on the lives of
people with disabilities. Research in technology involves issues related
to the built environment, information technology and telecommunications,
consumer products, and transportation. These technological systems are
basic to community integration, education, employment, health, and
economic development. Additionally, research in technology must continue
to improve the functional capacities of individuals with sensory,
mobility, manipulation, and cognitive impairments. The purposes of
NIDRR's research in the area of technology are as follows:

• develop assistive technology that supports people with disabilities to
function and live independently and obtain better employment outcomes;

• develop biomedical engineering innovations to improve function for
people with disabilities;

• promote the concept and application of universal design;

• improve access to the built environment;

• expand access to telecommunications and information technology;

• ensure the transfer of technological developments to other research
sectors, to production, and to the marketplace;

• identify business incentives for manufacturers and distributors;

• identify the best methods of making technology available to people
with disabilities;

• ensure that research and development at both the personal and systems
levels take into account cultural relevance for diverse ethnic and
geographic populations;

• develop rehabilitation engineering science, including a theoretical
framework to advance empirical research; and

• raise the visibility of engineering and technological research for
people with disabilities as a means of increasing attention to these
research areas in national science and technology policy.

####### Independent Living and Community Integration

NIDRR proposes the continued development of a knowledge base about the
meaning and application of independent living and community integration
concepts. The concept of independent living recognizes that each
individual has the right to exercise maximal control over his or her
life, based on the opportunity to make choices in performing everyday
activities. Although independent living emphasizes maximal attainable
independence, whatever the setting, it is also a concept that promotes
participation, especially participation in community settings. For this
reason, NIDRR is integrating research agendas in community integration
and independent living to encourage interdisciplinary thinking about the
commonalities, to achieve successful outcomes for people with
disabilities, and to foster the development of innovative methods to
achieve these outcomes and to measure the achievements.

NIDRR's framework for formulating this research agenda recognizes that
the term independent living has been used to describe (a) a
philosophy---of equity in the right to participate in society, (b) a
movement---of people with disabilities who successfully used a civil
rights approach to achieve equal access, and (c) a service
program---whereby more than 300 centers for independent living foster
and enhance independent living for people with disabilities.

Community integration also has conceptual, movement, and service
delivery components. As a concept, it incorporates ideas of living in a
community setting, as opposed to an institution, and participating in
community activities. Issues of consumer direction and control are
integral to community integration. As a movement, one of the goals of
community integration has been to deinstitutionalize people with mental
retardation or mental illness. This effort was successful in moving many
individuals from large institutions into the community. At the service
system level, community integration has resulted in the development or
expansion of a range of services and programs to support people with
disabilities to live in their own communities. NIDRR will work toward
the continued development of a knowledge base about the meaning and
application of independent living and community integration.

The purpose of NIDRR's research in independent living and community
integration is to enable people with disabilities to participate in
society by doing the following:

• identifying and evaluating factors or domains of community integration
and independent living, especially those aspects that lead to full
participation in society;

• identifying and evaluating community support models that promote
community integration and independent living outcomes for individuals
with all types of disabilities and from a full range of cultural
backgrounds;

• providing empirical evidence of the effects of consumer control on
outcomes associated with community integration and independent living;

• assessing the impact of environmental factors on individual
achievement of community integration and independent living;

• developing and disseminating training on independent living and
community integration concepts and methods for consumers, families,
service providers, and advocates; and

• developing and evaluating management tools to enable centers for
independent living and other community-based programs to support
independent living and community integration.

####### Associated Disability Research Areas

Several important issue areas---disability statistics, disability
outcomes measures, disability studies, rehabilitation science, and
disability policy research---are integral to the successful completion
of a comprehensive agenda in disability and rehabilitation research. The
objectives of NIDRR's research in these associated disability research
areas are to create basic knowledge and to support broader research
endeavors.

***Disability Statistics.*** NIDRR believes that data about the
incidence, prevalence, the distribution of disabilities, and the
characteristics and experiences of disabled people are critical to
planning research and services, evaluating programs, and formulating
public policy. NIDRR has several purposes in advancing work in
disability statistics. First, NIDRR believes it is important to maximize
the usefulness of data currently collected in reliable national data
sets. Second, NIDRR encourages the creation and analysis of research
databases, including meta-analyses focused on problems such as
employment rates or utilization of health care or social services.
Third, NIDRR seeks to understand the composition of a possible emerging
universe of disability created by new disabilities or socioeconomic
variations in the distribution of existing disabilities. Fourth, NIDRR
wants to help provide input to the formulation of a national disability
statistics policy, including the incorporation of measures that reflect
the new paradigm of disability. Finally, NIDRR recognizes the need for
surveys to be conducted in accessible formats, and for disability
demographic and statistical data to be readily available to a wide range
of audiences.

***Disability Outcome Measures.*** Another essential component of
NIDRR's research agenda is evaluation. The importance of demonstrating
outcomes across service settings, programs, and research efforts cannot
be over-emphasized, given resource allocation issues and concerns about
values that operate at every level of society. NIDRR continues its
interest in medical rehabilitation outcomes, an area that has
significant experience in measuring outcomes; medical groups have
developed and integrated various measures into their service delivery
and research settings. Many of these measures, however, have not been
validated across disability groups. NIDRR would like to see measures
developed for hospital settings revised for use in post-acute programs
or in community settings. Additionally, the increasing focus on
long-term care outcomes requires measures that can document changes over
time. Moreover, NIDRR also will support investigations to identify and
develop evaluation methodologies and outcomes measurement models for
consumer assessments of assistive devices. Finally, NIDRR will support
research that incorporates measures of environment and accommodation,
which are critical to the continued implementation of the new paradigm
of disability. And distinctly related to medical outcome measures are
indicators of the quality of life. A particular challenge in developing
these measures is the difficulty in comparing individual perceptions of
the quality of life.

***Disability Studies.*** NIDRR uses the term disability studies
generally to refer to the holistic study of the phenomenon of disability
through a multidisciplinary approach. This approach emphasizes the
perspectives of people with disabilities and regards personal experience
as valuable data. NIDRR believes that disability studies is a natural
complement to the new paradigm, focusing on the study of the complex
relationship between various aspects of disability and society. These
disciplines include, among others, architecture, economics, history,
law, literature, political science, religion, and urban planning.

NIDRR has three basic purposes for supporting a program of disability
studies. First, disability and rehabilitation research needs a body of
knowledge that is comprehensive and holistic, reflecting a range of
disability perspectives, plus a larger cadre of researchers and
policy-makers who are familiar with that knowledge base. Second,
disability and rehabilitation research needs to develop methodologies
and influence the theories and practices of a range of disciplines. The
study of disability will enhance the methodologies and knowledge base of
each discipline involved in the disability studies framework, thereby
enhancing the scientific endeavor. Third, consistent with the goals of
the Rehabilitation Act, NIDRR believes it is essential to reflect the
perspectives of individuals with disabilities in studies of disability.

***Rehabilitation Science.*** An important focus of NIDRR's research
agenda is to find opportunities to construct and test a theoretical
framework for rehabilitation science. Rehabilitation science is the
study of the processes by which disability develops and the factors that
influence those processes. The field of rehabilitation has produced a
body of empirical evidence regarding function and interventions to
improve function. The next challenge is to use this evidence to produce
a body of scientific and engineering theory that can be used to develop
innovative and improved techniques of functional restoration.

***Disability Policy Research.*** Public policy has more significance
for people with disabilities and their families than for many segments
of the population. This increased interest stems, in part, from the fact
that people with disabilities must interface with so many different
components of public policy systems, many of which are conflicting or
inconsistent. Disability policy research will examine national issues
that represent intersections of public interest. Such research will use
national data sets, where possible, to determine the affects of policy
decisions on people with disabilities.

###### Knowledge Dissemination and Utilization

The effective dissemination and use of disability and rehabilitation
research are critical components of NIDRR's mission. Research findings
can improve the quality of life of people with disabilities and advance
their full inclusion into society. These benefits are feasible only if
the findings are accessible and understandable to all constituencies:
research scientists, people with disabilities, their families, service
providers, policy-makers, educators, human resource developers,
advocates, entities covered by the ADA, and others. NIDRR's challenges
include reaching diverse and changing populations, presenting research
results in many different and accessible formats, and using
communication technology effectively. This requires taking into account
the changing environment for dissemination and utilization, which is
affected by technological innovation, the changing etiology of
disability, and an increased emphasis on the individual's interaction
with the physical and social universe.

Future dissemination and utilization strategies will build upon
successful past strategies, such as archives, newsletters, and
best-practice reports. These strategies will capitalize on the potential
of electronic media and other telecommunications innovations for linked
and searchable Web sites, listservs, and computer chats. To enhance the
dissemination and utilization of research, NIDRR will carry out a number
of significant activities. These will include establishing a national
information center, creating databases, developing consumer
partnerships, providing specialized assistance to grantees, using
electronic media and telecommunications to reach more information users,
targeting new audiences, and evaluating dissemination methods.

###### Capacity-building for Research and Training

NIDRR's capacity-building is multidimensional and involves training
those who participate in all aspects of the disability research field,
including scientists, service providers, and consumers. NIDRR's
principal statutory mandate for training is to support advanced
instruction for researchers and service providers. NIDRR also has an
implied mandate, strengthened in the 1992 Rehabilitation Act amendments,
to train consumers to apply new research knowledge and to use assistive
technology. To advance the disability and rehabilitation research field,
NIDRR will expand the scope of its capacity-building activities as
follows:

• raise the level of rigorous qualitative and quantitative research and
increase the use of state-of-the-art methodologies by providing advanced
training in disability-related research for scientists, including those
with disabilities and those from minority backgrounds;

• develop the capacity of researchers to conduct research that explains
disability as a contextual phenomenon;

• prepare researchers to conduct disability studies that are holistic,
interdisciplinary, and cognizant of the cultural context of disability;

• develop the capacity of researchers to conduct studies in new settings
(e.g., homes, workplaces, schools, recreational facilities,
community-based organizations);

• train rehabilitation practitioners in the application of
research-generated knowledge and new techniques; and

• train consumers, family members, and advocates in the use of research
findings, in part to facilitate participatory research.

###### Enhancing NIDRR\'s Management of Research

The research endeavor benefits from thoughtful management practices
specifically tailored to enhance relevance, importance, scientific
quality, coordination, participation, flexibility, productivity, and
communication. This plan addresses a number of strategies to reinforce
the impact and significance of the research program. These include an
emphasis on Centers of Excellence; coordination of federal disability
research through the Interagency Committee on Disability Research
(ICDR); evaluation and performance reviews; an enhanced peer review
process; expanded use of information technology; international research;
promotion of collaborative research; and continuous participatory
planning.

***Centers of Excellence and Program Review.*** NIDRR is committed to
regenerating its Centers of Excellence concept in disability and
rehabilitation research. Recognizing that Centers of Excellence result
from a partnership between NIDRR and its grantees, NIDRR has worked with
grantees to refine a Centers of Excellence model that delineates the
standards of excellence. These standards are grouped into four
categories: excellence in administration, excellence in scientific
research, excellence in relevance and productivity, and excellence in
capacity-building. NIDRR will continue to promote this model through its
program reviews, technical assistance, and educational activities.

NIDRR will continue to hold in-depth program reviews for all centers and
model systems, with each center receiving a formative review after one
year of operation and a summative review in its last year. Program
reviews afford opportunities for NIDRR's broad constituency to critique
its centers and to provide valuable input. These reviews have succeeded
in increasing attention to quality and accountability.

***Coordination of Federal Disability Research.*** NIDRR promotes
coordination and collaboration within the federal government through the
Interagency Committee on Disability Research (ICDR). Over the next five
years, there will be an added emphasis on strengthening the foundation
for disability research through capacity-building, improving disability
statistics, enhancing tools and methods of disability studies and
rehabilitation science, and drawing attention to disability issues in
the nation's science and technology policy.

***Peer Review Process.*** With guidance taken from the Long-Range Plan,
as well as that suggested in the Institute of Medicine's recent review,
NIDRR implemented standing panels in its field-initiated competition in
1999. This approach promises to provide more consistent feedback to
applicants and to raise the accepted level of research excellence. NIDRR
will monitor the new process closely and will provide feedback to all
constituents on the apparent strengths and weaknesses of the new
process, as well as needed modifications.

***International Research and Related Activities.*** NIDRR's
international program has long included capacity-building strategies,
such as an exchange of experts, technical assistance, and conferences.
As the world becomes ever more a global economy, however, an
international perspective on technology is vital, especially information
technology, service delivery, and product standards. NIDRR's concept of
the emerging universe of disability recognizes the cultural, linguistic,
economic, and geographic components of disability that are exemplified
and addressed in international research, education, and technical
assistance. Telecommunications, especially distance learning and
telerehabilitation, both necessitate and facilitate a worldwide
perspective.

***Continuous Participatory Planning.*** NIDRR will continue to involve
its constituents and its staff in implementing and evaluating the
Long-Range Plan, as well as in developing future plans. The full
implementation of the plan will require a concerted effort and attention
to funding priorities, dissemination, training, and education. NIDRR
plans to continue an open dialogue with individuals with disabilities
and their families, researchers, service providers, policy-makers, and
industry representatives to assess the success of this plan and set
directions for the future.

###### Conclusion

NIDRR's Long-Range Plan presents a comprehensive research agenda,
focusing on developing new methods, technologies, and approaches for
eliminating the environmental, cultural, and social barriers that
prevent people with disabilities from full inclusion in all aspects of
society. NIDRR intends for this plan to challenge the disability and
rehabilitation community to address the new paradigm of disability and
its implications for their lives and work. Sensitivity to the
environmental components of disability leads to an awareness of a
changing disability universe, which results from both new conditions and
etiologies and from the differential distribution of disabilities among
socioeconomic and cultural groups.

The new paradigm calls for an emphasis on an accessible society and
participation by individuals with disabilities. This plan presented in
this document also supports the concept of universal design as a way to
facilitate access and enhance or replace the use of many individualized
accommodations. NIDRR believes these concepts and approaches will enable
the disability field to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the
convergence of technological breakthroughs and the empowerment of
disabled advocates.

This plan outlines new management strategies to oversee NIDRR's
extensive, multifaceted rehabilitation research effort. Using a
five-year agenda, NIDRR will provide a blueprint for advancing knowledge
in medical and rehabilitation service delivery, assistive technologies,
employment, statistical methods and survey research, disability studies
and rehabilitation science, and approaches to independent living and
community integration. By creating avenues for the dissemination and
utilization of research knowledge and by enhancing research capacity and
management talent, NIDRR stands as an agency for change, promoting the
advancement of individuals with disabilities.

######## Appendix Long-Range Plan Steering Committee Members

**Clifford Brubaker (chair)** is the dean of the School of Health and
Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to this
position, he was a professor at the University of Virginia for 18 years.
He is a nationally known researcher in seating and mobility and a leader
in assistive technology and rehabilitation engineering. He is a founding
member of the Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Association
(RESNA) and served as its president in 1993--94. He has received patents
for several inventions. Brubaker holds a Ph.D. in exercise physiology.

**Robert H. Bruininks** is the executive vice president and provost of
the University of Minnesota and a professor of educational psychology.
He has long-standing interests in educational evaluation and
accountability, school-linked services, and strategic planning and
educational reform. He established The Institute on Community
Integration, a university-affiliated program on developmental
disabilities, in 1985 to provide interdisciplinary training, exemplary
services, and information and applied research on behalf of people with
developmental disabilities and their families. Bruininks holds a Ph.D.
in educational psychology.

**Ricardo R. Fernández** is president of Herbert H. Lehman College, a
four-year liberal arts college of The City University of New York. He
has held academic and administrative positions at Marquette University
and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and served as a Fellow of the
American Council on Education. His research interests include
educational equity and the recruitment, retention, and advancement of
minority students, faculty, and academic staff in higher education.
Fernández holds a Ph.D. in romance languages from Princeton University.

**James Paul Firman** is president and CEO of the National Council on
the Aging Inc. Firman\'s previous positions include president of the
United Seniors Health Cooperative and senior program officer at the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. He is a widely recognized expert and
consumer advocate on many issues affecting older persons, such as home
care, long-term care, health insurance and financing issues, and
intergenerational programs. Firman has an Ed.D. in education from
Columbia University.

**Harley E. Flack (deceased)** was the president of Wright State
University. Flack was previously provost and executive vice president at
Rowan College of New Jersey and vice president for academic affairs and
dean of the faculty at the State University of New York at Old Westbury.
From 1974-87, Flack served as the founding dean and professor of the
college of Allied Health Sciences at Howard University. He also served
as a strategic planning consultant for more than 25 institutions in the
United States. Flack was president of the National Society of Allied
Health and held a Ph.D. in counselor education from the State University
of New York at Buffalo.

**Donald E. Galvin** is president and CEO of the Commission on
Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, the preeminent
standards-setting and accrediting body promoting quality services for
people with disabilities. From 1989--93, Galvin was the vice president
for programs of the Washington Business Group on Health and director of
the Institute for Rehabilitation and Disability Management. He was
associate superintendent of education for the Michigan Department of
Education and also served as the director of its Bureau of
Rehabilitation Services. Galvin has a Ph.D. in counseling and guidance.

**Murray Goldstein** is the medical director of the United Cerebral
Palsy Research and Educational Foundation and is the interim executive
director of the United Cerebral Palsy Associations of the United States.
He was formerly the director of the National Institute of Neurological
Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health and assistant
surgeon general in the United States Public Health Service. Dr.
Goldstein is recognized internationally as a leader in the clinical,
scientific, and science administration aspects of disorders of the
nervous system.

**Joseph G. Hollowell, Jr., M.D.**, is the medical chief of the Office
of Disability and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. He is the former chief of the Developmental Disabilities
Branch of the Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.
He is board-certified in pediatrics and has a master\'s in Public Health
from the University of California-Berkeley. He is a nationally
recognized expert on low-birthweight infants and children with
disabilities. His professional interests include the study of growth in
children, pediatric endocrinology, and issues surrounding the
definitions, understanding, and prevention of disabilities.

**James R. Knickman** is vice president at The Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation, a national philanthropy that awards grants focusing on
efforts to improve the health and health care of Americans. Knickman
directs grantmaking programs in health policy research, evaluation of
innovations related to health care delivery and health promotion, and
care received by the chronically ill. Prior to joining the foundation,
Knickman was a professor of Health Administration at New York
University\'s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.
Currently, he serves on the Board of Trustees of the Robert Wood Johnson
University Hospital. Knickman received his Ph.D. in public policy
analysis from the University of Pennsylvania.

**Simi Litvak** is director of the Research and Training Center on
Personal Assistance Services at the World Institute on Disability (WID)
in Oakland, Calif. Formerly the research director of the Research and
Training Center on Public Policy in Independent Living at WID, Litvak is
a nationally known expert in independent living and personal assistance.
She has 30 years of experience in the disability field as a teacher,
researcher, policy analyst, policy-maker, and rehabilitation
professional. Most recently she served as a member of the President\'s
Health Care Reform Task Force. Litvak holds a master\'s degree and a
Ph.D. in studies in behavioral disabilities from the University of
Wisconsin-Madison.

**Ronald L. Mace (deceased)** was a nationally recognized architect and
product designer. He was president of Barrier Free Environments Inc. in
Raleigh, N.C., a firm that specializes in design for disabled and older
people. He also was director of the Center for Universal Design at the
School of Design at North Carolina State University. He was elected to
the College of Fellows for the American Institute of Architects for his
contribution to the profession in promoting accessible and universal
design. He had received numerous awards, including the Distinguished
Service Award of the president of the United States for long-term
contributions to furthering the rights and independence of people with
disabilities.

**Audrey L. McCrimon** is the assistant secretary of the Illinois
Department of Human Services. As the assistant secretary, McCrimon
directs the agency\'s core training strategies, customer service and
provider assistance, and Americans with Disabilities Act activities.
Prior to becoming assistant secretary, McCrimon had been the director of
the Illinois Department of Rehabilitation Services, an agency serving
200,000 state residents with disabilities. Before joining the state
government, McCrimon served as deputy commissioner on disability for the
Chicago Department on Aging and Disability and was nominated by the
President in 1994 to serve on the National Council on Disability.
McCrimon holds a master\'s degree in education from Northern Illinois
University.

**Lawrence A. Scadden** is senior program director for the National
Science Foundation\'s Program for Persons with Disabilities. Previously,
Scadden served as director of Technology Application Programs for the
Electronic Industries Foundation. He served as the first deputy director
of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.
Scadden is a nationally known expert on technology applications for
people with disabilities and the design of accessible mass market
electronic products. Scadden holds a master\'s degree in experimental
psychology and a Ph.D. in visual sciences from the University of the
Pacific.

**Max J. Starkloff** is the founder and president of Paraquad Inc.
Starkloff was co-founder and elected president of the National Council
of Independent Living from 1983--85. He was appointed to the
president\'s Commission on White House Fellowships by the President in
1993. Mr. Starkloff is an internationally recognized leader in
independent living and has received acclaim from several humanitarian
groups.

**Samuel L. Stover, M.D.**, served as medical director of the Spain
Rehabilitation Center, project director for the Research and Training
Center on Spinal Cord Injury, and director of the National Spinal Cord
Injury Statistical Center. Dr. Stover is past president of the American
Spinal Cord Injury Association. In June 1994, he retired as chairman of
the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and was named Professor
Emeritus. He is a nationally recognized expert in urologic management of
persons with spinal cord injury, and skin and pulmonary complications
following spinal cord injury. Dr. Stover holds a medical degree in
pediatrics from the Jefferson Medical College.

**Kate Pew Wolters** was the Board Chair of the Steelcase Foundation,
the corporate foundation of Steelcase Inc., the world\'s largest
manufacturer of office furniture. Prior to assuming this position, she
served as executive director of the foundation. She also has served as
the director of the Grand Rapids Center for Independent Living and as a
clinical social worker. Wolters was a presidential appointee to the
National Council on Disability.