2564 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 10 / Thursday, January 15, 2009 / Notices 

[FR Doc. E9–712 Filed 1–14–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–C 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

National Institute on Disability and 

Rehabilitation Research—Notice of 

Proposed Long-Range Plan for Fiscal 

Years 2010–2014 

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services, Department of 

Education. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed long-range 

plan for fiscal years 2010–2014. 

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 2010 through 

2014. Pursuant to section 202(h)(1) of 

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 March 16, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: Address all comments about 

the proposed Plan to Donna Nangle, 

U.S. Department of Education, 400 

Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 6029, 

Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 

20202–2700. If you prefer to send your 

comments through the Internet, use the 

following address: NIDRRMailbox@ed.gov. 

You must include the term ‘‘LongRange Plan’’ in the subject line of your 

electronic message. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Donna Nangle. Telephone: (202) 245– 

7462 or by e-mail: 

donna.nangle@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: 

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. 

During and after the comment period, 

you may inspect all public comments 

about the proposed Plan on our Web 

site, at: http://www.ed.gov/about/ 

offices/list/osers/nidrr/policy.html. 

Assistance to Individuals With 

Disabilities in Reviewing the 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 proposed 

Plan. 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; consumer goals 

(as documented, for example, in public 

input on preparation of this Plan 

received via e-mail, the Web, and in a 

national teleconference in response to a 

notice published in the Federal Register 

and an e-mail solicitation inviting 

comment on the Plan); and scientific 

advances documented through state of 

the science conferences and literature. 

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 

operationalize 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 computer diskette) 

on request to the contact person listed 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. 

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. If you have questions about 

using PDF, call the U.S. Government 

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

888–293–6498; or in the Washington, 

DC, area at (202) 512–1530. 

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: January 9, 2009. 

Tracy R. Justesen, 

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services. 

National Institute on Disability and 

Rehabilitation Research: Long-Range 

Plan (Plan) for Fiscal Years (FYs) 2010– 

2014 

I. Introduction 

NIDRR’s mission is to support 

research and related activities to 

generate new knowledge and promote 

its effective use in order to improve the 

lives of individuals with disabilities and 

their opportunities for full participation 

in society. The Plan presents goals, 

objectives, and strategies for NIDRR 

research investments for FYs 2010 

through 2014 that are aligned with this 

mission and that may be implemented 

through funding priorities. 

Statutory Mandate 

NIDRR was established by the 1978 

amendments to the Rehabilitation Act of 

1973, as amended (Act). As specified in 

section 200 of the Act (29 U.S.C. 760), 

NIDRR’s role is to: (a) Support 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 selfsufficiency of individuals with 

disabilities of all ages; (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; (d) ensure the widespread 

distribution of practical scientific and 

technological information; and (e) 

increase opportunities for researchers 

who are members of minority groups 

and researchers who are individuals 

with disabilities. 

NIDRR implements its statutory 

mandate by supporting research and 

development projects to generate new 

knowledge and products, along with 

supporting knowledge translation and 

capacity building activities. Research 

and development are supported through 

a variety of program mechanisms 

described later in this document. 

Knowledge translation is a process of 

ensuring that new knowledge and 

products gained through research and 

development will ultimately be used to 

improve the lives of individuals with 

disabilities and further their 


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1The World Health Organization, in the ICF, 

defines the term ‘‘activities’’ as ‘‘the execution of a 

task or action by an individual.’’ 

2The term ‘‘participation’’ is defined as 

‘‘involvement in a life situation.’’ 

participation in society. Knowledge 

translation is built upon and sustained 

by ongoing interactions, partnerships, 

and collaborations among various 

stakeholders, including researchers, 

practitioners, policy-makers, persons 

with disabilities, and others, in the 

production and use of such knowledge 

and products. Capacity building refers 

to building the infrastructure and 

increasing individual capability 

necessary to carry out relevant research 

and development. 

NIDRR is administered 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 

(RSA) and the Office of Special 

Education Programs (OSEP). RSA 

administers the State-Federal Vocational 

Rehabilitation program, the American 

Indian Vocational Rehabilitation 

Services program, the Assistive 

Technology State Grants program, 

Independent Living programs, and 

related programs. OSEP administers the 

Individuals with Disabilities Education 

Act (IDEA). 

NIDRR works closely with other 

offices at the U.S. Department of 

Education, both within OSERS and 

throughout the agency. Furthermore, 

NIDRR has developed extensive 

linkages to the broader disability and 

rehabilitation research community 

through the Interagency Committee on 

Disability Research (ICDR), and through 

the development of significant 

partnerships with many Federal 

agencies, research institutions, 

businesses, employers, and consumer 

organizations. 

NIDRR’s Unique Role 

Individuals with disabilities face 

daunting challenges in employment, 

housing, public accommodations and 

services, education, transportation, 

communications, recreation, health 

services, and civic participation. To 

maximize its effectiveness in addressing 

these and other challenges facing 

individuals with disabilities, NIDRR 

focuses on the whole person, whose 

ability to function and whose quality of 

life are dependent on the complex 

interaction of personal, societal, and 

environmental factors. 

NIDRR’s budget represents the largest 

single Federal investment in disability 

and rehabilitation research. Unlike other 

Federal research entities that support 

prevention, treatment, and acute 

rehabilitation research, NIDRR supports 

rehabilitation research that is more 

closely tied to longer term outcomes 

such as independence, community 

participation, and employment. 

NIDRR’s unique role in supporting 

rehabilitation research and development 

activities that are distinct from the 

research supported by other agencies 

also can be understood within the 

context of the World Health 

Organization’s International 

Classification of Functioning, Disability, 

and Health (ICF) (World Health 

Organization, 2001). The ICF is a 

framework for classifying disability and 

health along a continuum from body 

function and structure to activities 1 and 

participation,2 in the context of 

environment and personal factors. The 

ICF is useful to explain NIDRR’s role in 

the context of the overall field of 

Federal disability and rehabilitation 

research. Specifically, NIDRR’s role is to 

support activities that increase the selfdetermination and participation of 

individuals with disabilities in the 

home, community, school, and 

workplace. To fulfill this role, NIDRR 

supports research that explores the 

interaction of individual characteristics 

and environmental factors and their 

effects on the participation of 

individuals with disabilities in these 

settings. NIDRR also supports a wide 

range of rehabilitation engineering 

development activities, many of which 

lead to the manufacture and 

commercialization of products to 

enhance function or enable individuals 

to live and work more independently. 

NIDRR Accomplishments 

Over the span of its 30-year history, 

NIDRR’s efforts in research and 

development, capacity building, and 

knowledge translation have resulted in 

advances in knowledge, changes in 

practice and policy, and the 

manufacturing of products that have 

improved the lives of individuals with 

disabilities and their families. Some of 

NIDRR’s key achievements include 

supporting efforts that led to the 

following: 

• Developing and advancing 

innovative practices in the fields of 

disability and rehabilitation, including 

universal design, identification of new 

types of disabilities, measurement of 

participation in valued life activities, 

identification of the effects of the 

environment on the function of people 

with disabilities, and the treatment and 

documentation of secondary conditions 

for individuals with disabilities. 

• Establishing new standards of 

integrated care for individuals with 

spinal cord injury, traumatic brain 

injury, and burn injury through the 

model systems programs. 

• Developing environmental 

accommodations such as closed 

captioning and accessible computer 

software. 

• Developing assistive technology 

and design features to make everyday 

products accessible to individuals with 

disabilities, including products 

marketed by companies such as AOL, 

Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Black 

& Decker, and Whirlpool. 

• Improving national disability data 

and statistics by supporting analysis of 

major national sources of disability data 

and promoting data collection methods 

that include respondents with 

disabilities. 

• Contributing to improved policies 

for individuals with disabilities in 

healthcare, independent living, 

employment, communications, and 

transportation. 

II. Need for Employment Focus 

Improving employment outcomes for 

individuals with disabilities has been a 

central research focus within NIDRR 

since its formation in 1978, and remains 

a major challenge today. However, there 

is a pressing need for additional 

research to improve access to 

appropriate employment, retention of 

employment, and career advancement 

for individuals with disabilities. 

