[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 7 (Wednesday, January 11, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2760-2766]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-615]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
[Program Announcement No. 93631-95-01]


Developmental Disabilities: Request for Public Comments on 
Proposed Developmental Disabilities Funding Priorities for Projects of 
National Significance for Fiscal Year 1995

AGENCY: Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD), 
Administration for Children and Families (ACF).

ACTION: Notice of request for public comments on developmental 
disabilities funding priorities for Projects of National Significance 
for Fiscal Year 1995.

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SUMMARY: The Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD), 
Administration for Children and Families (ACF), announces that public 
comments are being requested on funding priorities for Fiscal Year 1995 
Projects of National Significance.
    We welcome specific comments and suggestions on these proposed 
funding priorities as well as recommendations for additional priority 
areas which will assist in bringing about the increased independence, 
productivity, and integration into the community of individuals with 
developmental disabilities.

DATES: The closing date for submission of public comments is March 13, 
1995.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to: Bob Williams, Commissioner, 
Administration on Developmental Disabilities, Administration for 
Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services, Room 
329-D, HHH Building, 200 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, D.C. 
20201.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Adele Gorelick, Program Development 
Division, Administration on Developmental Disabilities, 202/690-5982.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Part I. Background

A. Goals of the Administration on Developmental Disabilities

    The Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD) is located 
within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Department 
of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Although different from the other 
ACF program administrations in the specific constituency it serves, ADD 
shares a common set of goals that promote the economic and social well-
being of families, children, individuals and communities. Through 
national leadership, we see:
    <bullet> Families and individuals empowered to increase their own 
economic independence and productivity;
    <bullet> Strong, healthy, supportive communities having a positive 
impact on the quality of life and the development of children;
    <bullet> Partnerships with individuals, front-line service 
providers, communities, States and Congress that enable solutions which 
transcend traditional agency boundaries;
    <bullet> Services planned and integrated to improve client access; 
and
    <bullet> A strong commitment to working with Native Americans, 
individuals with developmental disabilities, refugees and migrants to 
address their needs, strengths and abilities.
    Emphasis on these goals and progress toward them will help more 
individuals, including those with developmental disabilities, to live 
productive and independent lives integrated into their communities. The 
Projects of National Significance Program is one means through which 
ADD promotes the achievement of these goals.
    Two issues are of particular concern with these projects. First, 
there is a

[[Page 2761]]

pressing need for networking and cooperation among specialized and 
categorical programs, particularly at the service delivery level, to 
ensure continuation of coordinated services to people with 
developmental disabilities. Second, project findings and successful 
innovative models of projects need to be made available nationally to 
policy makers as well as to direct service providers.

B. Purpose of the Administration on Developmental Disabilities

    The Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD) is the lead 
agency within ACF and DHHS responsible for planning and administering 
programs which promote the self-sufficiency and protect the rights of 
individuals with developmental disabilities.
    The 1994 Amendments (Pub. L. 103-230) to the Developmental 
Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (42 U.S.C.6000, et seq.) 
(the Act) supports and provides assistance to States and public and 
private nonprofit agencies and organizations to assure that individuals 
with developmental disabilities and their families participate in the 
design of and have access to culturally competent services, supports, 
and other assistance and opportunities that promote independence, 
productivity and integration and inclusion into the community.
    The Act points out that:
    <bullet> Disability is a natural part of the human experience that 
does not diminish the right of individuals with developmental 
disabilities to enjoy the opportunity for independence, productivity 
and inclusion into the community;
    <bullet> Individuals whose disabilities occur during their 
developmental period frequently have severe disabilities that are 
likely to continue indefinitely;
    <bullet> Individuals with developmental disabilities often require 
lifelong specialized services and assistance, provided in a coordinated 
and culturally competent manner by many agencies, professionals, 
advocates, community representatives, and others to eliminate barriers 
and to meet the needs of such individuals and their families;
    The Act further finds that:
    <bullet> Individuals with developmental disabilities, including 
those with the most severe developmental disabilities, are capable of 
achieving independence, productivity, and integration and inclusion 
into the community, and often require the provision of services, 
supports and other assistance to achieve such;
    <bullet> Individuals with developmental disabilities have 
competencies, capabilities and personal goals that should be 
recognized, supported, and encouraged, and any assistance to such 
individuals should be provided in an individualized manner, consistent 
with the unique strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, 
and capabilities of the individual;
    <bullet> Individuals with developmental disabilities and their 
families are the primary decision makers regarding the services and 
supports such individuals and their families receive; and play decision 
making roles in policies and programs that affect the lives of such 
individuals and their families; and
    <bullet> It is in the nation's interest for individuals with 
developmental disabilities to be employed, and to live conventional and 
independent lives as a part of families and communities.
    Toward these ends, ADD seeks to enhance the capabilities of 
families in assisting individuals with developmental disabilities to 
achieve their maximum potential; to support the increasing ability of 
individuals with developmental disabilities to exercise greater choice 
and self-determination; to engage in leadership activities in their 
communities; as well as to ensure the protection of their legal and 
human rights.
    Programs funded under the Act are:
    <bullet> Federal assistance to State developmental disabilities 
councils;
    <bullet> State system for the protection and advocacy of individual 
rights;
    <bullet> Grants to university affiliated programs for 
interdisciplinary training, exemplary services, technical assistance, 
and information dissemination; and
    <bullet> Grants for Projects of National Significance.

C. Description of Projects of National Significance

    Under Part E of the Act, demonstration (and in some cases, 
cooperative agreement) grants and technical assistance contracts are 
awarded for projects of national significance that support the 
development of national and State policy to enhance the independence, 
productivity, and integration and inclusion of individuals with 
developmental disabilities through:
    <bullet> Data collection and analysis;
    <bullet> Technical assistance to enhance the quality of State 
developmental disabilities councils, protection and advocacy systems, 
and university affiliated programs; and
    <bullet> Other projects of sufficient size and scope that hold 
promise to expand or improve opportunities for individuals with 
developmental disabilities, including:

--technical assistance for the development of information and referral 
systems;
--educating policy makers;
--Federal interagency initiatives;
--the enhancement of participation of racial and ethnic groups in 
public and private sector initiatives in developmental disabilities;
--transition of youth with developmental disabilities from school to 
adult life; and
--special pilots and evaluation studies to explore the expansion of 
programs under part B (State developmental disabilities councils) to 
individuals with severe disabilities other than developmental 
disabilities.

    Section 162(c) of the Act requires that ADD publish in the Federal 
Register proposed priorities for grants and contracts to carry out 
Projects of National Significance. The Act also requires a period of 60 
days for public comment concerning such proposed priorities. After 
analyzing and considering such comments, ADD must publish in the 
Federal Register final priorities for such grants and contracts, and 
solicit applications for funding based on the final priorities 
selected.
    The following section presents the proposed priority areas for 
Fiscal Year 1995 Projects of National Significance. We welcome specific 
comments and suggestions as well as suggestions for additional priority 
areas. We would also like to receive suggestions on topics which are 
timely and relate to specific needs in the developmental disabilities 
field.
    Please be aware that the development of final funding priorities is 
based on the public comment response to this notice, current agency and 
departmental priorities, needs in the field of developmental 
disabilities and the developmental disabilities network, etc., as well 
as the availability of funds for this fiscal year.

Part II. Fiscal Year 1995 Proposed Priority Areas for Projects of 
National Significance

    ADD is interested in all comments and recommendations which address 
areas of existing or evolving national significance related to the 
field of developmental disabilities.
    ADD also solicits recommendations for project activities which will 
advocate for public policy change and community acceptance of all 
individuals with developmental disabilities and families so that such

[[Page 2762]]

individuals receive the culturally competent services, supports, and 
other assistance and opportunities necessary to enable them to achieve 
their maximum potential through increased independence, productivity, 
and integration into the community.
    ADD is also interested in activities which promote the inclusion of 
all individuals with developmental disabilities, including individuals 
with the most severe disabilities, in community life; which promote the 
interdependent activity of all individuals with developmental 
disabilities and individuals who are not disabled; and which recognize 
the contributions of these individuals (whether they have a disability 
or not), as such individuals share their talents at home, school, and 
work, and in recreation and leisure time.
    No proposals, concept papers or other forms of applications should 
be submitted at this time. Any such submission will be discarded.
    ADD will not respond to individual comment letters. However, all 
comments will be considered in preparing the final funding solicitation 
announcement and will be acknowledged and addressed in that 
announcement.
    Please be reminded that, because of possible funding limitations, 
not all of the proposed priority areas listed below may be published in 
the final funding solicitation for this fiscal year.
    Comments should be addressed to: Bob Williams, Commissioner, 
Administration on Developmental Disabilities, Department of Health and 
Human Services, Room 329-D HHH Building, 200 Independence Avenue SW., 
Washington, D.C. 20201.

