51234 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 166 / Monday, August 29, 2005 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

National Institute on Disability and 

Rehabilitation Research—Disability 

and Rehabilitation Research Projects 

and Centers Program—Disability and 

Rehabilitation Research Projects 

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services, Department of 

Education. 

ACTION: Notice of final priority. 

SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for 

Special Education and Rehabilitative 

Services announces a priority for the 

National Institute on Disability and 

Rehabilitation Research’s (NIDRR) 

Disability and Rehabilitation Research 

Projects and Centers Program, Disability 

and Rehabilitation Research Projects 

(DRRP). This priority may be used for 

competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2006 

and later years. We take this action to 

focus research attention on areas of 

national need. We intend this priority to 

improve rehabilitation services and 

outcomes for individuals with 

disabilities. 

EFFECTIVE DATE: This priority is effective 

September 28, 2005. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Lynn Medley, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

room 6027, Potomac Center Plaza, 

Washington, DC 20202–2700. 

Telephone: (202) 245–7338 or by e-mail: 

lynn.medley@ed.gov. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD), you may call 

the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1– 

800–877–8339. 

Individuals with disabilities may 

obtain this document in an alternative 

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

audiotape, or computer diskette) on 

request to the contact person listed 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Disability and Rehabilitation Research 

Projects (DRRP) Program 

The purpose of the DRRP program is 

to plan and conduct research, 

demonstration projects, training, and 

related activities that help to maximize 

the full inclusion and integration of 

individuals with disabilities into society 

and to improve the effectiveness of 

services authorized under the 

Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended 

(Act). An applicant for assistance under 

this program must demonstrate in its 

application how it will address, in 

whole or in part, the needs of 

individuals with disabilities from 

minority backgrounds (34 CFR 

350.40(a)). The approaches an applicant 

may take to meet this requirement are 

found in 34 CFR 350.40(b). Additional 

information on the DRRP program can 

be found at: http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/ 

research/pubs/res-program.html#DRRP. 

We published a notice of proposed 

priority (NPP) for this program in the 

Federal Register on April 6, 2005 (70 FR 

17426). We discussed our rationale and 

the background for proposing this 

priority in the NPP. 

Analysis of Comments and Changes 

In response to our invitation in the 

NPP, we received two comments. An 

analysis of the comments and of any 

changes in the priority since publication 

of the NPP follows. Generally, we do not 

address technical and other minor 

changes and suggested changes we are 

not authorized to make under the 

applicable statutory authority. 

Comment: One commenter asked 

NIDRR to emphasize intervention 

research that investigates the benefits of 

specific workplace strategies that 

improve the employment outcomes of 

people with disabilities. 

Discussion: NIDRR agrees that 

intervention research is important and 

is currently sponsoring employment 

Rehabilitation Research and Training 

Centers that include intervention 

studies and the investigation of the 

benefits of specific workplace strategies 

to improve the employment outcomes of 

people with disabilities. NIDRR does 

not believe that the current language in 

the priority prohibits applicants from 

conducting intervention studies. 

However, the research must focus on the 

demand-side perspective. 

Change: None. 

Comment: One commenter asked 

NIDRR to encourage applicants to create 

a plan for how their research will reach 

critical stakeholders, including 

employers. 

Discussion: NIDRR agrees with the 

importance of reaching critical 

stakeholders, and is revising the priority 

to include a requirement for the grantee 

to have a plan for knowledge translation 

and dissemination. In addition, NIDRR 

plans to support separate projects that 

focus specifically on effective 

knowledge translation and 

dissemination strategies. These projects 

will work with other NIDRR grantees, 

including this one, to help improve 

outreach activities. 

Change: We have revised the text of 

the priority to require that the studies 

conducted include an effective plan for 

knowledge translation and 

dissemination. 

Comment: One commenter stated that 

the type of research proposed in the 

notice of proposed priority, and 

particularly research that includes 

employers as research subjects, is 

resource intensive and asked NIDRR to 

consider allowing applicants to address 

only three of the four required activities. 

Discussion: This priority seeks to 

improve our understanding of demandside issues from a variety of 

perspectives. There are significantly 

fewer studies on labor market demandside issues associated with the 

employment of individuals with 

disabilities in comparison to studies on 

the supply-side of the labor market. 

Therefore, each of the four issues 

identified in the priority is critical to 

comprehensively addressing the 

demand-side perspective in the 

employment of individuals with 

disabilities. 

Change: None. 

Comment: One commenter asked 

NIDRR to consider demographic 

pressures and workforce trends as 

important factors in employment of 

people with disabilities. 

Discussion: NIDRR agrees that 

demographic pressures and workforce 

trends are important factors for 

consideration in employment research. 

The priority allows applicants the 

discretion to propose studies that 

include relevant factors as they relate to 

the priority. 

Change: None. 

Comment: One commenter’s response 

was directed to the listing of eight 

critical issues and concerns identified in 

the background of the priority, 

particularly items one through three: 

Changing structure of the workforce and 

the impact of downsizing; increased use 

of on-call workers, temporary help 

agencies, and independent contractors; 

and rapid advances in technology 

requiring the need for highly educated, 

highly skilled workers. The commenter 

characterized these issues as 

macroeconomic concerns and suggested 

that the proposed priority requirements 

dilute the focus of the demand-side 

research. Further, the commenter 

recommended that NIDRR emphasize 

studies focused on local and regional 

factors influencing employment. 

Discussion: The priority allows 

applicants the discretion to propose 

studies examining local and regional 

factors influencing employment, as they 

relate to the priority. However, NIDRR 

has no basis for requiring that all 

applicants focus on these factors in 

responding to the priority. Additionally, 

we believe that examination of relevant 

economic issues and associated 

employment concerns can improve our 

understanding about employment 

outcomes. For this reason, we believe it 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 166 / Monday, August 29, 2005 / Notices 51235 

is important that the priority include 

studies addressing critical disability 

employment issues, including a 

requirement that some aspect of the 

priority deal with economic issues, as 

they relate to the priority. 

Change: None. 

Note: This notice does not solicit 

applications. In any year in which we choose 

to use this priority, we invite applications 

through a notice in the Federal Register. 

When inviting applications we designate the 

priority as absolute, competitive preference, 

or invitational. The effect of each type of 

priority follows: 

Absolute priority: Under an absolute 

priority, we consider only applications that 

meet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(3)). 

Competitive preference priority: Under a 

competitive preference priority, we give 

competitive preference to an application by 

either (1) awarding additional points, 

depending on how well or the extent to 

which the application meets the competitive 

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

selecting an application that meets the 

competitive priority over an application of 

comparable merit that does not meet the 

priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(ii)). 

Invitational priority: Under an invitational 

priority, we are particularly interested in 

applications that meet the invitational 

priority. However, we do not give an 

application that meets the invitational 

priority a competitive or absolute preference 

over other applications (34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)). 

Note: NIDRR supports the goals of 

President Bush’s New Freedom Initiative 

(NFI). The NFI can be accessed on the 

Internet at the following site: http:// 

www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/newfreedom. 

The final priority is in concert with 

NIDRR’s proposed Long-Range Plan 

(Plan) published in the Federal Register 

on July 27, 2005 (70 FR 43521). The 

Plan is comprehensive and integrates 

many issues relating to disability and 

rehabilitation research topics. While 

applicants will find many sections 

throughout the Plan that support 

potential research to be conducted 

under the final priority, the specific 

reference is in Part C, Chapter I, Section 

A Employment. The Plan can be 

accessed on the Internet at the following 

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

FedRegister/other/2005–3/ 

072705d.html. 

Through the implementation of the 

NFI and the Plan, NIDRR seeks to: (1) 

Improve the quality and utility of 

disability and rehabilitation research; 

(2) foster an exchange of expertise, 

information, and training to facilitate 

the advancement of knowledge and 

understanding of the unique needs of 

traditionally underserved populations; 

(3) determine best strategies and 

programs to improve rehabilitation 

outcomes for underserved populations; 

(4) identify research gaps; (5) identify 

mechanisms of integrating research and 

practice; and (6) disseminate findings. 

Priority 

The Assistant Secretary establishes a 

priority for one DRRP, which must focus 

its research on demand-side 

employment placement models. Studies 

conducted under this priority must 

support rigorous, empirically based 

research designed to develop or identify 

and evaluate demand-side employment 

placement models, methods, and 

measures, and include a plan for 

knowledge translation and 

dissemination. 

To meet this priority, research 

activities and studies must identify or 

develop, demonstrate, and evaluate 

methods, models, and measures leading 

to the following: 

(1) Psychometrically sound measures 

for determining employer-focused 

employment needs; 

(2) Types of employment 

interventions that effectively address 

employer issues, including methods for 

increasing employer and business entity 

participation in the development of 

strategies for improving employment 

outcomes for individuals with 

disabilities; 

(3) Analysis comparing the 

effectiveness of the demand-side model 

and the supply-side model and 

identification of the predictors of 

workforce participation for specific 

populations of individuals with 

disabilities using both models; and 

(4) Effective measures for evaluating 

the role of demand-side models in 

relation to employment outcomes, 

employment data, individual and 

systems level outcomes, and trends 

across workplace environments and 

employment systems, including 

measures that involve macroeconomic, 

legislative, or policy issues that 

potentially influence employment 

outcomes. 

Executive Order 12866 

This NFP has been reviewed in 

accordance with Executive Order 12866. 

Under the terms of the order, we have 

assessed the potential costs and benefits 

of this regulatory action. 

The potential costs associated with 

the NFP are those resulting from 

statutory requirements and those we 

have determined as necessary for 

administering this program effectively 

and efficiently. 

In assessing the potential costs and 

benefits—both quantitative and 

qualitative—of this NFP, we have 

determined that the benefits of the final 

priority justify the costs. 

Summary of Potential Costs and 

Benefits 

The potential costs associated with 

this final priority are minimal while the 

benefits are significant. Grantees may 

anticipate costs associated with 

completing the application process in 

terms of staff time, copying, and mailing 

or delivery. The use of Grants.gov 

technology reduces mailing and copying 

costs significantly. 

The benefits of the DRRP Program 

have been well established over the 

years in that similar projects have been 

completed successfully. This regulatory 

action will generate new knowledge 

through the research to be conducted 

under the final priority. 

Another benefit of this final priority 

will be the establishment of a new DRRP 

that supports the President’s NFI and 

will support improvements in the lives 

and potential employment outcomes of 

persons with disabilities. 

Applicable Program Regulations: 34 

CFR part 350. 

Electronic Access to This Document 

You may view this document, as well 

as all other Department of Education 

documents published in the Federal 

Register, in text or Adobe Portable 

Document Format (PDF) on the Internet 

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

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To use PDF you must have Adobe 

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using PDF, call the U.S. Government 

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

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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. 

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Number 84.133A, Disability Rehabilitation 

Research Project) 

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

764(a). 

Dated: August 23, 2005. 

John H. Hager, 

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services. 

[FR Doc. 05–17047 Filed 8–26–05; 8:45 am] 

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