Research is needed to help identify 

facilitators of employment for 

individuals with disabilities as well as 

ways to overcome barriers to 

employment. 

Employment Status of and Trends for 

Individuals With Disabilities 

Employment is the key to economic 

self-sufficiency. In addition, it facilitates 

social participation, provides personal 

identity, and ultimately contributes to 

satisfaction with life (National Council 

on Disability, 2007). However, the 

employment prospects of the 22.4 

million (U.S. Census Bureau, 2006) 

individuals with disabilities lag behind 

other individuals, regardless of 

disability type and how employment 

status is characterized (see Table). 

The aging of the population will be 

accompanied by an increase in the 

number of individuals with disabilities 

because individuals 45 and older 

experience a higher rate of disabilities 

than do younger individuals (Field and 

Jette, 2007, p. 17). Many of these 

individuals will continue to work past 

the age of 65. 


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The changes described in the 

preceding paragraph and other 

demographic trends toward increases in 

disability may result in a substantial 

increase in the number of individuals 

with disabilities in the workforce. Even 

if the current prevalence of disability by 

age group does not increase over the 

next several decades, the proportion of 

the population with disabilities can be 

expected to rise from approximately 15 

percent to nearly 20 percent as the 

population ages (American Community 

Survey, 2006). 

Working age group Employment 

rate 3

Non-disabled individuals .................................................................................................................................................................. 78.1 

Disabled individuals: 

Hispanics .................................................................................................................................................................................. 39.0 

All individuals with disabilities .................................................................................................................................................. 37.8 

Pacific Islanders ....................................................................................................................................................................... 37.4 

American Indians and Alaska Natives ..................................................................................................................................... 32.4 

African Americans .................................................................................................................................................................... 29.6 

3These employment rates are based on U.S. Census Bureau (2006) calculations using the 2006 American Community Survey via the Census 

Bureau’s DataFerret System. 

The characteristics of individuals 

with disabilities seeking assistance to 

perform major life activities are 

changing as well. Many veterans of ongoing conflicts between the United 

States and other countries are returning 

with disabilities. For example, from the 

beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 

March 2003 through April 2008, 29,978 

personnel have been wounded, and 

according to the Rand Corporation, 

approximately 40 percent of returning 

veterans sustained mild traumatic brain 

injury or post-traumatic stress disorder. 

Enabling these veterans to reenter the 

workforce has become an important 

issue for them and for the United States. 

Among the working-age population 

with disabilities, U.S. Census data show 

that a large segment of this cohort is 

made up of individuals with long-term 

disabilities acquired at birth through 

early adulthood. Evidence from 

empirical studies funded by NIDRR 

indicates that many members of this 

cohort are at risk for new conditions and 

impairments that undermine their 

participation in valued life activities, 

and result in premature aging and 

premature retirement from the labor 

force compared to their non-disabled 

counterparts. 

Improvements in health and function 

and community living are critical 

antecedents to improved employment 

for individuals with disabilities. New 

knowledge that prepares individuals 

with disabilities to work, maintain 

employment, and progress in a career 

can also benefit individuals who choose 

not to work or who are unable to work, 

to the extent that those individuals may 

wish to otherwise participate in their 

community. For example, a manual 

wheelchair user must be able to 

maintain good arm function to maintain 

mobility that may be needed for 

employment. However, improving arm 

function and mobility will assist the 

individual in other areas as well, 

including independent living and 

community participation. 

The data and trends discussed above 

suggest just a few of the areas that need 

to be investigated to develop policy and 

practice recommendations to improve 

employment and economic security for 

individuals with disabilities. NIDRR has 

responded to this need by making the 

improvement of employment outcomes 

the focus of its long-range plan for FYs 

2010–2014. 