Proposed Fiscal Year 1995 Priority Area 1: ADD and ACYF Family and 
Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) Collaboration Between Youth Service 
Providers and Disabilities Advocates To Enhance Services to Youth With 
Developmental Disabilities

    The Family and Youth Services Bureau within the Administration on 
Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) and the Administration on 
Developmental Disabilities (ADD), Administration for Children and 
Families (ACF), have established a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) 
designed to foster collaboration between grantee programs to provide 
improved access to services for youth with developmental disabilities 
who are at-risk of running away or becoming involved in delinquent 
behavior. Access to supports and services lead to self-actualization, 
self-determination, and independence through employment.
    An important goal of the MOU is to fund projects that demonstrate 
the need for and effectiveness of collaborations between the ADD and 
FYSB grantee programs to enable at-risk youth with developmental 
disabilities to achieve their full potential and grow to be successful, 
independent adults. Employment is an important outcome for at-risk 
youth with developmental disabilities. It is proposed that FYSB and ADD 
will jointly fund three grants in FY 1995, each for a three-year 
project period and each at a level of $150,000 per year.
    Applicants must document that the proposed project will be designed 
and implemented through collaborative efforts by FYSB and ADD funded 
grantees. Successful applicants would propose projects to:
    <bullet> Improve coordination of services through information-
sharing and networking efforts;
    <bullet> Enhance service delivery through the identification of 
existing barriers to service provision, and
    <bullet> Improve service provision through the identification of 
appropriate training materials and the development of collaboration 
strategies for comprehensive service provision to at-risk youth.

Proposed Fiscal Year 1995 Priority Area 2: Americans With Developmental 
Disabilities and the Criminal Justice System

    Individuals with developmental disabilities (especially mental 
retardation), both as victims and those accused and convicted of 
committing crimes, are becoming increasingly involved in the criminal 
justice system. Moreover, these individuals often face unequal justice 
at the hands of police and the courts precisely because the current 
system is not educated or prepared to respond or adapt to their 
disabilities and self-advocates have not been considered as essential 
elements of the educational process.
    According to a recent Justice Department report, youth in general 
are at physical and emotional risk in most facilities where they are 
held. Nearly one-half of the facilities surveyed exceeded their design 
capacity and only 20 to 26 percent had adequate bed space, health care, 
security, or suicide control. Youth with developmental disabilities are 
especially unprepared and unprotected in this stressed environment.
    The Americans with Disabilities Act requires police departments to 
take steps, including educating and providing information dissemination 
when necessary, to avoid discriminatory treatment on the basis of 
disability. However, to date, States and localities have received 
little direction on how to carry out these provisions with respect to 
Americans with developmental and other disabilities who get caught up 
in the criminal justice system.
    Hence, a much more focused effort must be made toward identifying 
and replicating best and promising practices in this area. This is 
especially true if the critical concept of ``community policing'' is 
going to be applied to individuals with disabilities in a fair and 
effective manner throughout our Nation.
    Much greater emphasis must be placed on providing current police 
and new recruits with the education and information needed to afford 
individuals with disabilities who are victims or alleged perpetrators 
of crime with equal justice under the law. All interrogations involving 
individuals whose disabilities affect comprehension and communication 
should be electronically recorded. This is not being done on a uniform 
basis. Nor is the concept of competency to stand trial being regularly 
applied through an evaluation of the ability to help one's lawyer 
prepare a defense and to understand the proceedings and the possibility 
of punishment.
    The input and participation of individuals with developmental and 
other disabilities is crucial for familiarizing police and others with 
the unique range of needs and abilities of this population.
    Additional training is needed to better prepare individuals with 
disabilities to avoid conduct that might place them at risk of becoming 
victims or perpetrators of criminal activities and to negotiate in the 
criminal justice system should they become involved with it. An 
understanding of Miranda rights and responses is crucial.
    ADD is particularly interested in national, State, and local self-
advocacy networks, with the capacity to work collaboratively with the 
developmental disabilities network, service providers, law enforcement 
officials, criminal justice agencies, the civil rights community, and 
others, that would be able to spearhead such efforts and develop 
culturally competent, ongoing programs with measurable outcomes.

[[Page 2763]]

Proposed Fiscal Year 1995 Priority Area 3: First Jobs--Introducing 
Young Persons With/Without Developmental Disabilities to the World of 
Work and Community Service

    Nationally, the employment outlook for young Americans with 
developmental disabilities is bleak. Some progress has been made in 
supporting individuals with significant disabilities in real jobs, but 
the following facts speak for themselves: only about 10 percent of 
students with developmental disabilities graduating from school go on 
to competitive or supported employment; only about one-half of 
individuals with developmental disabilities surveyed indicated they had 
any choice in what job they held; and 90 cents of every Federal dollar, 
and 80 cents of every State dollar, spent on providing services to 
individuals with developmental disabilities during the day is spent on 
keeping individuals in segregated, nonproductive settings.
    The cultural change that needs to occur is a redirection of the 
efforts of service providers and a shifting of focus onto the abilities 
and skills of individuals with disabilities. First-time job support can 
result from partnerships with young people without disabilities. This 
emphasis on inclusion provides mutual benefit as young people in their 
first community service or employment experiences benefit from the 
resources of diversity.
    ADD is proposing to fund research and demonstration projects that 
develop strategies for first jobs that will lead to second jobs and 
ultimate career paths. Research should include assessments of current 
practices and of necessary supports, such as transportation, adaptive 
technology, and personal assistance services.
    Collaborative linkages among service/support providers should be 
explored as well as matches with individuals with developmental 
disabilities and those without disabilities in job settings. Strategies 
for success should include consumer choice and empowerment as essential 
approaches in the development and implementation of projects that will 
be culturally competent, ongoing, and have measurable outcomes.
    ADD is particularly interested in collaborative projects including 
State Welfare/JOBS programs, the AmeriCorps program of the Corporation 
for National and Community Service, and other private nonprofit 
agencies and organizations that would be able to establish ongoing 
working relationships with Head Start, Vocational Rehabilitation, the 
Job Training Partnership Act program, and other relevant community 
resources. Every effort will be made to coordinate the activities under 
this priority area with the Office of Family Assistance and other 
Federal agencies such as the Social Security Administration.

Proposed Fiscal Year 1995 Priority Area 4: Child Care and Early 
Intervention: Linkages for Successful Inclusion of Young Children With 
Disabilities

    The Administration on Developmental Disabilities is interested in 
funding projects which will increase the capacity of child care and 
development programs to meet the needs of young children with 
disabilities. Child care services need to be included among the 
essential partner agencies in the provision of early, continuous, 
intensive and comprehensive child development and family support 
services to children with disabilities and their families. The primary 
goals of projects to consider would be increasing access to quality 
child care services for children with disabilities birth through age 5 
and increasing the delivery of early intervention and related services 
to children in natural and inclusive environments.
    Although inclusion of children with disabilities within child care 
is not a new occurrence, few formal mechanisms support effective 
coordination between the child care and disability communities. These 
systems remain separate and apart even as they are called upon to 
provide services to the same children and families. Families of young 
children with disabilities continue to rank child care among the 
highest of their unmet needs and early findings of the Part H Early 
Intervention Program for infants and toddlers show no significant 
number of young children receiving these services within child care or 
other natural environments outside the home.
    Access to quality child care services for children with 
disabilities was significantly strengthened and is protected by the 
passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in July 1992. The ADA 
explicitly prohibits discrimination of children with disabilities in 
public and private child care settings. The Act describes the 
protections available to children with disabilities and their families 
and also describes the child care providers' legal responsibility and 
required steps to make accommodations which ensure access and 
opportunities for full participation.
    While the ADA opens many doors and provides the legal protections 
to assure access to children with disabilities, this prohibition of 
discrimination, in and of itself, is limited in its ability to increase 
the capacity of child care programs to successfully include children 
with disabilities. Even when providers understand their obligations 
under the ADA, they continue to need ongoing access to training, 
technical assistance, mentorship, and consultation to implement 
meaningful and inclusionary policies and programs.
    Furthermore, the linkages between childhood disability and poverty 
have long gone unnoticed and unaddressed. The number of children with 
disabilities living in poverty is significant. Their needs, as well as 
those of their parents, for quality child care are great. Nearly 8 
percent of children on AFDC have disabilities. Without intervention and 
support, children in poverty are also at risk for disability.
    New approaches to strengthening America's families and providing 
services to its youngest and most vulnerable children require the 
commitment and combined effort of multiple delivery systems. The 
foundation for collaborative approaches is evident in recent Federal 
legislation addressing the needs of children and families.
    ADD is particularly interested in local and Statewide projects that 
promote a seamless interagency approach to better serve children with 
disabilities, and especially those children with disabilities who live 
in poverty. To develop child care services which are responsive to the 
needs of young children with disabilities and their families, the 
protections of the ADA must be joined with best practices in the field 
of early childhood education, early intervention, and family support 
services. Projects should address the significant training needs of the 
child care community, providers, and parents of children with 
disabilities regarding the ADA and its protections and obligations.
    Projects should identify or develop strategies and mechanisms which 
support and expand training opportunities across systems. Strategies 
should encourage the sharing of resources and expertise, as well as 
establishing opportunities for ongoing mentorship and technical 
assistance.
    Overall, formal and informal linkages developed through these 
projects should increase the knowledge, awareness, and access to 
resources and services among families, child care providers, early 
childhood educators, disability service providers, and others who work 
with

[[Page 2764]]

children with disabilities and their families.
    ADD is interested in funding projects reflecting these values in 
culturally competent, inclusive, family-centered and measurably 
outcome-oriented approaches that can establish ongoing relationships.
    In addition, ADD is interested in joint efforts of projects such as 
the Americorps program of the Corporation for National and Community 
Service and the JOBS program, whereby young adults with disabilities 
may participate in jobs and community service as personal assistants 
and inclusion aides.

Proposed Fiscal Year 1995 Priority Area 5: Building a Multi-Cultural 
Network Within the Developmental Disabilities System

    The reality of an American society in which racial and ethnic 
cultural minorities are increasing in numbers and influence is becoming 
more evident each day. There are more than three million American 
children and adults with developmental disabilities, including a large 
number who are members of racial and ethnic minority groups. Many of 
these individuals and families from culturally diverse backgrounds 
remain outside of the various disability systems designed for their 
benefit; they are unable to gain access to the service systems, let 
alone fully participate in or benefit from them. Successful individuals 
of color with disabilities are often not encouraged or identified to 
serve as role models for other individuals having disabilities. In 
large part, the developmental disabilities network does not reflect 
this new multicultural reality--not among faculty, planners, staffs, 
trainees, or advocates. As a first step in addressing this situation, 
ADD established a multicultural committee with the mission of advising 
and providing resources to the Commissioner of ADD on all matters that 
may influence the implementation of a culturally competent service 
system for persons with disabilities.
    Therefore, ADD is proposing to fund projects that will enable the 
developmental disabilities network to gain and maintain the knowledge, 
skills, and competencies necessary to serve a culturally diverse 
constituency. These projects should assist the components of the 
developmental disabilities network (Developmental Disabilities 
Councils, Protection and Advocacy Agencies, and University Affiliated 
Programs) in obtaining appropriate tools to identify areas of need and 
to develop action strategies that will address not only current needs 
but have as a goal institutionalizing cultural competency in every 
aspect of our programs. For some components, assistance in cultural 
competence should be implemented at the community or policy/advocacy 
level while other programs will need assistance at a more basic 
internal/programmatic level. Within and outside the developmental 
disabilities system are existing resources, both material and human, 
that these projects should collect and utilize through a cadre of 
consultants with expertise in this area.
    At the local level, building linkages or connections among and 
between the Developmental Disabilities Councils, P&As, and UAPs with 
cultural/ethnic organizations that are representative of community 
demographics will be essential as these components of the developmental 
disabilities network develop and implement action strategies. 
Therefore, ADD is particularly interested in fostering State-level 
coalitions between Developmental Disabilities Councils, Protection and 
Advocacy Systems, University-Affiliated Programs, and Historically 
Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other institutions of 
higher education with high minority student enrollment, major civil 
rights organizations, and cultural/ethnic associations. Without the 
involvement of these types of organizations, the ability and capacity 
to understand and thus serve individuals and families from different 
racial/ethnic backgrounds would be severely hindered.
    Key to the operation and long-term effect of these projects is the 
dissemination of knowledge, best practices, materials, and experiences 
between the networks and beyond. This needs to occur not only during 
the length of the projects but at the end as well. ADD is interested in 
dissemination activities that would maintain and share ongoing 
information, existing resources of consultants/experts, curriculum/
materials with funded projects and within the network. At a national 
level the experiences of these projects should be shared with the 
developmental disabilities network and the disability field, as well as 
with major civil rights organizations, other minority organizations, 
and institutions of higher education such as HBCUs, leading to further 
collaboration and partnership at the State level in the continued 
development of cultural competency.
    Of particular interest are projects that have as a focus the 
professional recruitment and retention of individuals who are from 
culturally diverse backgrounds with disabilities into all aspects of 
the three components of the DD network, especially in research, 
training, policy, and administration. Only in this way will people with 
developmental disabilities be empowered and the system made to reflect 
their vision.

Proposed Fiscal Year 1995 Priority Area 6: Accessing Telecommunication 
Services for Persons With Developmental Disabilities

    With the advancement in technology as it relates to the 
telecommunication information superhighway, the availability of service 
information for individuals with disabilities has become more 
accessible. This accessibility opens up the possibility for greater 
utilization of services to families and individuals with developmental 
disabilities through the use of computer technology.
    Consumers and their families need, along with the private sector, 
to be apprised of the services that are available. Computer bulletin 
board service providers such as Internet, Compuserve, Prodigy, and 
others are mechanisms which provide a wealth of information. These 
services also have the ability to enable individuals with disabilities 
to access information on governmental programs serving their 
population, available treatment facilities, medical breakthroughs, best 
practices, and the sharing of concerns on issues regarding 
disabilities.
    Therefore, ADD is interested in funding projects to develop 
strategies which would reach individuals with developmental 
disabilities and their families, and underserved individuals using 
computer linkages. ADD is also interested in funding projects that will 
provide information and other assistance to organizations that want to 
set up telecommunication systems that link advocacy groups, service 
providers, consumers, and parents on a national basis. ADD is aware 
that a number of computer bulletin boards already exist, but which ones 
are targeted to developmental disabilities consumers and their families 
is unknown. In addition, how individuals with disabilities would access 
and utilize information from these systems is not known.

Proposed Fiscal Year 1995 Priority Area 7: Meeting the Mental Health 
Needs of Individuals With Developmental Disabilities

    Meeting the mental health needs of individuals with developmental 
disabilities is a ``quality of life'' goal, but, often community 
service personnel neither have the skills nor the desire to effectively 
treat individuals with developmental disabilities who have

[[Page 2765]]

mental health needs. In addition, these consumers are often caught 
between two service delivery systems (mental health and developmental 
disabilities) where the type and continuity of resources required for 
effective treatment and improved life quality are inefficient, 
ineffective or non-existent. Improving the adequacy and availability of 
such resources will depend on better training for both specialized and 
generic service providers.
    The challenge of the 1990s is to provide for a coordinated, 
collaborative human service delivery system that will enable 
individuals with developmental disabilities to receive services in an 
expeditious and coordinated manner. The creation of such a system will 
allow for full community integration and inclusion of individuals with 
developmental disabilities who also need mental health services.
    ADD is interested in projects which demonstrate the potential for 
creative and humanizing approaches to designing, implementing and 
evaluating projects which assist community agencies in coordinating 
efforts in the mental health and developmental disabilities service 
systems; train mental health professionals and paraprofessionals on 
developmental disabilities issues; educate family members, advocates, 
individuals with developmental disabilities and service providers on 
state-of-the-art practices in the field of mental illness and 
developmental disabilities; and develop and disseminate methods for 
working with the mental health and developmental disabilities networks 
to promote full inclusion and membership in the community.

Proposed Fiscal Year 1995 Priority Area 8: Children at Risk: The Impact 
of Abuse and Violence on Children with Disabilities

    Children with disabilities have been found to be abused at two to 
ten times the rate of children without disabilities. Most perpetrators 
of the abuse are well known to the victim. They have been service 
providers, including teachers, doctors, administrators, therapists, and 
bus drivers, but most have been family members. Many were abused 
themselves as children, alcoholism is more prevalent, and low income, 
unemployment, and poor health are significant factors. Maltreatment can 
include physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and physical, 
educational, and emotional neglect.
    A significant percentage of developmental disabilities are caused 
by abuse. Victims of child neglect sustain such permanent disabilities 
as mental retardation and learning and cognitive disabilities. Over 
half the fatalities related to child abuse occur from 0 to 1 year and 
90 percent of such fatalities occur in children under 5 years of age.
    Clearly, there is an epidemic--3 million cases in 1993. Public 
awareness as well as professional intervention are urgently needed. 
Because in four out of five cases, the perpetrators have been the 
child's parents, a family-centered approach is appropriate, including 
intergenerational resources, as is cross-disciplinary and cross-network 
training and collaboration.
    ADD is interested in funding one or more State demonstration 
projects for development and implementation of a Statewide 
collaboration/coordination strategy to reduce the incidence of abuse 
and neglect of children with disabilities and reduce the incidence of 
abuse and neglect of children which causes or contributes to the 
development of disabilities.
    Such a strategy would involve developing a Statewide strategy for a 
multi-agency, multi-system approach to address the problem of 
maltreatment of children with disabilities. This coordination and 
collaboration strategy should involve all pertinent State agencies/
programs, including Child Welfare Services, Education, the 
Developmental Disabilities Protection and Advocacy Agency, 
Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, Child Care, any State Head 
Start Coordinator, Health (including mental health and substance abuse, 
maternal and child health), Welfare (AFDC, Medicaid, etc.), Mental 
Retardation, the criminal justice system, and any other pertinent 
entities. The project should involve appropriate State Councils/
planning bodies including those for Family Preservation and Support, 
State Interagency Coordinating Council for Part H, IDEA, and other 
public and private programs/resources including the Developmental 
Disabilities University Affiliated Program in the State and consumer 
agencies such as the United Cerebral Palsy Association (UCPA) and the 
Association for Retarded Citizens (ARC).
    The strategy should include the following components:
    (1) the development of a plan to conduct interdisciplinary training 
in both the field of child abuse and neglect and the field of 
disability, simultaneously, which is designed for State and local 
agency personnel and other providers on the risk, investigation, 
reporting, assessment, intervention and follow-up of cases of 
maltreatment involving children with disabilities including training on 
how to work collaboratively on an ongoing basis.
    (2) a design for formation of interdisciplinary teams which include 
disability specialists to assess and treat cases of abuse and neglect 
involving children with disabilities, including consideration of the 
nature of the child's disability (e.g., osteogenesis imperfecta, self-
injury).
    (3) the development of ongoing interagency agreements to facilitate 
coordination and collaboration of all relevant agencies/programs 
concerned with maltreatment cases involving children with disabilities.
    (4) a plan for providing comprehensive community-based services for 
the treatment of abuse and neglect involving children with 
disabilities.
    (5) a design for prevention activities to reduce incidence of 
maltreatment cases involving children with disabilities, including 
family support programs, child abuse and neglect training for families 
of children with disabilities and such training for children with 
disabilities.
    (6) mechanisms to promote implementation of this same multi-agency/
multi-system approach in local communities in the State.
    Applications for funding for demonstration projects and models of 
prevention and intervention should include an inventory of resources 
and best practices, plans for replication and dissemination, and 
methods for the evaluation of outcomes. They should reflect cultural 
competency and an understanding of legal issues as well as the 
political realities of decentralization of service delivery and 
empowerment of community-based efforts.

Proposed Fiscal Year 1995 Priority Area 9: Technical Assistance 
Projects

    Under current contractual arrangements, ADD will be awarding funds 
to provide technical assistance to improve the functions of the 
Developmental Disabilities Councils, Protection and Advocacy Systems, 
University Affiliated Programs, and to provide additional technical 
assistance to the developmental disabilities field in the areas of 
community-living, multi-cultural issues, accessibility and 
accommodations, leadership and policy development.

(Federal Catalog of Domestic Assistance Number 93.631 Developmental 
Disabilities--Projects of National Significance)


[[Page 2766]]


    Dated: January 4, 1995.
Bob Williams,
Commissioner, Administration on Developmental Disabilities.
[FR Doc. 95-615 Filed 1-10-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-P