[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 10 (Thursday, January 15, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2564-2569]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-741]


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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.

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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: 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3a74737e686817775b53565855427a5f5e145d554c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="551b1c1107077818343c39373a2d1530317b323a23">[email protected]</span></a>.
    You must include the term ``Long-Range Plan'' in the subject line 
of your electronic message.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donna Nangle. Telephone: (202) 245-
7462 or by e-mail: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c7a3a8a9a9a6e9a9a6a9a0aba287a2a3e9a0a8b1"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="abcfc4c5c5ca85c5cac5ccc7ceebcecf85ccc4dd">[email protected]</span></a>.
    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 self-
sufficiency 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

[[Page 2565]]

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 self-
determination 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.
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    \1\ The World Health Organization, in the ICF, defines the term 
``activities'' as ``the execution of a task or action by an 
individual.''
    \2\ The term ``participation'' is defined as ``involvement in a 
life situation.''
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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:
    <bullet> 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.
    <bullet> Establishing new standards of integrated care for 
individuals with spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, and burn 
injury through the model systems programs.
    <bullet> Developing environmental accommodations such as closed 
captioning and accessible computer software.
    <bullet> 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.
    <bullet> 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.
    <bullet> 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.

[[Page 2566]]

    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).

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                         Employment rate
                   Working age group                           \3\
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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
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\3\ These 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 on-going 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

[[Page 2567]]

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 self-determination 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 
self-determination and choice, support family caregiving and personal 
assistance services, and increase the availability of home and 
community-based 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 self-determination 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 high-quality 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.
    <bullet> 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,

[[Page 2568]]

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.
    <bullet> 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.
    <bullet> 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.
    <bullet> 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:
    <bullet> Provision of a results-oriented planning environment;
    <bullet> Development of grant priorities;
    <bullet> Selection of the most appropriate funding mechanisms from 
those available to NIDRR;
    <bullet> Adherence to sound management principles;
    <bullet> Commitment to an independent and effective peer review 
process;
    <bullet> Project monitoring and evaluation; and
    <bullet> 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 
seven-member 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 end-user 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 meta-analyses 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

[[Page 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). Long-range plan for fiscal years 2005 through 2009 [On-
line]. Available: http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/other/2006-1/021506d.pdf.
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[FR Doc. E9-741 Filed 1-14-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P


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