III. Strategic Focus 

Focus of FYs 2010–2014 Long-Range 

Plan 

To address the well-documented 

disparity in rates of employment for 

individuals with—as compared to 

individuals without—disabilities, 

NIDRR intends to invest in research and 

development to directly study 

workplace and workforce issues, other 

research activities that address health 

and function, rehabilitation, and 

technology barriers, which also affect 

participation and employment, and 

research to enhance the transition of 

students to postsecondary education 

and employment. 

NIDRR proposes to use the goals, 

objectives, and strategies described in 

the following section to guide the 

development of grant priorities in the 

coming years. Focusing the Plan on 

employment and employment outcomes 

will not prevent NIDRR from continuing 

the work it is currently funding. NIDRR 

will maintain the broad array of 

mandated programs it currently 

supports (e.g., the rehabilitation 

engineering research centers and the 

spinal cord injury model systems 

program) and, where possible, will 

establish a link between each new 

priority it funds through these programs 

and employment outcomes. For 

example, NIDRR might propose a 

priority for research to test interventions 

that reduce secondary conditions that 

have an impact on work attendance. By 

focusing on employment outcomes, 

NIDRR will address a critical area 

needed to improve the lives of 

individuals with disabilities and 

advance the work of RSA. 

As in its previous Plan, NIDRR’s three 

goals, discussed in the following 

section, focus on research and 

development, knowledge translation, 

and capacity building. NIDRR’s 

conceptualization of the units of 

analysis for employment research has 

three levels—individual, employer, and 

systems. ICF makes a distinction 

between functioning and disability, on 

one hand, and environmental factors, on 

the other (World Health Organization, 

2001). The individual level unit of 

analysis falls within the functioning and 

disability component. The employer 

and systems levels are two major 

aspects of the ICF’s environmental 

factors. The employer level includes all 

environmental factors related to the 

workplace. The systems level includes 

all other environments outside the 

workplace, as well as policies 

influencing employment practices. 

Goals 

Research and Development 

Advance knowledge related to 

disability and rehabilitation through 

research and development, with 

particular emphasis on improving 

employment and participation outcomes 

for individuals with disabilities. 

Objective 1.1: Increase knowledge of 

the educational, training, and 

socioeconomic factors that serve as 

facilitators of or barriers to improved 

employment outcomes for individuals 

with disabilities by supporting research 

and development on: 

Strategy 1.1.1: Improving job 

preparedness and skills, including 


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identification of the individual 

determinants of labor market success 

and the training and services needed to 

achieve success. 

Strategy 1.1.2: Improving the hiring, 

retention, and promotion practices of 

employers. 

Strategy 1.1.3: Identifying policy and 

systems changes that improve 

vocational training and services, reduce 

work disincentives, and increase 

employment opportunities and 

transitions across the lifecycle. 

Objective 1.2: Increase knowledge of 

the health and function factors that 

serve as facilitators of or barriers to 

improved employment and 

participation outcomes by supporting 

research and development on: 

Strategy 1.2.1: Reducing the 

occurrence of secondary disabling 

conditions, enhancing health and 

functional status, eliminating health 

disparities, and promoting wellness. 

Strategy 1.2.2: Enhancing 

understanding of the health and 

wellness needs of employees with 

disabilities, and improving the quality 

and availability of health benefits, 

workplace supports, and disability 

management programs. 

Strategy 1.2.3: Identifying policy and 

systems changes that improve access to 

health insurance and appropriate 

healthcare services, eliminating 

healthcare disparities, and increasing 

the availability and quality of health 

and wellness programs. 

Objective 1.3: Increase understanding 

of environmental and community level 

factors that serve as facilitators of or 

barriers to improved employment and 

participation outcomes by supporting 

research and development on: 

Strategy 1.3.1: Promoting selfdetermination and participation in 

social roles, reducing social isolation, 

enhance communication skills, and 

increasing independence and 

community living for individuals with 

disabilities. 

Strategy 1.3.2: Identifying policy and 

systems changes that enhance selfdetermination and choice, support 

family caregiving and personal 

assistance services, and increase the 

availability of home and communitybased services and supports that 

promote independence, safety and 

security, and community living. 

