[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 58 (Monday, March 25, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12062-12063]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-7074]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
AGENCY: Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of Proposed Funding Priority for Fiscal Years 1996 and
1997 for a Research and Demonstration Project.
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SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes a funding priority for Research and
Demonstration (R&D) projects under the National Institute on Disability
and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) for fiscal years 1996-1997. The
Secretary takes this action to focus research attention on areas of
national need consistent with NIDRR's long-range planning process. This
priority is intended to assist in the solutions to problems encountered
by individuals with disabilities in their daily activities.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 24, 1996.
ADDRESSES: All comments concerning this proposed priority should be
addressed to David Esquith, U.S. Department of Education, 600
Independence Avenue, S.W., Switzer Building, Room 3424, Washington,
D.C. 20202-2601.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Esquith. Telephone: (202) 205-
8801. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) may call the TDD number at (202) 205-8133. Internet: David--
Esquith@ed.gov
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice contains a proposed priority on
universal design. Authority for the R&D program of NIDRR is contained
in section 204(a) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29
U.S.C. 760-762).
Under this program the Secretary makes awards to public agencies
and private agencies and organizations, including institutions of
higher education, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations. This program
is designed to assist in the development of solutions to the problems
encountered by individuals with handicaps in their daily activities,
especially problems related to employment (see 34 CFR 351.1). Under the
regulations for this program (see 34 CFR 351.32), the Secretary may
establish research priorities by reserving funds to support the
research activities listed in 34 CFR 351.10.
This proposed priority supports the National Education Goal that
calls for all Americans to possess the knowledge and skills necessary
to compete in a global economy and exercise the rights and
responsibilities of citizenship.
The Secretary will announce the final funding priority in a notice
in the Federal Register. The final priority will be determined by
responses to this notice, available funds, and other considerations of
the Department. Funding of particular projects depends on the final
priority, the availability of funds, and the quality of the
applications received. The publication of this proposed priority does
not preclude the Secretary from proposing additional priorities, nor
does it limit the Secretary to funding only this priority, subject to
meeting applicable rulemaking requirements.
Note: This notice of a proposed priority does not solicit
applications. A notice inviting applications under this competition
will be published in the Federal Register concurrent with or
following publication of the notice of the final priority.
Priority:
Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) the Secretary proposes to give an
absolute preference to applications that meet the following priority.
The Secretary proposes to fund under this program only applications
that meet this absolute priority:
Emerging Disability Populations
Background
Demographic and social trends indicate that the prevalence and
distribution of various types of disability are changing, and that new
populations of individuals are emerging to create unique demands on
social policy and service systems. These new populations frequently
result from such factors as: (1) Changing etiologies for existing
disabilities; (2) growth in segments of the population with higher
prevalence rates for certain disabilities, including the aging of the
population in general and the population of individuals with
disabilities in particular; (3) the unintended consequences of changes
in public policy; or (4) the introduction of new disabilities.
The first category includes, for example, mental retardation that
results
[[Page 12063]]
from high-risk births, (President's Committee on Mental retardation,
The New Morbidity, 1993) or spinal cord injury resulting from
interpersonal violence (Stover, unpublished communique to NIDRR, 1994).
The second category is exemplified by higher incidence and prevalence
of activity limitations due to impairments typically correlated with
increased age. (LaPlante, 1995) Examples include the onset of sensory
loss in older persons, or certain strength-limiting musculoskeletal or
neuromuscular diseases. A subset of this category is represented by the
acquisition of secondary disabilities or new exacerbations of existing
disabilities among individuals with disabilities as they age, for
example post-polio syndrome or deterioration of stressed joints. The
third category of emerging disabilities may have iatrogenic causes or
may result from inappropriate societal interventions such as
institutionalization or segregation during which the acquisition of
social skills and learning opportunities are forfeited. Social policies
such as deinstitutionalization into inadequately supportive
environments, while not necessarily creating new disabilities, has led
to different manifestations of problems associated with long-term
mental illness, including homelessness, abuse, involvement in the
criminal justice system, and the acquisition of additional disabilities
and health problems. Other disabilities, particularly secondary
disabilities, may result from policy decisions that result in
inadequate preventive services. The final category includes persons
with newly emergent disabilities, most clearly illustrated by persons
living with HIV disease and AIDS, and by environmental or workplace
disabilities such as repetitive motion syndrome, environmental
allergies, and various hidden disabilities.
The causes of each of these categories of disabilities are such
that emergent disabilities tend to be differentially distributed
throughout the population in ways that are not typical of other common
disabilities. While there is a strong correlation between disability
and poverty generally. (LaPlante, 1995; The New Morbidity, 1993;
McNeil, 1995; Aday, 1993) these emergent disabilities appear to be
inordinately concentrated among the poor, minorities, youth, the aged,
the poorly educated, and those who already have other disabilities.
The underlying causes of these emergent disabilities may be socio-
behavioral, environmental, or socio-economic, but are most often a
combination of these elements. Among the most important factors
creating this ``emerging universe of disability'' are interpersonal
violence, such as shootings, battery, or child abuse; low-birthweight
and other high-risk births, often to mothers who are young teenagers,
substance abusers, HIV-positive, or with poor prenatal care; aging,
with or without prior existing disabilities; high risk behaviors
involving substance abuse or sexual activities; and secondary
conditions, often resulting from inadequate acute or long-term care.
The nation lacks a clear understanding of the existence of these
disabilities, which are closely related to an individual's position in
the social structure, and certainly does not comprehend the possible
consequences for the disability service systems of a new population of
disabled persons from among what one author calls ``the vulnerable.''
(Aday, 1993) There are many gaps in the knowledge base about risk
factors associated with the emergence of disability, as there are no
comprehensive surveillance systems or epidemiological studies.
Priority:
The Secretary proposes to establish a research and demonstration
project to: (1) Define and characterize the emerging universe of
disability; (2) assess the incidence and prevalence of these ``new
universe'' disabilities; (3) identify etiologies associated with these
disabilities; and (4) evaluate the implications of these emerging
disabilities for service systems and social policy. In addition to
activities proposed by the applicant to carry out these purposes, the
proposed R&D project shall carry out the following activities:
Determine and test methods, using a range of existing
databases, to estimate and describe the emerging universe of disability
both for the present and in the future, and assess the feasibility of
using existing, or establishing new, surveillance systems to predict
and characterize future emerging disabilities;
Assess the particular needs of the emerging universe, both
now and for the future, for vocational rehabilitation, special
education, medical and psychosocial rehabilitation, independent living
services, and assistive technology services, as well as for community-
based supports, income supports, and medical assistance;
Analyze the implications for the selection, preparation,
and training of personnel, including professionals and peers, to
provide services to the emerging universe, and for the ways in which
services should be delivered;
Design a practical and prioritized agenda for a future
research program to develop interventions and policy approaches to
address the disability-related problems of various segments of the
emerging universe; and
Convene a conference of individuals both within and
outside of the disability field to discuss the Center's findings and
their implications.
Invitation To Comment
Interested persons are invited to submit comments and
recommendations regarding these proposed priorities.
All comments submitted in response to this notice will be available
for public inspection, during and after the comment period, in Room
3423, Mary Switzer Building, 330 C Street S.W., Washington, D.C.,
between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday of
each week except Federal holidays.
Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR Parts 350 and 351.
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 760-762.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.133A, Research and
Demonstration Projects)
Dated: February 7, 1996.
Judith E. Heumann,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 96-7074 Filed 3-22-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
