4148 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 17 / Tuesday, January 27, 1998 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

National Institute on Disability and

Rehabilitation Research; Notice of

Proposed Funding Priority for Fiscal

Years 1998–1999 for a Rehabilitation

Engineering Research Center

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of Proposed Funding

Priority for Fiscal Years 1998–1999 for

a Rehabilitation Engineering Research

Center.

SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes a

funding priority for a Rehabilitation

Engineering Research Center (RERC)

under the National Institute on

Disability and Rehabilitation Research

(NIDRR) for fiscal years 1998–1999. The

Secretary takes this action to focus

research attention on problems that are

significant to disabled persons and to

the research community. This priority is

intended to improve rehabilitation

services and outcomes for individuals

with disabilities.

DATES: Comments must be received on

or before February 26, 1998.

ADDRESSES: All comments concerning

this proposed priority should be

addressed to Donna Nangle, U.S.

Department of Education, 600 Maryland

Avenue, SW., room 3418, Switzer

Building, Washington, DC 20202–2645.

Comments may also be sent through the

Internet: comments@ed.gov.

You must include the term

‘‘Engineering Research Centers’’ in the

electronic message.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Donna Nangle. Telephone: (202) 205–

5880. Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TDD) may call the TDD number at (202)

205–2742. Internet:

DonnalNangle@ed.gov.

Individuals with disabilities may

obtain this document in an alternate

format (e.g., Braille, large print,

audiotape, or computer diskette) on

request to the contact person listed in

the preceding paragraph.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This

notice contains a proposed priority

under the Disability and Rehabilitation

Research Projects and Centers program

for an RERC focused on the

development of rehabilitation

technology devices, particularly lowcost prosthetic and orthotic devices, to

meet the rehabilitation needs of land

mine survivors.

The authority for RERCs is contained

in section 204(b)(3) of the Rehabilitation

Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C.

762(b)(3)). Under this program the

Secretary makes awards to public and

private agencies and organizations,

including institutions of higher

education, Indian tribes, and tribal

organizations, to conduct research,

demonstration, and training activities

regarding rehabilitation technology in

order to enhance opportunities for

meeting the needs of, and addressing

the barriers confronted by, individuals

with disabilities in all aspects of their

lives. An RERC must be operated by or

in collaboration with an institution of

higher education or a nonprofit

organization. NIDRR is authorized,

under Section 204(b)(6) of the

Rehabilitation Act, to provide support

for a program of international

rehabilitation research, demonstration,

and training.

The authority for the Secretary to

establish research priorities by reserving

funds to support particular research

activities is contained in sections 202(g)

and 204 of the Rehabilitation Act of

1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 761a(g)

and 762).

The Secretary will announce the final

priority in a notice in the Federal

Register. The final priority will be

determined by responses to this notice,

available funds, and other

considerations of the Department.

Funding of a particular project depends

on the final priority, the availability of

funds, and the quality of the

applications received. The publication

of this proposed priority does not

preclude the Secretary from proposing

additional priorities, nor does it limit

the Secretary to funding only this

priority, subject to meeting applicable

rulemaking requirements.

Note: This notice of proposed priority does

not solicit applications. A notice inviting

applications under this competition will be

published in the Federal Register concurrent

with or following the notice of final priority.

Description of the Rehabilitation

Engineering Research Center Program

RERCs carry out research or

demonstration activities by:

(a) Developing and disseminating

innovative methods of applying

advanced technology, scientific

achievement, and psychological and

social knowledge to (1) solve

rehabilitation problems and remove

environmental barriers, and (2) study

new or emerging technologies, products,

or environments;

(b) Demonstrating and disseminating

(1) innovative models for the delivery of

cost-effective rehabilitation technology

services to rural and urban areas, and (2)

other scientific research to assist in

meeting the employment and

independent living needs of individuals

with severe disabilities; or

(c) Facilitating service delivery

systems change through (1) the

development, evaluation, and

dissemination of consumer-responsive

and individual and family centered

innovative models for the delivery to

both rural and urban areas of innovative

cost-effective rehabilitation technology

services, and (2) other scientific

research to assist in meeting the

employment and independent living

needs of individuals with severe

disabilities.

Each RERC must provide training

opportunities to individuals, including

individuals with disabilities, to become

researchers of rehabilitation technology

and practitioners of rehabilitation

technology in conjunction with

institutions of higher education and

nonprofit organization.

Priority

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), the

Secretary proposes to give an absolute

preference to applications that meet the

following priority. The Secretary

proposes to fund under this competition

only applications that meet this absolute

priority.

Proposed Priority: Improved Technology

Access for Land Mine Survivors

Background

In the House Report accompanying

the appropriations for the Department of

Education:

The Committee has included up to

$850,000 * * * for NIDRR to establish,

through a competitive award, a rehabilitation

engineering research center dealing with the

unique needs of land mine survivors. The

center is to operate in cooperation with an

institution of higher education involved in

both rehabilitation medicine and engineering

research, training and service and is to focus

on the unique rehabilitation needs of the

victims of land mine injuries. Specifically,

the center is to focus on the development of

inexpensive replacement limbs; the

development and dissemination of

educational materials on prosthetics, and

other appropriate prosthetic, orthotic, or

assistive technology devices; and the training

of health care providers in effective methods

of assistance to this population.

In response to this report language,

the Secretary is proposing the following

priority. Both the Congress and NIDRR

are aware of the historic significance of

periods of international conflict in

stimulating the science of rehabilitation

to develop solutions to the impairments

caused by sustained large-scale

violence. Most recently, survivors of

landmine injuries in dozens of nations

in Latin America, Europe, Africa, and

Asia are in need of innovative solutions

to address the loss of limbs and other
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 17 / Tuesday, January 27, 1998 / Notices 4149

conditions such as sensory

impairments, communication

impairments, burns, and other

conditions caused by anti-personnel

land mines. The Secretary is

particularly interested in receiving

comments about the feasibility of

addressing, to some extent, land mine

injuries that do not involve missing

limbs, such as vision, hearing, and other

types of impairments within the scope

of this RERC.

Because most of those with unmet

needs are located in countries that are

either not industrialized, lack

infrastructures for rehabilitative

services, or lack economic resources, the

approaches to meeting these needs must

be tailored to their particular

circumstances. Solutions, which will

focus on, but not be limited to, limb

replacement, must be suitable for the

available materials, resources, and

expertise in the relevant countries, and

must also concentrate on building

capacity in those nations for design and

fitting, manufacture, distribution,

maintenance, and provision of supports

and services. This RERC will have broad

scope in the development of devices

through scientific methods, training of

indigenous scientists, service providers,

and advocates, and transferring

technology to the local economies.

There are many national and

international organizations that play a

role in addressing the problems of

landmine survivors and the Center

should involve relevant organizations in

appropriate roles in Center operations.

Included in this group are organizations

of survivors themselves; these consumer

organizations are important targets of

education, information, and training,

particularly in the areas of self-help,

maintenance of devices, and the need

for accommodations, supports, and

follow-up care. Because so many of the

victims of land mines are children,

special attention must be directed

toward the special needs of children

who are growing and developing, and

for whom most prostheses or orthoses

therefore will have a limited period of

utility. The Center may opt to address

these problems through technological

solutions where feasible, or through

partnerships that will provide ongoing

care and support.

The work of this RERC will have

implications for the United States

population as well. There is a

continuing need for new and different

types of prostheses and orthoses in the

United States and other developed

nations, with special need for prosthetic

and orthotic devices and other

rehabilitation technology that is suitable

for different climates, low-cost, and

appropriate in various cultures. New

conditions of health care delivery

portend limited resources for

rehabilitation technologies and services

and durable medical equipment; thus

there will be a greater emphasis on

durability, endurance, cost containment,

and ease of maintenance. This Center’s

activities will contribute to advancing

science, broadening knowledge of

materials and methods, and increasing

our understanding of and sensitivity to

cultural and economic concerns in

provision of these rehabilitation

technologies.

Priority

The Secretary proposes to establish an

RERC to address the unique

rehabilitation needs of land mine

survivors through developing and

testing appropriate innovative

replacement limbs (particularly low-cost

limbs suitable for developing

economies), and other prosthetic and

orthotic devices; training indigenous

technicians, manufacturers, and health

care providers in the fabrication and

fitting of appropriate devices; and

educating land mine survivors and their

families.

In carrying out the general purposes

of this priority, the RERC shall:

1. Develop a sound scientific process

for evaluating the suitability of existing

devices, assessing user needs,

developing new and innovative designs,

and testing inexpensive replacement

limbs, prototypes of prostheses,

orthoses, and other appropriate

rehabilitation technology devices.

2. Identify and evaluate existing

technologies and systems used for limb

replacement and related rehabilitation

technology in various nations where

there are extensive land mine injuries.

3. Demonstrate the suitability of

proposed devices in terms of costeffectiveness and appropriateness to the

indigenous economies, including

available materials, work force

capabilities, and infrastructure capacity

for timely production and delivery of

devices.

4. Identify the needs of land mine

survivors for other types of

rehabilitation technologies which may

include but need not be limited to

vision, hearing and speech aids, and

wheelchairs.

5. Develop and maintain a database to

track and correlate consumer needs and

characteristics, device specification and

performance, and outcomes and

conduct a definitive evaluation of the

products and procedures.

In addition to its research functions,

the RERC must:

• Address the needs of land mine

survivors of all ages, with particular

attention to systems for meeting the

changing needs of growing children.

• Conduct, in the third year of the

award, a state-of-the-science conference

and provide NIDRR with a report on this

conference by the end of the fourth year.

• Conduct training of health care

providers in affected nations in effective

methods of providing rehabilitative

assistance to this population.

• Collaborate with key international

organizations and Government agencies

in the affected nations, with consumer

organizations of land mine survivors,

and with rehabilitation researchers and

service providers, and other Federal

agencies including the Department of

Defense, Agency for International

Development, Centers for Disease

Control, and the Department of

Veterans’ Affairs.

Electronic Access to This Document:

Anyone may view this document, as

well as all other Department of

Education documents published in the

Federal Register, in text or portable

document format (pdf) on the World

Wide Web at either of the following

sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm

http://www.ed.gov/news.html

To use the pdf you must have the Adobe

Acrobat Reader Program with Search,

which is available free at either of the

preceding sites. If you have questions

about using the pdf, call the U.S.

Government Printing Office toll free at

1–888–293–6498.

Anyone may also view these

documents in text copy only on an

electronic bulletin board of the

Department. Telephone: (202) 219–1511

or, toll free, 1–800–222–4922. The

documents are located under Option

G—Files/Announcements, Bulletins and

Press Releases.

Note: The official version of this document

is the document published in the Federal

Register.

Invitation to Comment

Interested persons are invited to

submit comments and recommendations

regarding these proposed priorities. All

comments submitted in response to this

notice will be available for public

inspection, during and after the

comment period, in Room 3424, Switzer

Building, 330 C Street S.W.,

Washington, D.C., between the hours of

9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday

through Friday of each week except

Federal holidays.

Applicable Program Regulations: 34

CFR parts 350 and 353.

Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 760–762.
4150 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 17 / Tuesday, January 27, 1998 / Notices

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Number 84.133E, Rehabilitation Engineering

Research Centers)

Dated: January 22, 1998.

Judith E. Heumann,

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and

Rehabilitative Services.

[FR Doc. 98–1936 Filed 1–26–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P