Objective 1.4: Increase understanding 

of the assistive technology and 

environmental factors that serve as 

facilitators of or barriers to improved 

employment and participation outcomes 

by supporting research and 

development on: 

Strategy 1.4.1: Increasing the use of 

assistive technologies that promote 

health and function, support selfdetermination and independence, 

enhance communication, reduce social 

isolation, and increase participation in 

the home, community, and workplace. 

Strategy 1.4.2: Improving the 

availability, reducing the costs, and 

increasing the quality of workplace 

productivity enhancements, 

accommodations, and supports. 

Strategy 1.4.3: Identifying policy and 

systems changes to increase the 

availability and affordability of assistive 

technologies and environmental 

adaptations that reduce barriers to 

employment, promote safety and 

security, and improve access to 

information technologies and 

opportunities for participation and 

community living. 

Goal 2: Knowledge Translation 

Increase the use of knowledge derived 

from NIDRR-funded research and 

development. 

Objective 2.1: Increase understanding 

of models, methods, and strategies for 

knowledge translation in different 

settings and user groups. 

Strategy 2.1.1: Advance 

understanding of barriers to and 

facilitators of knowledge translation. 

Strategy 2.1.2: Investigate 

mechanisms for successful knowledge 

translation. 

Strategy 2.1.3: Explore existing 

models, methods, and strategies from 

other fields that can be used to promote 

knowledge translation. 

Objective 2.2: Optimize the scientific 

quality and relevance of knowledge 

derived from NIDRR-funded research 

and development projects. 

Strategy 2.2.1: Include requirements 

in priorities that grantees optimize the 

relevance of knowledge for the intended 

users. 

Strategy 2.2.2: Encourage the use of 

research designs and innovative 

methods that contribute to both 

scientific quality and relevance. 

Objective 2.3: Increase the use of 

models, methods, and strategies for 

knowledge translation. 

Strategy 2.3.1: Develop a knowledge 

translation model that sets forth 

NIDRR’s desired knowledge translation 

outcomes, outputs, and measures with 

input and feedback from stakeholders. 

Strategy 2.3.2: Promote the 

dissemination of knowledge generated 

through research and development by 

communicating in understandable 

language and formats that are accessible 

to all stakeholders, including policy 

makers. 

Strategy 2.3.3: Optimize 

implementation of knowledge 

translation models, methods, and 

strategies by NIDRR grantees through 

effective professional development 

activities. 

Goal 3: Capacity Building 

Increase the capacity of institutions 

and individuals, particularly 

individuals with disabilities, to conduct 

high-quality disability and 

rehabilitation research and 

development. 

Objective 3.1: Increase the capacity of 

institutions to conduct rigorous, 

scientifically based disability and 

rehabilitation research and 

development. 

Strategy 3.1.1: Enhance the capacity 

of minority entities and Indian tribes to 

train disability researchers and to 

conduct high-quality disability and 

rehabilitation research and 

development. 

Strategy 3.1.2: Encourage institutions 

involved in employment-related 

research to conduct research on 

employment of individuals with 

disabilities. 

Strategy 3.1.3: Encourage institutions 

involved in disability research to focus 

on employment outcomes. 

Strategy 3.1.4: Encourage institutions 

involved in disability research to focus 

on policy and systems issues that affect 

the participation and employment of 

individuals with disabilities. 

Objective 3.2: Increase the number 

and capacity of individuals who 

conduct rigorous disability and 

rehabilitation research and 

development. 

Strategy 3.2.1: Increase the 

participation of individuals with 

disabilities as researchers in NIDRR 

research and development. 

Strategy 3.2.2: Enhance the ability of 

current researchers to conduct highquality NIDRR research and 

development. 

IV. Managing for Results 

NIDRR Guiding Principles 

In the pursuit of new knowledge to 

improve the lives and employment 

outcomes of individuals with 

disabilities, NIDRR will operate 

according to the following principles. 

These principles are essential to good 

stewardship of the public funds 

entrusted to NIDRR and to the provision 

of the maximum benefit to its primary 

stakeholders, individuals with 

disabilities. 

• Relevance. NIDRR’s research and 

development programs will respond to 

the needs of individuals with 

disabilities from diverse backgrounds 

and from underserved populations such 

as tribal nations, the needs of society, 


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the state of scientific knowledge and 

technological development, and the U.S. 

Department of Education’s priorities in 

order to enable individuals with 

disabilities and their families across the 

lifespan to make informed choices. 

• Quality. NIDRR will fund rigorous 

scientifically based research and 

development that uses appropriate 

methods, and will evaluate the results of 

these projects through an independent 

peer review process. 

• Multidisciplinary. NIDRR will 

encourage collaborative 

multidisciplinary research and 

development, representing a broad array 

of relevant fields to strengthen the 

capacity to solve problems in a creative, 

collaborative, and rigorous manner. 

• Partnership. NIDRR will 

accomplish its mission in partnership 

with its constituents, including, but not 

limited to, academics, practitioners, 

individuals with disabilities, families, 

industry, other Federal agencies, 

professional communities, disability 

organizations, and advocates. 

Management Strategy 

Managing NIDRR research programs 

and projects involves many aspects: 

• Provision of a results-oriented 

planning environment; 

• Development of grant priorities; 

• Selection of the most appropriate 

funding mechanisms from those 

available to NIDRR; 

• Adherence to sound management 

principles; 

• Commitment to an independent and 

effective peer review process; 

• Project monitoring and evaluation; 

and 

• Interagency research collaboration. 

At its core, managing for results is a 

philosophy and practice that depends 

upon the availability of accurate data. 

NIDRR remains committed to improving 

its collection, analysis, evaluation, and 

presentation of data provided by its 

grantees and contractors. 

Program Mechanisms 

NIDRR has nine primary grant 

mechanisms for awarding funds: 

Rehabilitation Engineering Research 

Centers (RERCs) conduct programs of 

advanced engineering and technical 

research designed to apply technology, 

scientific achievement, and 

psychological and social knowledge to 

solve rehabilitation problems and 

remove environmental barriers. RERCs 

are affiliated with institutions of higher 

education or non-profit organizations. 

Rehabilitation Research and Training 

Centers (RRTCs) conduct coordinated 

and integrated advanced research to 

alleviate or stabilize disabling 

conditions, promote maximum social 

and economic independence of 

individuals with disabilities, or improve 

rehabilitation methodology or service 

delivery systems. RRTCs operate in 

collaboration with institutions of higher 

education and providers of 

rehabilitation services and serve as 

national centers of excellence in 

rehabilitation research. 

Disability and Rehabilitation 

Research Projects (DRRPs) emphasize 

research and development projects, 

training, and knowledge translation on 

rehabilitation topics. DRRPs also 

provide funding for the model system 

programs for spinal cord injury, 

traumatic brain injury, and burn injury. 

The model systems provide innovative 

systems of comprehensive rehabilitation 

to, and collect longitudinal data from, 

individuals with these injuries. 

Disability Business Technical 

Assistance Centers (DBTACs) are 

funded as DRRPs to provide 

information, technical assistance, and 

training in areas related to disability 

policy through a national network of 

regionally-based centers that provides 

assistance to disability organizations, 

individuals with disabilities, 

businesses, public agencies, and the 

general public, and that will contribute 

to research on topics covered under the 

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. 

Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems 

(SCIMS) are statutorily established to 

support a network of Centers with 

model care of individuals after spinal 

cord injury, carrying out research and 

dissemination activities. NIDRR also 

supports traumatic brain injury and 

burn model systems, but these are 

funded through the DRRP mechanism. 

Field Initiated Projects provide 

funding to address rehabilitation issues 

in promising and innovative ways. As 

the name implies, topics for these 

projects are chosen by the applicants. 

Awards are based upon merit and 

potential impact on the field of 

rehabilitation. 

Advanced Rehabilitation Research 

Training Projects provide funding to 

institutions of higher education to 

recruit qualified post-doctoral 

individuals with clinical, management, 

or basic research experience and 

prepare them to conduct research on 

disability and rehabilitation issues. 

Research Fellowships (known as 

Switzer Fellowships) give individual 

researchers an opportunity to develop 

new ideas and gain research experience. 

Fellows design and work for one year on 

an independent research project. 

Small Business Innovation Research 

(SBIR) grants, as administered by NIDRR 

as a part of the larger mandatory SBIR 

program, help support the production of 

new assistive and rehabilitation 

technology. This two-phase program 

takes a rehabilitation-related product 

from development to market readiness. 

Peer Review Process 

NIDRR funds are awarded 

competitively through a rigorous peer 

review process to ensure the integrity of 

the NIDRR research portfolio. 

Researchers, methodologists, 

rehabilitation engineers, and other 

experts, including individuals with 

disabilities, serve on three-to sevenmember panels. These experts review 

the proposals against the selection 

criteria in the application package for 

the competition; these selection criteria 

include, for example, methodological 

rigor, responsiveness to needs, cost 

effectiveness, plan of evaluation, and 

staff quality. Over the years, 

improvements in this peer review 

process have worked to increase the 

scientific rigor of NIDRR’s research 

portfolio and its responsiveness to the 

needs of the disability and rehabilitation 

community. 

Monitoring and Evaluation 

NIDRR has adopted a project 

monitoring process that involves regular 

contact between project officers and 

principal investigators to ensure that 

activities and staffing are carried out as 

proposed, problems are promptly 

addressed and resolved, and the projects 

remain on track to produce the intended 

outcomes and outputs. 

NIDRR evaluates the outcomes of 

grantee research to judge project 

productivity, economic value, and enduser satisfaction. Measures of success 

vary by goal and topic. However, NIDRR 

continues to enhance its system for 

tracking interventions and measurement 

instruments developed by grantees. 

These tracking data, along with patent 

counts, verify outcomes of research 

conducted by NIDRR grantees. For 

example, systematic reviews or metaanalyses are used to evaluate aggregated 

research outcomes. Bibliographic 

analysis also is used to determine 

NIDRR’s contribution to the knowledge 

base by measuring the extent to which 

NIDRR-supported research articles are 

cited in the peer-reviewed research 

literature. 

These data-driven activities result in 

new NIDRR-sponsored deliverables 

including: an independent and external 

agency evaluation; profiles of different 

funding mechanisms; and products 

displayed in a variety of formats such as 

written materials, exhibits, or electronic 

media (e.g., videoconferences, 

Webinars, or Podcasts). Equipped with 


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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 10 / Thursday, January 15, 2009 / Notices 2569 

these products, stakeholders have a 

better understanding of what NIDRR 

does and what new information and 

products are available. 

V. References 

Carlson, D., & Ehrlich, N. (2005). Assistive 

technology and information technology 

use and need by persons with disabilities 

in the United States, 2001. Washington, 

DC: National Institute on Disability and 

Rehabilitation Research, U.S. 

Department of Education [On-line]. 

Available: http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/ 

research/pubs/at-use/at-use-2001.pdf. 

Erickson, Tammy. (2008). The Project-Based 

Workforce. BusinessWeek. January 31, 

2008. 

Field, M., & Jette, A.M. (Eds.). (2007). The 

future of disability in America. 

Washington, DC: The National 

Academies Press. 

National Council on Disability. (2007). 

Empowerment for Americans with 

disabilities: Breaking barriers to careers 

and full employment. Washington, DC: 

Author. 

National Institute on Disability and 

Rehabilitation Research. (2006). Longrange plan for fiscal years 2005 through 

2009 [On-line]. Available: http:// 

www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/ 

other/2006–1/021506d.pdf. 

Ross, C.E, & Mirowsky, J. (1995). Does 

employment affect health? Journal of 

Health and Social Behavior, 36(3), 230– 

243. 

United States Census Bureau. (2006). 

Calculations using the 2006 American 

Community Survey via the Census 

Bureau’s DataFerret System. American 

Community Survey. Available: http:// 

www.census.gov/hhes/www/disability/ 

2006acs.html. 

World Health Organization. (2001). ICF: 

International classification of 

functioning, disability and health. 

Geneva: Author. 

[FR Doc. E9–741 Filed 1–14–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Office of Innovation and Improvement; 

Overview Information: State Charter 

School Facilities Incentive Grants 

Program; Notice Inviting Applications 

for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 

2009 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.282D. 

DATES: Applications Available: 

January 15, 2009. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: July 1, 2009. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: August 31, 2009. 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: This program 

provides grants to eligible States to help 

them establish or enhance, and 

administer, per-pupil facilities aid 

programs for charter schools. States 

eligible for these grants are those with 

per-pupil aid programs that assist 

charter schools with their school facility 

costs. 

Priorities: In accordance with 34 CFR 

75.105(b)(2)(ii), these priorities are from 

the regulations for this program (34 CFR 

226.13 and 226.14). 

Competitive Preference Priorities: For 

FY 2009 and any subsequent year in 

which we make awards from the list of 

unfunded applicants from this 

competition, these priorities are 

competitive preference priorities. Under 

34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award up to 

an additional 40 points to an 

application, depending on how well the 

application meets these priorities. 

These priorities are: 

Competitive Preference Priority 1. The 

Secretary will award up to 20 points to 

an application under competitive 

preference priority 1. The applicant 

must meet all of the following 

requirements ((a) through (d)) in order 

to receive the full 20 points. The 

requirements are: 

(a) Periodic Review and Evaluation. 

The State provides for periodic review 

and evaluation by the authorized public 

chartering agency of each charter school 

at least once every five years unless 

required more frequently by State law, 

to determine whether the charter school 

is meeting the terms of the school’s 

charter and is meeting or exceeding the 

student academic performance 

requirements and goals for charter 

schools as set forth under State law or 

the school’s charter. 

(b) Number of High-Quality Charter 

Schools. 

The State has demonstrated progress 

in increasing the number of high-quality 

charter schools that are held 

accountable in the terms of the schools’ 

charters for meeting clear and 

measurable objectives for the 

educational progress of the students 

attending the schools, in the period 

prior to the period for which the State 

applies for a grant under this 

competition. 

(c) One Authorized Public Chartering 

Agency Other than an LEA, or an 

Appeals Process. 

The State— 

(1) Provides for one authorized public 

chartering agency that is not a local 

educational agency (LEA), such as a 

State chartering board, for each 

individual or entity seeking to operate a 

charter school pursuant to State law; or 

(2) In the case of a State in which 

LEAs are the only authorized public 

chartering agencies, allows for an 

appeals process for the denial of an 

application for a charter school. 

(d) High Degree of Autonomy. 

The State ensures that each charter 

school has a high degree of autonomy 

over the charter school’s budgets and 

expenditures. 

Competitive Preference Priority 2. The 

Secretary may award up to 10 points to 

an application under a competitive 

preference priority regarding the 

capacity of charter schools to offer 

public school choice in those 

communities with the greatest need for 

this choice based on— 

(1) The extent to which the applicant 

would target services to geographic 

areas in which a large proportion or 

number of public schools have been 

identified for improvement, corrective 

action, or restructuring under title I of 

the Elementary and Secondary 

Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as 

amended by the No Child Left Behind 

Act of 2001 (NCLB), 20 U.S.C. 7221a(e); 

(2) The extent to which the applicant 

would target services to geographic 

areas in which a large proportion of 

students perform poorly on State 

academic assessments; and 

(3) The extent to which the applicant 

would target services to communities 

with large proportions of low-income 

students. 

Competitive Preference Priority 3. The 

Secretary may award up to 10 points to 

an application under a competitive 

preference priority for applicants that 

have not previously received a grant 

under the program. 

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7221d(b). 

Applicable Regulations: (a) The 

Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 

34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 

84, 85, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The 

regulations for this program in 34 CFR 

part 226. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 

apply to all applicants except federally 

recognized Indian tribes. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Discretionary grants. 

Estimated Available Funds: The 

Administration has requested 

$14,782,000 for new awards for this 

program for FY 2009. The actual level 

of funding, if any, depends on final 

congressional action. However, we are 

inviting applications to allow enough 

time to complete the grant process 

before the end of the current fiscal year, 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES