Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 75 / Wednesday, April 18, 2012 / Notices 23231 

to attend the meeting (e.g., interpreting 

services, assistive listening devices, or 

material in alternative format) should 

notify Jenelle Leonard at (202) 401– 

3641, no later than Friday, April 27, 

2012. We will attempt to meet requests 

for accommodations after this date but 

cannot guarantee their availability. The 

meeting site is accessible to individuals 

with disabilities. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jenelle Leonard, Designated Federal 

Official, Office of Indian Education, U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20202. 

Telephone: 202–205–2161. Fax: 202– 

205–5870. 

A report of the activities of the 

meeting and related matters that are 

informative to the public and consistent 

with the policy of section 5 U.S.C. 

552b(c) will be available to the public 

within 21 days of the meeting. Records 

are kept of all Council proceedings and 

are available for public inspection at the 

Office of Indian Education, United 

States Department of Education, 400 

Maryland Avenue SW., Washington, DC 

20202. Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.– 

5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

You may 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: www.ed.gov/news/ 

fedregister/index.html. 

To use PDF you must have Adobe 

Acrobat Reader, which is available free 

at this site. If you have questions about 

using PDF, call the U.S. Government 

Printing Office (GPO), toll free at 1–866– 

512–1830; or in the Washington, DC, 

area at (202) 512–0000. 

Note: The official version of this document 

is the document published in the Federal 

Register. Free Internet access to the official 

edition of the Federal Register and the Code 

of Federal Regulations is available on GPO 

Access at: www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/ 

index.html. 

Michael Yudin, 

Acting Assistant Secretary, Office of 

Elementary and Secondary Education. 

[FR Doc. 2012–9378 Filed 4–17–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

National Institute on Disability and 

Rehabilitation Research; Notice of 

Proposed Long-Range Plan for Fiscal 

Years 2013–2017 

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services, Department of 

Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for 

Special Education and Rehabilitative 

Services proposes the National Institute 

on Disability and Rehabilitation 

Research’s (NIDRR’s) Long-Range Plan 

(Plan) for fiscal years (FYs) 2013 

through 2017. Pursuant to the 

Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, 

the Department is required to develop a 

plan for NIDRR that outlines NIDRR’s 

priorities for rehabilitation research, 

demonstration projects, training, and 

related activities, and explains the basis 

for these priorities. 

DATES: We must receive your comments 

on or before June 18, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: Address all comments about 

the proposed Plan to Lynn Medley, U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Avenue SW., Room 5140, Potomac 

Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202– 

2700. 

If you prefer to send your comments 

by email, use the following address: 

NIDRR-mailbox@ed.gov. You must 

include the term ‘‘Long-Range Plan’’ in 

the subject line of your electronic 

message. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Lynn Medley. Telephone: (202) 245– 

7338 or by email: Lynn.Medley@ed.gov. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 

telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay 

Service (FRS), toll free, at 1–800–877– 

8339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Invitation to Comment: We invite you 

to submit comments regarding the 

proposed Plan. To ensure that your 

comments have maximum effect in 

developing the final Plan, we urge you 

to identify clearly the specific area of 

the Plan that each comment addresses 

and to arrange your comments in the 

same order as the proposed Plan. We are 

particularly interested in comments on 

the establishment of the Rehabilitation 

Research Advisory Council (RRAC) 

described in the Introduction of the 

Plan. 

During and after the comment period, 

you may inspect all public comments 

about the proposed Plan in Room 5140, 

550 12th Street SW., Potomac Center 

Plaza (PCP), Washington, DC, between 

the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 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. 

Background: In developing the 

research agenda in the proposed Plan, 

NIDRR considered: the legislative 

mandate for the Plan; stakeholder 

suggestions and public input received 

via email and the Internet in response 

to the notice of proposed Long Range 

Plan published in the Federal Register 

on January 15, 2009 (Vol. 74, No. 10); 

public responses to a January 15, 2009, 

email solicitation to NIDRR grantees, 

past grant applicants, disability 

organizations, and other interested 

parties inviting comment on the January 

15, 2009, Federal Register notice of 

proposed Long Range Plan; research and 

program recommendations from NIDRR 

grantee state of the science conferences; 

an assessment and related 

recommendations by the National 

Academy of Sciences (NAS), National 

Research Council, of NIDRR’s prioritysetting, peer review, and grant 

mechanisms; and a review by NAS of 

the products of a sample of 30 NIDRR 

grantees (National Academy of Sciences 

(2012), Review of Disability and 

Rehabilitation Research: NIDRR 

Grantmaking Processes and Products, 

Washington, DC: National Academies 

Press). 

The purposes of the proposed Plan 

are: 

(1) To describe the broad general 

principles that will guide NIDRR’s 

policies and use of resources; 

(2) To establish objectives for research 

and related activities from which annual 

research priorities can be formulated; 

and 

(3) To describe how NIDRR will 

implement the Plan, i.e., the process by 

which NIDRR establishes annual 

priorities. 

The authority for the Secretary to 

establish the Plan is contained in 

section 202(h) of the Rehabilitation Act 

of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 762(h)). 

The proposed Plan is published as an 

attachment to this notice. 

Accessible Format: Individuals with 

disabilities can obtain this document in 

an accessible format (e.g., braille, large 

print, audiotape, or compact disc) 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 or a TTY, call 

the FRS, toll free, at 1–800–877–8339. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

23232 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 75 / Wednesday, April 18, 2012 / Notices 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

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 via the Federal Digital System 

at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site 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). To use PDF you must 

have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 

available free at the site. 

You may also access documents of the 

Department published in the Federal 

Register by using the article search 

feature at: www.federalregister.gov. 

Specifically, through the advanced 

search feature at this site, you can limit 

your search to documents published by 

the Department. 

Dated: April 13, 2012. 

Alexa Posny, 

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services. 

National Institute on Disability and 

Rehabilitation (NIDRR) Proposed LongRange Plan for Fiscal Years (FYs) 2013 

Through 2017 

Preface 

The introductory section of the 

National Institute on Disability and 

Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) LongRange Plan 2013–2017 (Plan) provides 

basic background about NIDRR and the 

proposed plan. The background 

explains NIDRR’s mission, its intention 

for the Plan, and how the Plan will 

shape NIDRR’s priorities. The second 

section of the Plan provides a brief 

summary of the Plan’s proposed goals 

and objectives. The third section of the 

Plan provides background information 

about NIDRR’s legislative mandate and 

purpose; NIDRR’s applied approach to 

disability and rehabilitation research; 

how that approach is improving the 

lives of individuals with disabilities; 

and how NIDRR’s proposed grant 

mechanisms will structure NIDRR’s 

research and development programs. 

Section four of the Plan provides detail 

and explanation of NIDRR’s proposed 

goals and objectives for the next five 

years. 

I. Introduction 

NIDRR has a broad and complex 

mission. NIDRR must support the 

generation of new knowledge and 

promote its effective use to (1) improve 

the abilities of individuals with 

disabilities to participate in community 

activities of their choice and (2) to 

enhance society’s capacity to provide 

opportunities and accommodations for 

these individuals. NIDRR fulfills its 

mission through research, development, 

and related activities designed to 

contribute to the independence, 

inclusion, employment, health, and 

functioning of individuals of all ages 

with all types and degrees of disability. 

As the number of Americans with 

disabilities is projected to increase 

substantially over the next two decades, 

the importance of fulfilling NIDRR’s 

mission will only grow (Institute of 

Medicine, 2007. The future of disability 

in America. Washington, DC: National 

Academies Press). 

NIDRR’s proposed Long-Range Plan 

(Plan) includes priorities, goals, and 

objectives that will enable stakeholders 

to understand and comment upon the 

direction that NIDRR proposes for FYs 

2013 through 2017. NIDRR proposes to 

begin implementing all proposed goals 

at the beginning of FY 2013. Over the 

life of the Plan, NIDRR will further 

refine the Plan’s priorities, goals, 

objectives, and timelines. These 

refinements will occur as the evolution 

of science and technology, the needs of 

individuals with disabilities, and the 

input of interested stakeholders dictate, 

and as the completion of the funding 

cycles of current centers and projects 

allow. Proposed refinements will be 

published on NIDRR’s Web site for 

public comment and review. NIDRR 

further proposes to establish and to 

actively solicit the guidance of the 

broadly based Rehabilitation Research 

Advisory Council (RRAC), which is 

authorized under Title II section 205(a) 

of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as 

amended. The proposed RRAC would 

engage individuals with disabilities and, 

as appropriate, their representatives; 

community rehabilitation and service 

professionals, including providers of 

assistive technologies; rehabilitation 

researchers and engineers; and other 

stakeholders to offer NIDRR ongoing 

advice to ensure that NIDRR programs 

reflect the principles that NIDRR has 

proposed for them. The three principles 

that NIDRR proposes to guide the 

implementation of the Plan and the 

administration of its programs are 

balance, quality, and relevance. 

Balance refers to the management of 

NIDRR’s resource allocations across 

three dimensions: (1) Type of disability; 

(2) three outcome domains of individual 

well-being (i.e., employment, 

community living and participation, 

and health and function); and (3) 

whether NIDRR or the grant applicant 

defines the specific approach to a 

disability or rehabilitation research 

topic. 

Quality refers to the scientific merit of 

the research and development activities, 

whatever the method employed, and the 

appropriateness of the methods to the 

topic, question, or problem being 

addressed. 

Relevance refers to the likelihood that 

proposed research and development 

activities will make a substantial 

contribution to the well-being of 

individuals with disabilities, 

recognizing that the benefits of such 

activities may not always be direct or 

immediate. 

NIDRR’s peer review process will 

help increase the quality and relevance 

of NIDRR-funded research and 

development activities. NIDRR is 

committed to the goal that every eligible 

application for NIDRR funding will be 

reviewed by a knowledgeable and 

topically informed panel of experts in 

research methods, policy, services and 

supports, including individuals with 

disabilities or, as appropriate, family 

members. 

NIDRR’s priorities will be informed 

by assessments of the state of the 

science, policy and practice, the advice 

of the proposed RRAC, and the public’s 

response to proposed priorities. 

NIDRR’s portfolio of research and 

development activities will range from 

the identification of the needs and 

opportunities of individuals with 

disabilities to the widespread 

implementation of effective, evidencebased policies and practices that 

respond to those needs and 

opportunities. NIDRR recognizes that 

the development of effective, evidencebased policies and practices is as 

dependent on the exploratory stages of 

research as it is on experimental and 

quasi-experimental trials of potentially 

effective practices. 

II. Summary of Plan’s Proposed Goals 

and Objectives 

NIDRR will maintain a balanced 

portfolio of high quality research and 

development centers and projects that 

address the most important problems 

and issues affecting individuals with 

disabilities and their families. As 

described further in the Plan, the 

following is a summary of NIDRR’s 

proposed goals and objectives for FY 

2013 through FY 2017. 

Goal 1: Create a portfolio of research, 

development, and other activities that 

balances domains, populations of focus, 

and who, whether NIDRR or the grant 

applicant, defines the specific approach 

to a disability or rehabilitation research 

topic. 

• Establish a balanced distribution of 

priorities focused on improved 

outcomes in the domains of 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 75 / Wednesday, April 18, 2012 / Notices 23233 

employment, community living and 

participation, and health and function. 

• Establish a balanced distribution of 

priorities to address the needs of 

individuals with different disabilities, 

personal characteristics, and social 

circumstances. 

• Expand field-initiated research and 

development opportunities to support 

innovation. 

Goal 2: Support centers and projects 

that conduct well-designed research and 

development activities using a range of 

appropriate methods. 

• Adopt a stages-of-research paradigm 

that will enhance NIDRR’s efforts to 

generate evidence-based practices. 

• Support a variety of research 

methods as appropriate to the topics 

and research questions. 

Goal 3: Promote the effective use of 

knowledge in areas of importance to 

individuals with disabilities and their 

families. 

• Increase and improve the 

capabilities and activities of NIDRR 

research centers and projects to ensure 

the accessibility and effective use of 

their research. 

• Increase NIDRR’s and NIDRRfunded centers’ and projects’ use of 

input from stakeholders. 

• Establish priorities that inform 

systems and policy development as well 

as interventions to improve individual 

outcomes. 

• Support topics of relevance that cut 

across disability categories and NIDRR’s 

three domains. 

• Maintain ongoing investments that 

effectively address topics of importance 

to individuals with disabilities and their 

families. 

Goal 4: Improve program administration 

• Streamline NIDRR’s processes for 

establishing and publishing priorities 

for grant competitions. 

• Establish and implement a 

consistent schedule of competitions and 

peer reviews so that competition 

announcements are predictable for 

potential applicants and peer reviewers. 

• Improve NIDRR’s peer review 

processes. 

III. Background 

NIDRR was established by the 1978 

amendments to the Rehabilitation Act of 

1973, as amended (the Act). As 

specified in section 200 of the Act (29 

U.S.C. 760), NIDRR’s purpose is to: (a) 

Provide for research, demonstration 

projects, training, and related activities 

to maximize the full inclusion and 

integration into society, employment, 

independent living, family support, and 

economic and social self-sufficiency of 

individuals with disabilities of all ages, 

with particular emphasis on improving 

the effectiveness of services authorized 

under the Act; (b) provide for a 

comprehensive and coordinated 

approach to the support and conduct of 

research, demonstration projects, 

training, and related activities; (c) 

promote the transfer of rehabilitation 

technology to individuals with 

disabilities through research and 

demonstration projects; (d) ensure the 

widespread distribution, in usable 

formats, of practical scientific and 

technological information; (e) identify 

effective strategies that enhance the 

opportunities of individuals with 

disabilities to engage in employment, 

including employment involving 

telecommuting and self-employment; 

and (f) increase opportunities for 

researchers who are members of 

traditionally underserved populations, 

including researchers who are members 

of minority groups and researchers who 

are individuals with disabilities. 

NIDRR is led by a Director within the 

Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) at the 

U.S. Department of Education. OSERS 

has two other components: The 

Rehabilitation Services Administration 

and the Office of Special Education 

Programs. NIDRR works closely with 

these offices as well as other disabilityrelated offices and agencies across the 

Federal government. 

NIDRR supports a wide range of 

rehabilitation research, development, 

and other activities designed to assist 

individuals with disabilities to achieve 

long-term outcomes such as 

independence, community 

participation, employment, and good 

health. To maximize its effectiveness in 

achieving such outcomes, NIDRR 

research and development activities 

focus on the complex interaction of 

personal, environmental, and 

supporting factors, including assistive 

technologies. In its practical and 

applied focus, NIDRR seeks to play a 

pivotal role in the relationship between 

the producers and consumers of 

knowledge. 

The value of NIDRR’s applied focus 

on research and development can be 

found in important advances in 

knowledge, practice, and public policies 

that have derived fully or partially from 

it. In recent years these have included, 

but have not been limited to the 

development of principles, standards, 

and applications of universal design; 

standards and applications to enhance 

accessibility of the World Wide Web 

and the design of accessibility features 

for information technology devices, 

such as computers and cell phones; 

widespread applications of technology 

to rehabilitation including 

telerehabilitation and national Internetbased workforce training systems; 

improved understanding and treatments 

of long-term consequences of spinal 

cord injury, burn injury, or traumatic 

brain injury; development of 

rehabilitation and community supports 

for individuals recovering from 

psychiatric conditions; understanding of 

the costs and outcomes of 

deinstitutionalization and the 

development of community supports for 

individuals with disabilities; better 

understanding of factors and practices 

contributing to the employment 

experience of individuals with 

disabilities; improvements in way 

finding and other mobility aides for 

individuals with cognitive or sensory 

conditions; and on-going analysis of 

national disability statistics to guide 

policy and practice. NIDRR is 

committed to maintaining its focus on 

practical applications of research, 

development, knowledge translation, 

capacity building, technical assistance, 

and information dissemination to 

improve the lives of individuals with 

disabilities and their families. 

NIDRR currently employs nine 

mechanisms to make grant awards. 

Funding allocation within these 

mechanisms depends on the overall 

funding available to NIDRR, NIDRR’s 

topical priorities for that year, and the 

size of the funding commitments for 

grants awarded in previous years. On 

average, about 25 percent of NIDRR’s 

grants end each year. NIDRR’s grant 

mechanisms include: 

• Rehabilitation Research and 

Training Centers (RRTCs) conduct 

coordinated, advanced research to 

maximize health and function, promote 

maximum social and economic 

independence of individuals with 

disabilities, and improve rehabilitation 

methods or service delivery systems. 

RRTCs serve as national centers of 

excellence in research and as national 

resource centers. 

• Rehabilitation Engineering Research 

Centers (RERCs) conduct programs of 

advanced engineering and technical 

research and development activities 

designed to create technological 

solutions for enhancing opportunities 

for individuals with disabilities, solving 

rehabilitation problems, and removing 

environmental barriers. RERCs provide 

for the cost-effective delivery and use of 

assistive technology devices. 

• Disability and Rehabilitation 

Research Projects (DRRPs) emphasize a 

broad range of research and 

development projects, training, and 

knowledge translation on rehabilitation 

topics. DRRPs have ranged from 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

23234 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 75 / Wednesday, April 18, 2012 / Notices 

collecting longitudinal data on spinal 

cord, traumatic brain, and burn injuries 

to studying the effects of health care 

coordination. 

• Americans with Disabilities Act 

(ADA) National Network Regional 

Centers provide information, technical 

assistance, and training in areas related 

to the mandates of the ADA. These 

centers constitute a national network 

and assist disability organizations, 

individuals with disabilities, 

businesses, public agencies, and the 

general public in understanding, 

complying with, and fulfilling the 

purposes of the ADA. 

• Model Systems in Spinal Cord 

Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury, and 

Burn Injury support three networks of 

centers providing model rehabilitation 

services and supports to individuals 

after injury. The Model Systems carry 

out intramural programs of research as 

well as a collaborative program of 

longitudinal research and 

dissemination. 

• Field-Initiated Projects address 

rehabilitation issues in promising and 

innovative ways. As the name implies, 

topics for these projects are chosen by 

the applicants. 

• Advanced Rehabilitation Research 

Training Projects support institutions of 

higher education to recruit qualified 

post-doctoral individuals with clinical, 

management, or basic research 

experience and prepare them for careers 

in disability and rehabilitation research. 

• Switzer Research Fellowships give 

individual researchers opportunities to 

develop new ideas, gain research 

experience, and concentrate on specific 

lines of research. NIDRR supports 

Switzer Fellows for one year as they 

conduct independent research projects. 

• Small Business Innovation Research 

(SBIR) grants, administered by NIDRR as 

a part of the larger mandatory Federal 

SBIR program, support the production 

of new assistive and rehabilitation 

technologies. This two-phase program 

takes a rehabilitation-related product 

from development toward market 

readiness. 

NIDRR funds are awarded 

competitively on the basis of advice 

received through a peer review process 

to ensure the quality and integrity of the 

NIDRR portfolio. Researchers, 

methodologists, rehabilitation 

engineers, and other experts, including 

individuals with disabilities, serve on 

panels made up of three to seven 

individuals. These experts review 

proposals according to the selection 

criteria in the application package for 

the competition. NIDRR’s peer review 

process is designed to ensure the 

scientific quality of NIDRR’s portfolio, 

its contributions to the well-being of 

individuals with disabilities, and its 

responsiveness to the needs of the 

disability and rehabilitation 

communities. NIDRR continues to focus 

on improving the quality of its peer 

review process, including addressing 

the specific recommendations for the 

peer review process made in the 

November 2011 review of NIDRR by the 

National Academy of Science (NAS) 

(National Academy of Sciences/National 

Research Council (2011). Review of 

disability and rehabilitation research: 

NIDRR grantmaking processes and 

products. Washington, DC: National 

Academies Press.) 

IV. Proposed Goals and Objectives 

NIDRR will pursue the following 

proposed goals and objectives for FY 

2013 through FY 2017. 

Proposed Goal 1: NIDRR will create a 

portfolio of research, development, and 

other activities that is balanced in terms 

of domains, populations of focus, and 

who, whether NIDRR or the grant 

applicant, defines the specific approach 

to a disability or rehabilitation research 

topic. 

Proposed Objective 1.1—NIDRR Will 

Establish a Balanced Distribution of 

Priorities Focused on Improved 

Outcomes in the Domains of 

Employment, Community Living and 

Participation, and Health and Function 

One of the congressional findings in 

section 2(a)(3) of the Act states that, 

‘‘disability is a natural part of the 

human experience and in no way 

diminishes the right of individuals to 

(A) live independently; (B) enjoy selfdetermination; (C) make choices; (D) 

contribute to society; (E) pursue 

meaningful careers; and (F) enjoy full 

inclusion and integration in the * * * 

mainstream of American society.’’ An 

individual’s opportunity to enjoy such 

rights depends on an interaction 

between the individual and the physical 

and social environment. Within each of 

its domains, NIDRR will support 

research, development, and other 

activities that gather and use knowledge 

of systems, environments, individuals, 

and behaviors to support the fulfillment 

of such rights. 

Employment 

Employment and earnings are 

essential to independence, selfdetermination, and contribution to 

society. NIDRR will support centers and 

projects to address unemployment, 

underemployment, and unnecessary 

dependency on public benefits. NIDRR 

will support activities to improve 

opportunities for employment that are 

consistent with an individual’s abilities, 

interests, and career aspirations. NIDRR 

will also support research and 

development activities that examine 

employment policies and practices, 

vocational rehabilitation services, and 

technologies and accommodations that 

contribute to improved employment and 

career outcomes for individuals with 

disabilities. 

Community Living and Participation 

NIDRR is committed to improving the 

opportunities and abilities of 

individuals with disabilities to live as 

integrated members of their 

communities and to participate in 

community activities of their choice. 

NIDRR will fund activities consistent 

with the underlying principles of the 

independent living programs authorized 

under the Act and the ADA as affirmed 

in the U.S. Supreme Court’s Olmstead 

decision of 1999, Olmstead v. L.C., 527 

U.S. 581 (1991). NIDRR will support 

centers and projects to increase 

community living and participation 

through improvements in policy, 

services and support delivery, assistive 

technologies, environmental 

modifications, and person-centered 

therapeutic interventions. 

Health and Function 

Maximizing health and function 

among people with disabilities is 

critical to achieving the goals of 

employment, community living and 

participation, and individual well-being 

across the lifespan. NIDRR will support 

centers and projects on health and 

function that improve understanding of 

the health status, health needs, and 

health care access of individuals with 

disabilities. These centers and projects 

will also develop and test interventions, 

including public policy interventions to 

improve health outcomes, increase or 

maintain functional abilities, and 

contribute to more effective medical 

rehabilitation and long-term services 

and supports, including integrated 

health and long-term service and 

support approaches. 

Proposed Objective 1.2—NIDRR Will 

Establish a Balanced Distribution of 

Priorities To Address the Needs of 

Individuals With Different Disabilities, 

Personal Characteristics, and Social 

Circumstances 

Rehabilitation Research and Training 

Centers—Centers of Excellence 

NIDRR will establish RRTCs, as 

authorized in the Act, that will function 

as centers of excellence. In addition to 

being productive centers of relevant and 

well-designed research, these RRTCs 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 75 / Wednesday, April 18, 2012 / Notices 23235 

will: (1) Serve as national resource 

centers for individuals with disabilities 

and their representatives, families, 

service providers, policymakers, and 

others; (2) serve as informational and 

technical assistance resources to 

individuals with disabilities and their 

representatives, families, service 

providers, policymakers, and others 

through conferences, workshops, public 

education programs, in-service training 

programs, and similar activities; and (3) 

serve as centers of data gathering, 

analysis, and knowledge translation to 

address systems and policy issues that 

affect individuals with disabilities of all 

ages. 

The RRTCs will serve as centers of 

excellence addressing the needs of 

individuals of all ages with psychiatric, 

intellectual and developmental, and 

physical disabilities, as well as 

individuals with significant 

impairments of vision and hearing. 

These centers will identify practices 

associated with positive outcomes 

across NIDRR’s domains and assess the 

status and effectiveness of programs and 

service systems in achieving positive 

outcomes. 

NIDRR will also establish RRTC 

centers of excellence in such areas as 

the following: 

• Vocational rehabilitation. 

• Rural rehabilitation. 

• Rehabilitation of individuals from 

minority backgrounds. 

• Families with members with 

disabilities. 

• Disability statistics. 

Rehabilitation Engineering and Research 

Centers 

NIDRR will establish RERCs to 

address the barriers confronted by 

individuals with disabilities in all 

aspects of their lives. To the maximum 

extent appropriate to the area of 

engineering, the RERCs will address the 

needs of a wide range of individuals 

with disabilities, including those with 

sensory and cognitive impairments, 

regarding the barriers they confront in 

employment, community living and 

participation, and health and function. 

NIDRR will establish RERCs that will 

address priorities within the following 

four areas of rehabilitation engineering: 

• Rehabilitation strategies, techniques 

and interventions. 

• Information and communication 

technologies. 

• Individual mobility and 

manipulation. 

• Physical access and transportation. 

Proposed Objective 1.3—NIDRR Will 

Expand Field-Initiated Research and 

Development Opportunities To Support 

Innovation 

In order to take advantage of the 

field’s expertise, knowledge, and 

creativity, NIDRR plans to provide an 

increased number of field-initiated 

opportunities for research, 

demonstration, and developing 

technological solutions to significant 

problems faced by individuals with 

disabilities. After consulting with the 

proposed RRAC, publishing the 

proposed priorities for comment, and 

considering those comments, NIDRR 

will publish final priorities that include 

broad topical areas for which applicants 

will have the discretion to define a 

specific approach. Applicants also may 

propose cross-domain projects that have 

the potential to make a substantial 

contribution to solving significant 

problems. 

Proposed Goal 2: NIDRR will support 

centers and projects that conduct welldesigned research and development 

activities using a range of appropriate 

methods. 

Proposed Objective 2.1—NIDRR Will 

Adopt a Stages-of-Research Framework 

That Will Enhance Its Efforts To 

Generate Evidence-Based Practices 

NIDRR will support a range of welldesigned research methods using a 

stages-of-research framework. When 

inviting applicants to apply appropriate 

research methods to important research 

questions, NIDRR will require 

applicants to identify the stage of 

research appropriate to their proposed 

research and will evaluate that proposed 

research using selection criteria 

appropriate to that stage. NIDRR’s 

framework will include the following 

stages of research: 

Exploration 

Exploration has the research objective 

of generating new and refined analyses 

of data, observational findings, and 

other sources of information to guide 

hypotheses and theories. Exploration 

seeks to advance the state of knowledge 

regarding the status of individuals with 

disabilities and the barriers to and 

facilitators of improved employment, 

community living and participation, 

health and function, and other outcomes 

for individuals with disabilities. This 

research stage may include identifying 

or describing existing practices, 

programs, policies, or circumstances 

that are associated with important 

aspects of the lives of individuals with 

disabilities, the needs of people with 

disabilities, or outcomes of services and 

supports provided to them. Results 

achieved under this research objective 

may be used to inform new lines of 

research related to practices, programs, 

or policies to inform decisions or 

priorities. 

Intervention Development 

Intervention development has the 

research objective of generating and 

testing interventions that have the 

potential to improve outcomes for 

individuals with disabilities. 

Intervention development involves 

determining the features of possible 

interventions that are most significant in 

achieving desired outcomes, measures 

that would be required to illustrate 

outcomes, specification of target 

populations, field tests, and assessment 

of the feasibility of conducting a welldesigned interventions study. Results 

from this research objective may be used 

to inform the design of a study to test 

the efficacy of an intervention. 

Intervention Efficacy 

Intervention efficacy has the research 

objective of evaluating and testing 

whether the interventions are feasible, 

are practical, and can yield positive 

outcomes for individuals with 

disabilities. Efficacy research may assess 

the strength of an intervention, identify 

factors or individuals characteristics 

associated with outcomes, and inform 

decisions about whether there is 

sufficient evidence to support ‘‘scalingup’’ an intervention to other sites and 

contexts. Issues addressed may include 

training needed for wide scale 

implementation and approaches to 

evaluation of the intervention in real 

world applications. 

Scale-Up Evaluation 

Scale-up evaluation has the research 

objective of evaluating whether 

interventions are effective in producing 

improved outcomes for individuals with 

disabilities when implemented in realworld settings. This research tests the 

outcomes of evidence-based practices 

operating in different settings. It 

examines the challenges to successful 

replications and the circumstances and 

activities that contribute to successful 

wide-scale adoption of interventions, 

programs, policies, and technologies. 

Research in this area may also include 

well-designed studies of interventions 

that have been widely adopted in 

practice, but lack a sufficient evidencebase on its effectiveness. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

23236 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 75 / Wednesday, April 18, 2012 / Notices 

Proposed Objective 2.2—NIDRR Will 

Support a Variety of Research Methods 

as Appropriate to the Topics and 

Research Questioned 

NIDRR will support quantitative and 

qualitative research methodologies, as 

well as research approaches that 

combine both methodologies. NIDRR 

will provide guidance on its 

expectations for the various research 

methods. 

Proposed Goal 3: NIDRR will promote 

the generation and effective use of 

knowledge in areas of importance to 

individuals with disabilities and their 

families. 

Proposed Objective 3.1—NIDRR Will 

Increase and Improve the Capabilities of 

NIDRR Research Centers and Projects 

To Ensure the Accessibility and 

Effective Use of Their Research 

NIDRR will increase expectations for 

its research centers and projects to 

provide research-based knowledge and 

resources to individuals with 

disabilities and their families, service 

providers, and policymakers. NIDRR 

will support training, technical 

assistance, and knowledge translation 

activities to enhance the capabilities of 

individuals with disabilities, 

researchers, practitioners, and 

organizations and agencies to use the 

best available information in order to 

obtain desired outcomes for individuals 

with disabilities. 

All of NIDRR’s centers and projects 

will carry out knowledge translation 

activities. Knowledge translation 

promotes the use of research-based 

knowledge to support the ability of 

individuals to live successfully in 

society. Key components of knowledge 

translation are: requiring that grantees 

involve relevant stakeholders in the 

design and conduct of research 

activities to optimize the relevance and 

use of proposed outputs; using tools like 

systematic reviews and research 

synthesis to assess and disseminate the 

information generated through research; 

and translating research findings into 

information that is usable by 

individuals with disabilities and their 

families, practitioners, and 

policymakers. 

Proposed Objective 3.2—NIDRR and 

NIDRR-Funded Centers and Projects 

Will Increase Their Use of Input From 

Stakeholders 

In order to ensure that its centers and 

projects address important issues 

affecting individuals with disabilities 

and their families, NIDRR will develop 

and implement a process that 

continuously communicates with a 

wide range of stakeholders to share 

information about NIDRR’s activities, 

solicit feedback on the impact of 

NIDRR’s investments, obtain 

recommendations for research topics, 

and gather stakeholder input on 

NIDRR’s long-range plans. 

Rehabilitation Research Advisory 

Council 

As authorized by section 205 of the 

Act and consistent with a 

recommendation in the 2012 National 

Academy of Sciences (NAS) review 

report, NIDRR proposes to establish the 

RRAC. The RRAC will advise NIDRR’s 

Director about research priorities and 

the development and revision of its 

current and future Long range Plans. 

Improved Use of Information 

Technology 

NIDRR will continue to upgrade its 

use of information technology, 

including its Web site, in order to 

improve its information dissemination 

activities, increase its capacity to obtain 

input and feedback from stakeholders, 

and facilitate on-going discussions with 

and among NIDRR grantees, individuals 

with disabilities, and other 

stakeholders. 

Proposed Objective 3.3—NIDRR Will 

Establish Priorities That Inform Systems 

and Policy Development as Well as 

Interventions To Improve Outcomes for 

Individuals 

Across its three domains, NIDRR will 

support centers and projects that 

address systems and policy issues as 

well as interventions that directly 

improve outcomes for individuals with 

disabilities and their families. Across its 

employment, community living and 

participation, and health and 

functioning domains, NIDRR will 

support centers and projects that 

measure systems and policy effects, as 

well as the effects of interventions to 

directly improve outcomes for 

individuals with disabilities and their 

families. 

Proposed Objective 3.4—NIDRR Will 

Support Topics of Relevance That Cut 

Across Disability Categories and 

NIDRR’s Three Domains 

NIDRR will support important 

projects that cut across disability 

categories or outcome domains when 

such projects are relevant, welldesigned, and offer promise of 

significant benefit to multiple groups of 

individuals with disabilities and their 

families. Examples of these cross-cutting 

priorities will include, but may not be 

limited to, disability demographics and 

technology for access and function. 

Disability Demographics 

Valid and reliable demographic data 

help all agencies and research in the 

disability field. NIDRR will continue its 

work with other Federal agencies to 

meet its statutory mandate to collaborate 

in producing demographic and 

statistical data that describe the 

population of individuals with 

disabilities. NIDRR’s disability 

demographics effort will generate and 

disseminate new and current 

information that can be used by 

individuals with disabilities, service 

providers, policymakers, and others 

working to identify and eliminate 

disparities in employment, community 

living and participation, and health and 

function. 

Technology for Access and Function 

For individuals with disabilities, 

technology plays a vital role by 

improving function and increasing 

access, thereby enhancing the ability to 

lead increasingly independent, secure, 

and productive lives. At the individual 

level, NIDRR will focus on assistive 

technology devices that enhance the 

physical, sensory, and cognitive 

abilities. At the systems level, NIDRR 

will emphasize applying technology 

research and development in ways that 

enhance community integration, 

independence, productivity, 

competitiveness, and equal opportunity 

by mitigating or eliminating barriers 

found in large social systems such as 

public transportation, 

telecommunications, information 

technology, and the built environment. 

NIDRR will continue to support 

technology-related centers and projects 

to conduct research and development, 

with the end goal of transferring 

technology into commercialized or noncommercialized products that can be 

readily accessed and used to improve 

the lives of individuals with disabilities. 

NIDRR will continue to play a 

leadership role within the Federal 

government on accessibility of 

information and computer technologies. 

Leadership in Cloud Computing 

NIDRR is committed to ensuring 

access to and benefit from cloud 

computing for individuals with 

disabilities. It recognizes the existence 

of substantial international activity in 

this area, from which the individuals 

stand to benefit and to which the United 

States should contribute. NIDRR and its 

grantees will play leadership roles in 

national and international activities to 

ensure accessibility, and to exploit the 

potential of cloud computing to support 

the independence, employment, and 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 75 / Wednesday, April 18, 2012 / Notices 23237 

functional capabilities of persons with 

disabilities. In its efforts NIDRR will 

support grantees working on cloudbased infrastructure and applications, 

and will work cooperatively across 

government agencies and with private 

entities to leverage the resources 

available for this important work. 

Proposed Objective 3.5—NIDRR Will 

Maintain On-Going Investments That 

Effectively Address Topics of 

Importance To Individuals With 

Disabilities and Their Families 

NIDRR has invested in a number of 

projects for many years. The value of 

these long-term investments is an 

important consideration as NIDRR plans 

for its future commitments. For 

example, NIDRR has supported projects 

that have created national rehabilitation 

and disability services databases, 

supported accessibility of the built 

environment and information 

technologies, as well as other nationally 

valued projects in other areas. On a 

project-by-project basis and with the 

input of the RRAC and other 

stakeholders, NIDRR will continue to 

support centers and projects in certain 

priority areas in which NIDRR has 

substantial long-term investments and 

that continue to contribute significantly 

to NIDRR’s goals and objectives. 

Proposed Goal 4: NIDRR will improve 

program administration. 

Proposed Objective 4.1—NIDRR Will 

Streamline Processes for Establishing 

and Publishing Priorities for Grant 

Competitions 

Historically, most of NIDRR’s 

priorities have included a number of 

detailed required activities that 

demanded a great deal of time to 

develop and publish. As indicated in 

Objective 1.3 of the Plan, NIDRR will 

provide applicants with more fieldinitiated opportunities by issuing 

priorities for each domain that consist of 

broad topical areas and fewer 

specifically required activities. These 

topical areas will remain open for 

competition for up to five years. This 

will provide applicants with increased 

discretion to propose specific projects 

that fall within the topical areas and 

enhance NIDRR’s ability to publish its 

funding priorities on a more-timely 

basis. In addition, because NIDRR staff 

will devote less time developing and 

publishing new priorities, they will 

have more time for providing technical 

assistance to their grantees, monitoring 

grants, and participating in cross-agency 

research and development activities. 

Proposed Objective 4.2—NIDRR Will 

Establish and Implement a Regular 

Schedule of Competitions and Peer 

Reviews 

The NAS review report noted that 

NIDRR has not established a regular 

schedule for publishing priorities, 

publishing notices inviting applications, 

or conducting peer review. An irregular 

schedule may negatively affect the 

ability of qualified applicants to submit 

proposals and limit the availability of 

expert reviewers. Consistent with the 

NAS recommendations, and aided by 

streamlining its priority development 

process, NIDRR will establish a regular 

schedule of competitions that potential 

applicants and peer reviewers can 

depend on for planning purposes. 

Having the topical areas in place for up 

to five years will provide the field with 

stable and reliable opportunities for 

funding, and applicants who are not 

successful in one competition can revise 

and improve their applications for 

future competitions under the same 

topic. 

Proposed Objective 4.3—NIDRR Will 

Improve Its Peer Review Process 

The NAS review report commented 

on NIDRR’s peer review processes and 

made a number of recommendations for 

enhancement. Consistent with the NAS 

recommendations and ongoing quality 

improvement goals within NIDRR, 

during the next five years NIDRR will 

improve the following: 

• Recruitment of qualified reviewers. 

• Peer reviewer orientation. 

• Review criteria and scoring. 

• Stakeholder representation and 

support for these stakeholders to 

participate on review panels. 

• Consistency across review panels. 

A number of other changes will be 

explored by NIDRR as potential means 

of enhancing the ability of peer 

reviewers to carry out their 

responsibilities. These include, but are 

not limited to: (1) Establishing page 

limits for some or all NIDRR program 

applications; and (2) limiting the 

number of applications reviewed per 

panel with limits depending on the page 

limits of the applications. 

V. Summary 

With the adoption of this Plan, as 

refined by comments and suggestions 

from stakeholders and other parties, 

NIDRR believes it will be positioned to 

better reflect the principles of balance, 

quality, and relevance in its activities. 

This approach will make NIDRR more 

effective in fulfilling its role as a leading 

Federal agency in generating and 

promoting the use of knowledge to 

improve the lives of individuals with 

disabilities and their families. 

[FR Doc. 2012–9365 Filed 4–17–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION 

Publication of State Plan Pursuant to 

the Help America Vote Act 

AGENCY: U.S. Election Assistance 

Commission (EAC). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Sections 

254(a)(11)(A) and 255(b) of the Help 

America Vote Act (HAVA), Public Law 

107–252, as amended by Section 622 of 

the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 

2012, the U.S. Election Assistance 

Commission (EAC) hereby causes to be 

published in the Federal Register this 

notice in reference to the changes made 

to the HAVA State plan previously 

submitted by Virginia. The revised State 

plan will be posted on the EAC Web 

site. 

DATES: This notice is effective upon 

publication in the Federal Register. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Bryan Whitener, Telephone 202–566– 

3100 or 1–866–747–1471 (toll-free). 

Submit Comments: Any comments 

regarding the plans published herewith 

should be made in writing to the chief 

election official of the individual State 

at the address listed below. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 

24, 2004, the U.S. Election Assistance 

Commission published in the Federal 

Register the original HAVA State plans 

filed by the fifty States, the District of 

Columbia and the territories of 

American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, 

and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 69 FR 

14002. HAVA anticipated that States, 

territories and the District of Columbia 

would change or update their plans 

from time to time pursuant to HAVA 

Section 254(a)(11) through (13). HAVA 

Sections 254(a)(11)(A) and 255 require 

EAC to publish such updates. This is 

the third revision to the State plan for 

Virginia. 

The amendments to Virginia’s State 

plan provide for compliance with Title 

III and with the Military and Overseas 

Voter Empowerment Act (MOVE Act). 

In accordance with HAVA Section 

254(a)(12), all the State plans submitted 

for publication provide information on 

how the respective State succeeded in 

carrying out its previous State plan. 

Virginia confirms that its amendments 

to the State plan were developed and 

submitted to public comment in 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES