Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 93 / Friday, May 14, 2010 / Notices 27327 

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

print, audiotape, or computer diskette) 

by contacting the Grants and Contracts 

Services Team, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

room 5075, PCP, Washington, DC 

20202–2550. Telephone: (202) 245– 

7363. If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll 

free, at 1–800–877–8339. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

You can view this document, as well as 

all other documents of this Department 

published in the Federal Register, in 

text or Adobe Portable Document 

Format (PDF) on the Internet at the 

following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/ 

fedregister. To use PDF you must have 

Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 

available free at this site. 

Note: The official version of this document 

is the document published in the Federal 

Register. Free Internet access to the official 

edition of the Federal Register and the Code 

of Federal Regulations is available on GPO 

Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/ 

index.html. 

Dated: May 11, 2010. 

Alexa Posny, 

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services. 

[FR Doc. 2010–11618 Filed 5–13–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

National Institute on Disability and 

Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)— 

Disability and Rehabilitation Research 

Projects and Centers Program— 

Rehabilitation Research and Training 

Centers (RRTCs)—Effective Vocational 

Rehabilitation (VR) Service Delivery 

Practices 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

(CFDA) Number: 84.133B–8 

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services, Department of 

Education. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed priority. 

SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for 

Special Education and Rehabilitative 

Services proposes a priority for the 

Disability and Rehabilitation Research 

Projects and Centers Program 

administered by NIDRR. Specifically, 

this notice proposes a priority for an 

RRTC on Effective Vocational 

Rehabilitation (VR) Service Delivery 

Practices. The Assistant Secretary may 

use this priority for competitions in 

fiscal year (FY) 2010 and later years. We 

take this action to focus research 

attention on areas of national need. We 

intend this priority to improve 

rehabilitation services and outcomes for 

individuals with disabilities. 

DATES: We must receive your comments 

on or before June 14, 2010. 

ADDRESSES: Address all comments about 

this notice to Marlene Spencer, U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Avenue, SW., Room 5133, Potomac 

Center Plaza (PCP), Washington, DC 

20202–2700. 

If you prefer to send your comments 

by e-mail, use the following address: 

marlene.spencer@ed.gov. You must 

include the term ‘‘Proposed Priority for 

a Center on Effective Vocational 

Rehabilitation Service Delivery 

Practices’’ in the subject line of your 

electronic message. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Marlene Spencer. Telephone: (202) 245– 

7532 or by e-mail: 

marlene.spencer@ed.gov. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD), call the 

Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 

1–800–877–8339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

notice of proposed priority is in concert 

with NIDRR’s Final Long-Range Plan for 

FY 2005–2009 (Plan). The Plan, which 

was published in the Federal Register 

on February 15, 2006 (71 FR 8165), can 

be accessed on the Internet at the 

following site: http://www.ed.gov/ 

about/offices/list/osers/nidrr/ 

policy.html. 

Through the implementation of the 

Plan, NIDRR seeks to: (1) Improve the 

quality and utility of disability and 

rehabilitation research; (2) foster an 

exchange of expertise, information, and 

training to facilitate the advancement of 

knowledge and understanding of the 

unique needs of traditionally 

underserved populations; (3) determine 

best strategies and programs to improve 

rehabilitation outcomes for underserved 

populations; (4) identify research gaps; 

(5) identify mechanisms of integrating 

research and practice; and (6) 

disseminate findings. 

This notice proposes a priority that 

NIDRR intends to use for RRTC 

competitions in FY 2010 and possibly 

later years. However, nothing precludes 

NIDRR from publishing additional 

priorities, if needed. Furthermore, 

NIDRR is under no obligation to make 

an award for this priority. The decision 

to make an award will be based on the 

quality of applications received and 

available funding. 

Invitation to Comment: We invite you 

to submit comments regarding this 

notice. To ensure that your comments 

have maximum effect in developing the 

notice of final priority, we urge you to 

identify clearly the specific topic that 

each comment addresses. 

We invite you to assist us in 

complying with the specific 

requirements of Executive Order 12866 

and its overall requirement of reducing 

regulatory burden that might result from 

this proposed priority. Please let us 

know of any further ways we could 

reduce potential costs or increase 

potential benefits while preserving the 

effective and efficient administration of 

the program. 

During and after the comment period, 

you may inspect all public comments 

about this notice in Room 5133, 550 

12th Street, SW., 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. 

Purpose of Program: The purpose of 

the Disability and Rehabilitation 

Research Projects and Centers Program 

is to plan and conduct research, 

demonstration projects, training, and 

related activities, to develop methods, 

procedures, and rehabilitation 

technology that maximize the full 

inclusion and integration into society, 

employment, independent living, family 

support, and economic and social selfsufficiency of individuals with 

disabilities, especially individuals with 

the most severe disabilities, and to 

improve the effectiveness of services 

authorized under the Rehabilitation Act 

of 1973, as amended (Rehabilitation 

Act) (29 U.S.C. 701 et seq.). 

RRTC Program 

The purpose of the RRTC program is 

to improve the effectiveness of services 

authorized under the Rehabilitation Act 

through advanced research, training, 

technical assistance, and dissemination 

activities in general problem areas, as 

specified by NIDRR. Such activities are 

designed to benefit rehabilitation 

service providers, individuals with 

disabilities, and the family members or 

other authorized representatives of 

individuals with disabilities. In 

addition, NIDRR intends to require all 

RRTC applicants to meet the 

requirements of the General 


emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES
27328 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 93 / Friday, May 14, 2010 / Notices 

Rehabilitation Research and Training 

Centers (RRTC) Requirements priority 

that it published in a notice of final 

priorities in the Federal Register on 

February 1, 2008 (73 FR 6132). 

Additional information on the RRTC 

program can be found at: http:// 

www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/resprogram.html#RRTC. 

Statutory and Regulatory Requirements 

of RRTCs 

RRTCs must— 

• Carry out coordinated advanced 

programs of rehabilitation research; 

• Provide training, including 

graduate, pre-service, and in-service 

training, to help rehabilitation 

personnel more effectively provide 

rehabilitation services to individuals 

with disabilities; 

• Provide technical assistance to 

individuals with disabilities, their 

representatives, providers, and other 

interested parties; 

• Disseminate informational materials 

to individuals with disabilities, their 

representatives, providers, and other 

interested parties; and 

• Serve as centers of national 

excellence in rehabilitation research for 

individuals with disabilities, their 

representatives, providers, and other 

interested parties. 

Applicants for RRTC grants must also 

demonstrate in their applications how 

they will address, in whole or in part, 

the needs of individuals with 

disabilities from minority backgrounds. 

Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 762(g) 

and 764(b)(2). 

Applicable Program Regulations: 34 

CFR part 350. 

Proposed Priority: 

This notice contains one proposed 

priority. 

Effective Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) 

Service Delivery Practices 

Background: 

The Rehabilitation Act calls upon the 

Federal Government to play a 

leadership role in promoting the 

employment of individuals with 

disabilities, especially individuals with 

significant disabilities, in part by 

assisting States and service providers in 

fulfilling the aspirations of individuals 

with disabilities for meaningful and 

gainful employment and independent 

living (29 U.S.C. 701(b)(2)). Thirty-seven 

years after the Rehabilitation Act was 

enacted, VR service practitioners are 

providing services to individuals with 

the most significant disabilities largely 

without the benefit of research 

documenting the effectiveness of their 

service models or of specific VR 

practices (Pruett, Swett, Chan, 

Rosenthal, & Lee, 2008). 

According to the Rehabilitation 

Services Administration’s (RSA’s) most 

recent data, 56 percent of all individuals 

who exited the VR program after 

receiving services under an 

individualized plan for employment 

achieved an employment outcome 

(RSA’s Quarterly Cumulative Caseload 

Report (RSA–113)). In the regulations 

for the Department’s State VR program, 

an employment outcome is defined as 

entering or retaining full-time or, if 

appropriate, part-time competitive 

employment, as defined in 34 CFR 

361.5(b)(11), in the integrated labor 

market, supported employment, or any 

other type of employment in an 

integrated setting, including selfemployment, telecommuting, or 

business ownership, that is consistent 

with an individual’s strengths, 

resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, 

capabilities, interests, and informed 

choice (see 34 CFR 361.5(b)(16)). 

However, there is tremendous 

variation in the employment outcomes 

and the earnings levels among VR 

customers. More knowledge about what 

accounts for the variation in outcomes 

among VR subpopulations is needed in 

order to improve employment 

outcomes, especially for those 

subpopulations with the poorest 

outcomes. RSA’s public access database 

(the RSA–911 Case Service Report) 

provides detailed information on over 

600,000 VR case closures per year and 

is a good source of information about 

outcomes among VR customers. 

In addition, while research funded by 

NIDRR and others has led to improved 

knowledge about employment service 

systems, rehabilitation technology, VRrelated translational research, and 

interventions for disability-specific 

populations, the level of evidence for 

promising practices is not yet 

compelling, leaving VR professionals 

with few evidence-based practices 

(Pruett, Swett, Chan, Rosenthal, & Lee, 

2008; Casper & Carloni, 2007; Dew & 

Alan, 2005). Research is needed to 

identify promising VR practices and to 

determine the effectiveness of those 

practices. Research also is needed to 

develop, evaluate, and advance 

innovative interventions that will 

improve employment outcomes for VR 

customers. 

References 

Casper, E.S. & Carloni, C. (2007). Assessing 

the underutilization of supported 

employment services. Psychiatric 

Rehabilitation Journal, 30(3), 182–188. 

Dew, D.W. & Alan, G.M. (Eds.). (2005). 

Innovative methods for providing VR 

services to individuals with psychiatric 

disabilities (Institute on Rehabilitation 

Issues Monograph No. 30). Washington, 

DC: The George Washington University, 

Center for Rehabilitation Counseling 

Research and Education. 

Pruett, S., Swett, E., Chan, F., Rosenthal., D., 

& Lee, G. (2008). Empirical Evidence 

Supporting the Effectiveness of 

Vocational Rehabilitation. Journal of 

Rehabilitation, 74(1), 56–63. 

Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. 29 

U.S.C. 701 et seq. 

U.S. Department of Education. Rehabilitation 

Services Administration. (2009). 

Rehabilitation Services Administration’s 

Quarterly Cumulative Caseload Report 

(RSA–113). 

Proposed Priority: 

The Assistant Secretary for Special 

Education and Rehabilitative Services 

proposes a priority for a Rehabilitation 

Research and Training Center (RRTC) on 

Effective Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) 

Service Delivery Practices. This RRTC 

must conduct research that contributes 

to new knowledge of VR service 

delivery practices that produce highquality employment outcomes for VR 

customers. This RRTC will contribute to 

improved employment outcomes by 

generating new knowledge about 

effective practices that can be used by 

State VR agencies in serving their 

customers. This RRTC must focus on the 

delivery of VR services that are 

authorized in the Rehabilitation Act of 

1973, as amended (Rehabilitation Act) 

(29 U.S.C. 701 et seq.). NIDRR will fund 

this research effort as a cooperative 

agreement in order to ensure close 

interaction between the grantee and staff 

from NIDRR and the Rehabilitation 

Services Administration (RSA). 

Under this priority, the RRTC must 

contribute to the following outcomes: 

(a) Increased knowledge of the 

variations among State VR agencies in 

achieving quality employment 

outcomes, including but not limited to 

wages and hours of work, for 

subpopulations of individuals with 

significant disabilities, as defined in the 

Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 705(21)(A) 

and (D)), who have lower than average 

employment outcomes rates, wages, and 

hours of work. The RRTC must 

contribute to this outcome by analyzing 

relevant RSA datasets that provide 

information on the outcomes of these 

subpopulations of individuals with 

significant disabilities and by 

systematically gathering input from VR 

counselors and administrators, RSA 

staff, VR customers, and community 

rehabilitation programs. This analysis 

will help to identify promising practices 

by identifying agencies that demonstrate 

statistically better than average 

employment outcome rates and quality 

employment outcomes for these 

subpopulations of VR customers. The 


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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 93 / Friday, May 14, 2010 / Notices 27329 

RRTC must complete this work within 

six months of award of the cooperative 

agreement. 

(b) Improved knowledge of specific 

VR service delivery practices that have 

strong potential for improving 

employment outcomes for the 

subpopulations of VR customers 

identified in paragraph (a) of this 

priority. The RRTC must contribute to 

this outcome by conducting in-depth 

case studies of VR agencies where data 

demonstrate quality employment 

outcomes that are statistically better 

than average for the subpopulations of 

VR customers identified in paragraph (a) 

above compared to VR agencies that 

demonstrate average employment 

outcomes for the same subpopulations. 

NIDRR and RSA staff must approve the 

topics for the case studies and the 

agencies that will serve as sites for these 

studies. The applicant must budget to 

conduct two to three in-depth case 

studies. These case studies must 

identify the elements of the promising 

practices, the barriers to and facilitators 

of the implementation of the practices, 

and the outcomes of the practices. The 

RRTC must complete this work by the 

end of year two of the cooperative 

agreement. 

(c) New knowledge of VR service 

delivery practices that are effective in 

producing high-quality employment 

outcomes for VR customers, especially 

those identified in paragraph (a) of this 

priority. The RRTC must contribute to 

this outcome by conducting research 

that rigorously tests the service delivery 

practices identified in paragraph (b) of 

this priority. The RRTC must test at 

least one intervention in each of the 

sites that are the subjects of the case 

studies. 

(d) Enhanced likelihood of adoption 

of service delivery practices that 

demonstrate effectiveness as described 

in paragraph (c) of this priority. The 

RRTC must contribute to this outcome 

by developing implementation strategies 

and tools that will facilitate 

introduction and use of newly identified 

effective practices in other VR settings. 

In addition, through coordination 

with the NIDRR Project Officer, this 

RRTC must— 

• Collaborate with existing RSA 

grantees, including Regional Technical 

Assistance and Continuing Education 

(TACE) Centers, RSA’s Technical 

Assistance Network, and RSA’s National 

Technical Assistance Coordinator to 

disseminate new knowledge to key 

stakeholders; and 

• Collaborate with existing NIDRR 

grantees, including the RRTC on VR, the 

Center on Effective Delivery of 

Rehabilitation Technology by VR 

Agencies, and the Research and 

Technical Assistance Center on VR 

Program Management. 

Types of Priorities: 

When inviting applications for a 

competition using one or more 

priorities, we designate the type of each 

priority as absolute, competitive 

preference, or invitational through a 

notice in the Federal Register. The 

effect of each type of priority follows: 

Absolute priority: Under an absolute 

priority, we consider only applications 

that meet the priority (34 CFR 

75.105(c)(3)). 

Competitive preference priority: 

Under a competitive preference priority, 

we give competitive preference to an 

application by (1) awarding additional 

points, depending on the extent to 

which the application meets the priority 

(34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i)); or (2) selecting 

an application that meets the priority 

over an application of comparable merit 

that does not meet the priority (34 CFR 

75.105(c)(2)(ii)). 

Invitational priority: Under an 

invitational priority, we are particularly 

interested in applications that meet the 

priority. However, we do not give an 

application that meets the priority a 

preference over other applications (34 

CFR 75.105(c)(1)). 

Final Priority: 

We will announce the final priority in 

a notice in the Federal Register. We will 

determine the final priority after 

considering responses to this notice and 

other information available to the 

Department. This notice does not 

preclude us from proposing additional 

priorities, requirements, definitions, or 

selection criteria, subject to meeting 

applicable rulemaking requirements. 

Note: This notice does not solicit 

applications. In any year in which we choose 

to use this priority, we invite applications 

through a notice in the Federal Register. 

Executive Order 12866: This notice 

has been reviewed in accordance with 

Executive Order 12866. Under the terms 

of the order, we have assessed the 

potential costs and benefits of this 

proposed regulatory action. 

The potential costs associated with 

this proposed regulatory action are 

those resulting from statutory 

requirements and those we have 

determined as necessary for 

administering this program effectively 

and efficiently. 

In assessing the potential costs and 

benefits—both quantitative and 

qualitative—of this proposed regulatory 

action, we have determined that the 

benefits of the proposed priority justify 

the costs. 

Discussion of costs and benefits: 

The benefits of the Disability and 

Rehabilitation Research Projects and 

Centers Programs have been well 

established over the years in that similar 

projects have been completed 

successfully. This proposed priority will 

generate new knowledge through 

research and development. 

Another benefit of this proposed 

priority is that the establishment of a 

new RRTC will improve the lives of 

individuals with disabilities. The new 

RRTC will generate, disseminate, and 

promote the use of new information that 

will improve the options for individuals 

with disabilities to obtain, retain, and 

advance in employment through VR 

services. 

Intergovernmental Review: This 

program is not subject to Executive 

Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 

CFR part 79. 

Accessible Format: Individuals with 

disabilities can obtain this document in 

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

print, audiotape, or computer diskette) 

on request by contacting the Grants and 

Contracts Services Team, U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Avenue, SW., Room 5075, PCP, 

Washington, DC 20202–2550. 

Telephone: (202) 245–7363. If you use a 

TDD, call the FRS, toll-free, at 1–800– 

877–8339. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

You can view this document, as well as 

all other documents of this Department 

published in the Federal Register, in 

text or Adobe Portable Document 

Format (PDF) on the Internet at the 

following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/ 

fedregister. To use PDF you must have 

Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 

available free at this site. 

Note: The official version of this document 

is the document published in the Federal 

Register. Free Internet access to the official 

edition of the Federal Register and the Code 

of Federal Regulations is available on GPO 

Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/ 

index.html. 

Dated: May 11, 2010. 

Alexa Posny, 

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services. 

[FR Doc. 2010–11616 Filed 5–13–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 


emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES