National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research-Notice of Proposed Long-Range Plan for Fiscal Years 2005-2009, 43522-43555 [05-14741]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 143 (Wednesday, July 27, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43522-43555]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-14741]



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Part II





Department of Education





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National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research--Notice of 
Proposed Long-Range Plan for Fiscal Years 2005-2009; Notice

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 143 / Wednesday, July 27, 2005 / 
Notices

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research--
Notice of Proposed Long-Range Plan for Fiscal Years 2005-2009

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, 
Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of proposed long-range plan for fiscal years 2005-2009.

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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) proposes the National Institute on 
Disability and Rehabilitation Research's (NIDRR) Long-Range Plan (Plan) 
for fiscal years 2005 through 2009. As required by the Rehabilitation 
Act of 1973, as amended, the Assistant Secretary takes this action to 
outline priorities for rehabilitation research, demonstration projects, 
training, and related activities, and to explain the basis for these 
priorities.

DATES: We must receive your comments on or before August 26, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments about this proposed Plan to Donna 
Nangle, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 
6030, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20204-2700. If you prefer to 
send your comments through the Internet, use the following address: 
donna.nangle@ed.gov.
    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.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. 
and 4 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.
    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:

Invitation to Comment

    We invite you to submit comments regarding this 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 this proposed Plan in room 6032, 550 12th Street, SW., 
Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. 
and 4 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday of each week except 
Federal holidays.

Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities in Reviewing the Record

    On request, we will supply an appropriate aid, such as a reader or 
print magnifier, 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 aid, please contact the person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Background: This proposed Plan presents a research agenda anchored 
in legislative mandate, consumer goals, and scientific initiatives. The 
proposed Plan has several distinct purposes:
    (1) To set broad general directions 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.
    (3) To describe a system for operationalizing the Plan in terms of 
annual priorities, evaluation of the implementation of the Plan, and 
updates of the Plan as necessary.
    (4) To direct new emphasis to the management and administration of 
the research endeavor.
    This proposed Plan was developed with the guidance of a 
distinguished group of NIDRR constituents--individuals with 
disabilities and their family members and advocates, service providers, 
researchers, educators, administrators, and policymakers, including the 
Commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration, members of 
the National Council on Disability, and representatives from The 
Department of Health and Human Services.
    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.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You may review 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: 
https://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: https://www.gpoaccess.gov/
nara/.


    Dated: July 21, 2005.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research: Long-
Range Plan for 2005-2009

Preface

    The introductory section of the National Institute on Disability 
and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) Long-Range Plan 2005-2009 (Plan) 
provides basic background about NIDRR. This includes its mission, its 
administrative location, the legislative and administrative 
environments in which NIDRR operates, intended beneficiaries of NIDRR 
research, conceptual overview of the Plan, management and evaluation 
principles, general highlights of 25 years of NIDRR research, and the 
structure of the Plan. The first section of the Plan also includes a 
chapter that defines and describes NIDRR's target population, providing 
some data on population characteristics. The second section of the Plan 
presents NIDRR's Logic Model and research domains, and operational 
strategies to implement the Plan and enhance the accountability and 
responsiveness of NIDRR. The third section of the Plan delineates each 
domain of NIDRR research activities and the research strategies that 
will be employed to address NIDRR's mission.

Part A. Introduction and Background Introduction

    The mission of the National Institute on Disability and 
Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR or the Institute) is to generate new 
knowledge and promote its effective use to improve the abilities of 
people with disabilities to perform activities of their choice in the 
community, and also to expand society's capacity to provide full 
opportunities and accommodations for its citizens with disabilities.
    The timely convergence of technological breakthroughs and 
empowerment of people with disabilities has resulted in increased 
demand for the products of disability and rehabilitation research. 
These

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include not only technological devices but also new knowledge about 
interventions and policies that will further the mission of NIDRR to 
advance all aspects of life for people with disabilities.

Organizational Context

    NIDRR is located within the Office of Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) at the U.S. Department of Education 
(Department). OSERS has two other components: The Rehabilitation 
Services Administration (RSA), which administers the State-Federal 
Vocational Rehabilitation Program, and the Office of Special Education 
Programs (OSEP), which oversees the implementation of the Individuals 
with Disabilities Education Act, as amended (IDEA). NIDRR, therefore, 
is ideally situated to facilitate the transfer of knowledge to 
consumers, practitioners, and administrators in vocational 
rehabilitation and special education. NIDRR also has developed 
extensive linkages to the broader disability and rehabilitation 
research community through its leadership work chairing the Interagency 
Committee on Disability Research (ICDR) and through development of 
significant partnerships with many Federal agencies, research 
institutions, and consumer organizations. NIDRR values and encourages 
the collaborative and synergistic nature of its many partnerships, as 
significant advancements in disability knowledge are achieved through 
the efforts of many researchers and others over time.

Statutory Mandates

    The 1978 amendments to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, 
(the Act) created NIDRR \1\ in recognition of both the opportunities 
for scientific and technological advancements to improve the lives of 
people with disabilities and the need for a comprehensive and 
coordinated approach to research, development, demonstration, and 
information dissemination and training. These amendments charged NIDRR 
with providing a comprehensive and coordinated program of research and 
related activities designed to maximize the inclusion and social 
integration, health and function, employment and independent living of 
individuals of all ages with disabilities.
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    \1\ Established as the National Institute on Handicapped 
Research (NIHR) in the 1978 amendments, the Institute's name was 
changed to the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation 
Research (NIDRR) by the 1986 amendments to the Rehabilitation Act of 
1973, as amended.
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    In addition to research and development (R&D), the Act authorizes 
widespread dissemination of research-generated knowledge to 
rehabilitation service providers, people with disabilities and their 
families, researchers and others; promotion of technology transfer; 
leadership of an Interagency Committee to coordinate Federal disability 
and rehabilitation research; advanced training in disability and 
rehabilitation research; and increased opportunities for minority 
institutions and researchers with disabilities or from minority groups.
    To guide rehabilitation research, the Act requires publication of 
the proposed Plan in the Federal Register, public comment on the Plan, 
and subsequent production of a final Plan. The Act specifies that in 
developing and implementing the Plan, NIDRR should: Outline priorities 
for NIDRR's activities and provide the basis for such priorities; 
specify appropriate goals and timetables for covered activities to be 
conducted under sections 202 and 204 of title II of the Act; develop 
the Plan in consultation with the Commissioner of RSA, the Commissioner 
of the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, the National 
Council on Disability (NCD), and the ICDR; and provide full 
consideration to the input of people with disabilities and their family 
members, organizations representing people with disabilities, 
researchers, service providers and other appropriate entities. The Plan 
also must provide for widespread dissemination of the results of funded 
activities, in accessible formats, to rehabilitation practitioners and 
individuals with disabilities and their families, including those who 
are members of minority groups or underserved populations.
    This proposed Plan was developed with extensive input from a 
steering committee of researchers, service providers, and people with 
disabilities. In addition, NIDRR actively solicited comments through a 
Web site and through six national videoconferences. NIDRR also 
consulted with the ICDR, the NCD, and other Federal partners. Appendix 
1 of this Plan contains a list of steering committee members.

National Policy Context for NIDRR Research

    In recent years, several major policy directives have influenced 
activities and initiatives in disability and rehabilitation research, 
including implementation of the 1999-2003 NIDRR Long-Range Plan and 
development of the proposed Plan. These include the U.S. Supreme 
Court's 1999 decision in Olmstead v. L.C. (527 U.S. 581), the 
President's New Freedom Initiative (NFI), and the report of the 
President's New Freedom Commission On Mental Health. The Americans with 
Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), now in existence for more than a 
decade, has continued to provide a strong framework for all disability-
related activities.
    Because maximum community participation for persons with 
disabilities is the ultimate objective of NIDRR research, the important 
directives in the Olmstead decision resonate with and inform NIDRR's 
agenda. The Olmstead decision stated that title II of the ADA requires 
public agencies that provide services to people with disabilities to do 
so in the most integrated settings appropriate to their needs.
    Moreover, State agencies that provide housing and services must 
make plans to move individuals from institutions to community 
environments and to divert others from institutionalization when 
appropriate. The Olmstead decision allows State agencies to take into 
consideration limited available funds, but does require that they show 
progress through planning for the implementation of change. Full 
implementation of this decision eventually will have far-reaching 
consequences for people with disabilities and the service systems they 
use.
    The Olmstead decision affects disability and rehabilitation 
research as it highlights the need for new, validated strategies, 
supports, programs, interventions, guidelines and policies to make 
living in the community successful for deinstitutionalized individuals 
or those diverted from potential institutionalization. Individual 
States are serving as de facto laboratories for research into social 
policy implementation, and generate a need and an opportunity for the 
evaluation of best practices. NIDRR will continue its focus on research 
that addresses effective use of information for people with 
disabilities and access to appropriate accommodations in society; both 
are essential components of the Institute's research agenda.
    The NFI was announced by President George W. Bush on February 1, 
2001, to further the full participation of people with disabilities in 
all areas of society by increasing access to assistive and universally 
designed technologies, by expanding educational and employment 
opportunities, and by promoting full access to community life. Several 
provisions of the NFI have had a direct

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impact on NIDRR activities. The NFI included a proposal to increase 
funding for NIDRR's Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers 
(RERCs). Substantial funding was earmarked for the ICDR, which is 
chaired and staffed by NIDRR, in order to increase coordination of 
Federal research efforts related to technology and disability. Other 
aspects of the NFI, such as increased preparedness and more 
opportunities for employment, telework, universal design, access to 
assistive technology, increased homeownership, and access to mental 
health services, also influenced NIDRR's activities and research during 
much of the preceding four years.
    The President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health 
(Commission), established through Executive Order 13263 on April 29, 
2002, examined the mental health care system in the Nation and issued 
recommendations for change. In July 2003, the Commission issued its 
final report, ``Achieving the Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care 
in America''. The report identified barriers to care within the mental 
health system and provided examples of community-based care models that 
have worked successfully to coordinate and provide treatment services. 
The Commission concluded that the mental health service delivery system 
in the United States is fragmented and should be substantively 
transformed. Goals for the transformed system include ensuring that: 
(1) Americans understand that mental health is essential to overall 
health; (2) mental health care is consumer and family-driven; (3) 
disparities in mental health services are eliminated; (4) early mental 
health screening, assessment, and referral to services are common 
practice; (5) excellent mental health services are delivered and 
research is accelerated; and (6) technology is used to access mental 
health care and information.
    The realization of these goals will require the development and 
transfer of new knowledge about barriers to recovery and community 
integration, effective treatment interventions and supports, best 
practices in services delivery and increasing access to care, 
technology to support living independently in the community, and 
accommodations to promote employment. The Commission's final report 
contains substantial implications for NIDRR's research agenda, as well 
as those of its Federal partner agencies.

Overview of Long-Range Plan Concepts

    The proposed Plan builds on the work of the 1999-2003 Long-Range 
Plan, while responding to new developments in the disability and 
rehabilitation research field and in government. Both plans stress the 
importance of NIDRR's significant role as a research institute in the 
public interest, carrying out scientific research to meet the diverse 
needs of people with disabilities.
    The contextual paradigm of disability and rehabilitation research 
will continue to frame the NIDRR research agenda. This paradigm 
overcomes the limitations imposed by a medical model of disability. The 
new paradigm of disability maintains that ``disability is a product of 
the interaction between characteristics of the individual (e.g., 
conditions or impairments, functional status, or personal and social 
qualities) and the characteristics of the natural, built, cultural, and 
social environments.'' (NIDRR Long-Range Plan 1999-2003.)
    The contextual paradigm of disability was explicated in the 1999-
2003 NIDRR Long-Range Plan and significantly influenced the design of 
NIDRR research during the past five years. The contextual paradigm of 
disability helps to focus NIDRR research on new research issues; new 
approaches for defining, measuring, counting and categorizing 
disability; and new methods for conducting and managing research. 
Definitions and enumeration of disability are addressed in the 
subsequent chapter on the characteristics of the target population and 
in the demographics research chapter. New approaches to measurement 
issues and research methods will be addressed in each of the chapters 
on research domains (e.g., participation and community living, health 
and function, technology for access and function, employment, and 
demographics), as will new research methods. New research issues will 
be discussed in the individual chapters on research domains.
    The Plan continues the important research areas of universal design 
and the emerging universe of disability. The new Plan further 
recognizes the importance of interdependence, not only in its continued 
emphasis on personal assistance services, but also on supports for 
family and other informal caregivers, direct care workers and 
paraprofessionals in facilitating community living and participation in 
the community.
    The Plan expands NIDRR's emphasis on the major research ``domains'' 
of employment, participation and community life, health and function, 
and technology for access and function. In these areas, the Plan 
continues to emphasize areas of employment incentives and 
accommodations, access to health care, and the preference for supports 
rather than services as the model for facilitating the community 
integration of people with disabilities. The previously termed domain 
of independent living and community integration in the 1999-2003 Long-
Range Plan has been renamed participation and community living to 
better capture the broad goal of increased participation, which is 
intrinsic to the NIDRR mission. Additionally, the area of disability 
demographics has been elevated to a major domain and renamed 
demographics. This change recognizes and reinforces the importance of 
improved disability data for policy, design of services and future 
research initiatives.
    The Plan also embraces the concept of disability as a holistic 
phenomenon by extending this concept into the research field. This is 
achieved by emphasizing interactions between two or more domains, thus 
indicating and stressing the important interrelationships among the 
research domains throughout the Plan.

Accountability, Management and Evaluation of Research

    The Plan introduces major changes in accountability, management, 
and evaluation of the research portfolio, some of which reflect new 
standards of accountability for NIDRR as an entity, while others relate 
to the performance of grantees.
    In 1993, Congress passed the Government Performance and Results Act 
(GPRA), intended to improve accountability of Federal programs through 
strategic planning and performance assessment. GPRA requires Federal 
agencies to develop strategic plans for all programs, identifying 
performance goals and the indicators that would be used to measure 
progress. In 2002, the President's Management Agenda was announced, 
emphasizing the use of objective criteria to assess program results for 
budgeting purposes. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) developed 
the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) to assess each program's 
performance. Government-wide policy shifts have resulted in changes in 
NIDRR management procedures to emphasize standards for assessing its 
work and that of its grantees. NIDRR has developed its response to the 
PART document by using a logic model, as presented in the next part of 
the Plan.
    While NIDRR will continue to emphasize the same or similar research 
areas as those delineated in the 1999-

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2003 Long-Range Plan (i.e., employment, health and function, technology 
for access and function, participation and community living, and 
disability demographics, which are termed domains in this Plan), there 
will be new emphases on stages of knowledge development. These stages 
relate to the types of objectives and end products that grantees are 
expected to pursue. These stages include: (1) Discoveries; (2) 
theories, measures and methods; and (3) interventions, products or 
devices, and environmental adaptations.
    In program reviews and other evaluations, NIDRR has found that 
disability and rehabilitation research often lacks validated theories 
and measures. The degree of deficit varies from one domain to another, 
and within domains, in relation to certain disability types or other 
target populations. Equally important is the tendency to sometimes 
reinvent data collection instruments for each individual study, rather 
than create a more robust knowledge base by using instruments that 
already are validated. Validated measurement tools are critical to 
evaluating research outcomes, and for determining which research 
findings are appropriate for dissemination to various constituents. 
Research projects at the second stage of knowledge development will 
develop and test the validity of theories, measures, and methods as 
applied to disability research.
    The focus on research stages of knowledge development will enable 
NIDRR to set more measurable goals and to assess the extent to which 
grantees have produced relevant outputs and outcomes. For example, 
whether a particular research topic is appropriate for the 
interventions, products, and environmental adaptations stage will be an 
important judgment, and one that NIDRR generally will announce with a 
published priority. In this third stage of knowledge development, 
researchers will test the effectiveness of specific interventions or 
program configurations.

Accomplishments of NIDRR Researchers

    NIDRR researchers and representatives of the disability community 
generally attribute two categories of accomplishments to NIDRR. The 
first category includes NIDRR leadership in important areas, pioneering 
inquiries, and general principles. The second category consists of the 
work of NIDRR-supported grantees in enhancing the knowledge base and 
disseminating new findings. The two categories are often complementary 
and interdependent. The Institute has reached its 25th Anniversary, and 
a backward glance will highlight some important NIDRR achievements.
    The need to examine the many dimensions of the new paradigm of 
disability, also referred to as the contextual paradigm of disability, 
provided the catalyst for an innovative collaboration between NIDRR and 
the American Psychological Association (APA). The Bridging Gaps 
research conference examined the impact of the paradigm shift on 
psychology and rehabilitation research. One presenter at the Bridging 
Gaps conference described the significant effects of the paradigm 
shift:

    NIDRR's new paradigm for conceptualizing disability is a 
powerful tool for focusing both research and service delivery 
systems on interactions that can significantly affect outcomes for 
persons with disability. If we are trying to understand outcomes 
through research or attempting to influence outcomes by direct 
intervention, or both, it is critical to understand and apply this 
paradigm by paying increased attention to the person-environment 
interactions. As with any good theory, this one illuminates aspects 
that were in the dark under the older paradigm and suggests ways of 
thinking that were not intuitively obvious.\2\

    \2\ Nirenberg B, ``A system for bridging the financial and 
cultural gaps in the well-being of persons with disabilities'', in 
Bridging gaps: Refining the disability research agenda for 
rehabilitation and the social sciences--Conference proceedings. 
Menomonie: University of Wisconsin-Stout, Stout Vocational 
Rehabilitation Institute, Research and Training Centers, edited by 
F.E. Menz and D.F. Thomas, 2003, p. 239 (https://www.rtc.uwstout.edu/
pubs/pubs.htm).

    Related to the new paradigm are several new directions in research 
that also have served to lead the field. Among the research issues are 
universal design; the concept of an emerging universe of disability; 
and emphasis on accommodations. NIDRR has been a leading international 
proponent of universal design, which is defined as design for a built 
environment that can be used by nearly all people--living, working and 
playing together. Rather than using design parameters based on 
idealized measures of human factors that restrict usability to a narrow 
segment of the population, universal design works to accommodate a 
wider range of functional abilities through approaches including 
modular designs that easily can be modified.
    The emerging universe of disability refers to a disabled population 
that is shaped by demographic changes in age, immigrant status and 
other socioeconomic factors, by new types of potentially disabling 
conditions, by consequences of treatments of existing conditions, and 
by differential distribution of conditions and their consequences. The 
concept of an emerging universe of disability has helped to increase 
attention in the last five years to the unique needs of this 
population, and to multiply the research endeavors focusing on cultural 
and economic factors affecting disability.
    NIDRR has pursued a model for addressing obstacles facing people 
with disabilities that have shifted from service provision to supports 
that enable self-direction. Supports may include personal assistance 
services (PAS), assistive technology, civil rights, and peer support, 
and involving people with disabilities in the conduct and 
administration of disability and rehabilitation research. Promoting 
accommodations and assistive technology have been two areas of NIDRR 
leadership that are reflected in new public policy, including in the 
ADA and the NFI. Accommodations may be physical, technological or 
programmatic, and entitlement to accommodations is a cornerstone of the 
ADA. Accommodations are particularly important in supporting work and 
education. NIDRR researchers have developed assistive technology 
devices addressing information technology (IT), communications and 
speech, and neurological, mobility, and manipulation issues, among 
other functional areas. Accommodations also encompass changes in 
program operations to enable people with disabilities to participate 
fully; these changes may include times and locations, structure of 
activities and accessibility.
    NIDRR has sponsored research on supports that help individuals with 
disabilities make their own choices and direct their own lives. 
Supports include peer-to-peer and family-to-family programs, PAS, self-
advocacy skill development, consumer direction, assistive technology, 
and environmental modifications, all which have been subjects of 
considerable NIDRR research.
    In 1982, NIDRR convened the first meeting of the member agencies, 
now known as the Interagency Subcommittee on Disability Statistics 
(ISDS), to coordinate and promote the generation of improved 
statistical knowledge about disability populations. This committee has 
met monthly for 20 years. The ISDS achievements include: Collaborating 
to publish a book on statistics of disability populations (Thompson-
Hoffman, S. Fitzgerald Storck, I. (Eds.), Disability in the United 
States: A Portrait from National Data (1991); and serving as a 
consultation and review resource for other public and private agencies

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designing surveys of individuals with disabilities. The ISDS also has 
facilitated a substantial amount of sharing and exchange of information 
among member agencies, and joint funding of projects among these 
agencies.

Structure of the Plan

    The Plan is divided into three parts. Part A includes this 
introduction and a chapter on NIDRR's target population. NIDRR has, by 
law, a number of target populations, including people with disabilities 
and their families; individuals who provide vocational rehabilitation, 
or medical, technological and direct support services; educators; 
policymakers; businesses; and the general public. However, people with 
disabilities clearly are intended to be the ultimate beneficiaries of 
all NIDRR activities, and the next chapter focuses on defining and 
describing that population.
    Part B addresses accountability, management, and evaluation through 
the use of a logic model and a strategy of ``managing for results.'' 
The NIDRR Logic Model provides a theoretical base for the evaluation of 
program outcomes, and will serve to ensure consistency throughout a 
planning and feedback cycle. In ``managing for results,'' NIDRR 
presents its strategy for making its operations more systematic and 
responsive to the concerns of all its constituents. The management 
chapter focuses on setting regular, fixed dates for the steps of annual 
grants competitions--announcement of priorities and closing dates, peer 
reviews, and grant award announcements--and establishing standing 
panels for consistency and expertise in peer review. Additionally, 
NIDRR will focus on setting priorities that encourage greater leeway 
for applicants in designing research. NIDRR will be enhancing its 
monitoring and evaluation processes to provide continuous feedback to 
improve its research portfolio.
    Part C discusses three arenas of outcomes achievement: Research and 
development (R&D), knowledge translation (KT) and capacity building (C-
B). The R&D arena is divided according to the domains of NIDRR 
research--employment, health and function, technology for access and 
function, participation and community living, and disability 
demographics.
    The R&D arena is subdivided into stages of knowledge development 
which include: Discoveries; theories, measures and methods; and 
interventions, products and devices, and environmental modifications. 
Under each of these arenas, NIDRR will develop a set of implementation 
strategies that will identify potential research that could address the 
anticipated outcomes in the given domain. NIDRR will publish these 
implementation strategies as proposed priorities and, following public 
comment, final priorities annually, on a combined basis.
    The Knowledge Translation (KT) chapter discusses the arena of KT 
and introduces reforms in NIDRR's current knowledge dissemination 
program. The new approach to KT features a process for assessing the 
scientific validity of findings to be transferred, using consortia and 
other external organizations for evaluation.
    In the arena of capacity building (C-B), NIDRR has focused its 
efforts on the personal and professional development of scientists, 
advocates, and people with disabilities, and is expanding this approach 
to include development of the capacity of institutions and 
organizations, especially those that address the needs of underserved 
populations.
    Appendix 1 to this Plan lists the NIDRR 2005-2009 Long-Range Plan 
steering committee members.

The Target Population: Definitions and Characteristics

Definitions of Disability

    The ICDR, based on a survey of publicly available documents, 
identified more than 60 definitions of disability in the Federal 
Government alone, generally related to eligibility requirements for 
benefits or services, but also reflected in major national surveys that 
determine the Nation's estimates of disability. NIDRR is governed by 
the definitions in Title II of the Act. The definition that applies to 
Title II describes a person with a disability as: ``any person who (i) 
has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or 
more major life activities, (ii) has a record of such an impairment, or 
(iii) is regarded as having such an impairment'' (29 U.S.C. 705).
    NIDRR is required to focus especially on experiences of individuals 
with the most significant disabilities. The Act defines an individual 
with a significant disability in functional terms, the resulting need 
for multiple vocational rehabilitation services over an extended period 
of time, and indicates that the definition includes, but is not limited 
to, a list of specific conditions (29 U.S.C.705). Multiple services 
over an extended period of time include accommodations needed during 
the rehabilitation process and/or during subsequent employment. Under 
this definition of as individual with a significant disability, NIDRR 
is concerned with finding research solutions for people with all types 
of disabilities--mobility and manipulation, sensory, cognitive and 
emotional. The target population includes individuals of all ages. 
Section 21 of the Act requires specific attention to underserved 
populations, those individuals with disabilities who are additionally 
marginalized by membership in minority racial or ethnic populations.
    Prevailing definitions of disability used by Federal agencies do 
not reflect the new paradigm of disability concepts because the Federal 
definitions typically stress limitations and do not mention the 
potential role of accommodations or environmental conditions. The field 
of disability and rehabilitation research also continues to lack a 
widely accepted conceptual framework to identify and measure 
disability. The newer conceptual frameworks all focus on some continuum 
that progresses from etiology through disease, impairments and 
functional limitations, which, when combined with external or 
environmental conditions, may cause deficits in the performance of 
daily activities or desired social roles. The latest proposal for 
classifying disability is the International Classification of 
Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) developed by the World Health 
Organization (WHO), and last revised in 2001.\3\ A diagram of the ICF 
classification schema can be found at https://www.cessi.net/
longrangeplan/icf.htm.
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    \3\ The ICF represents a revision of the International 
Classification of Impairments, Disabilities, and Handicaps (ICIDH), 
which was first published by the WHO for trial purposes in 1980. 
Developed after systematic field trials and international 
consultation, it was endorsed by the Fifty-fourth World Health 
Assembly for international use on 22 May 2001 (resolution WHA54.21). 
https://www3.who.int/icf/intros/ICF-Eng-Intro.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The ICF allows one to view disability as a dynamic interaction 
between the person and the environment. ICF's diagram of its 
classification schema depicts the multiple interactions of the person 
with the environment, and the various aspects of the person. The ICF 
provides a method for organizing measures of function, activity, 
participation and environmental context. NIDRR and many of its partner 
agencies are considering the appropriateness of applying the ICF to 
U.S. populations, and are engaged in assessments of the necessary 
measurement tools and data systems. A later chapter of this Plan, 
Disability

[[Page 43527]]

Demographics, presents a more thorough discussion of the ICF.

Prevalence of Disability

    Current figures on the number of people with disabilities in the 
United States indicate an estimated 54 million individuals have 
disabilities, based on definitions employed in national surveys, and 
self-reported responses to them. General definitions and descriptions 
of the target population, in terms of the domains of NIDRR research--
employment, health and function, participation and community living, 
and technology for access and function--are provided in this section. A 
later chapter of the Plan includes an analysis of the data in current 
measurement systems, and identifies gaps to be addressed by future 
research.
    General descriptors of NIDRR's target population, drawn from data 
about the disabled population, show that disability is closely related 
to aging and poverty. Persons with disabilities are more likely to be 
elderly, poor, of low educational status, and unemployed than those 
with no disabilities. People with disabilities are less likely to 
participate in community and social activities and are more likely to 
lack adequate transportation. However, persons with disabilities are 
about as likely as those without disabilities to have health insurance 
(relying heavily on Medicare and Medicaid) and somewhat more likely to 
have an identified source of health care. The disabled population is 
not monolithic, and there are many variations based on type of 
disability and age of onset, for example, as well as on the demographic 
characteristics mentioned here.
    Tables 1 and 2 describe the overall disabled population--its size, 
age and race distributions, and the frequency of conditions underlying 
the disabilities. Table 3 includes type of disability in the 
characterization. These tables are from the U.S. Census Bureau, Census 
2000, Summary File 3.

           Table 1.--Prevalence of Disability by Age and Race
                       [Percent with a disability]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                         Total
                                      population    5 and   5  16    65
Race and Hispanic or Latino origin    aged 5 and    older  to  to   and
                                         older             15  64  older
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total.............................     257,167,527  19.3   5.  18  41.9
                                                           8   .6
White alone.......................     195,100,538  18.5   5.  16  40.6
                                                           6   .8
Black or African American alone...      30,297,703  24.3   7   26  52.8
                                                               .4
American Indian and Alaska Native        2,187,507  24.3   7.  27  57.6
 alone............................                         7
Asian alone.......................       9,455,058  16.6   2.  16  40.8
                                                           9   .9
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific          337,996   19    5.  21  48.5
 Islander alone...................                         1
Some other race alone.............      13,581,921  19.9   5.  23  50.4
                                                           2   .5
Two or more races.................       6,206,804  21.7   7.  25  51.8
                                                           1   .1
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)..      31,041,269  20.9   5.  24  48.5
                                                           4
White alone, not Hispanic or           180,151,084  18.3   5.  16  40.4
 Latino...........................                         7   .2
------------------------------------------------------------------------


                              Table 2.--Prevalence of Disability by Age and Gender
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          Total                                      Males                      Females
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  Number           %          Number           %          Number           %
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Population 5 years and over.     257,167,527       100       124,636,825       100       132,530,702       100
With any disability.........      49,746,248        19.3      24,439,531        19.6      25,306,717        19.1
Population 5 to 15 years....      45,133,667       100.0      23,125,324       100.0      22,008,343       100.0
With any disability.........       2,614,919         5.8       1,666,230         7.2         948,689         4.3
Population 16 to 64 years...     178,687,234       100.0      87,570,583       100.0      91,116,651       100.0
With any disability.........      33,153,211        18.6      17,139,019        19.6      16,014,192        17.6
Population 65 years and over      33,346,626       100.0      13,940,918       100.0      19,405,708       100.0
With any disability.........      13,978,118        41.9       5,634,282        40.4       8,343,836        43.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The following table, Table 3, presents information about three 
categories of disability--sensory, physical, and mental--by age and 
gender. The table also includes additional information about major life 
activities. Thus, these are not unduplicated counts, and the totals 
exceed the estimated number of individuals who have disabilities.

 Table 3.--Characteristics of the Civilian Non-institutionalized Population by Age, Disability Status, and Type
                                               of Disability: 2000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          Total                                      Males                      Females
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  Number           %          Number           %          Number           %
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Population 5 years and over.     257,167,527       100       124,636,825       100       132,530,702       100
With any disability.........      49,746,248        19.3      24,439,531        19.6      25,306,717        19.1
Population 5 to 15 years....      45,133,667       100.0      23,125,324       100.0      22,008,343       100.0
With any disability.........       2,614,919         5.8       1,666,230         7.2         948,689         4.3
Sensory.....................         442,894         1.0         242,706         1.0         200,188         0.9
Physical....................         455,461         1.0         251,852         1.1         203,609         0.9
Mental......................       2,078,502         4.6       1,387,393         6.0         691,109         3.1
Self-care...................         419,018         0.9         244,824         1.1         174,194         0.8

[[Page 43528]]

 
Population 16 to 64 years...     178,687,234       100.0      87,570,583       100.0      91,116,651       100.0
With any disability.........      33,153,211        18.6      17,139,019        19.6      16,014,192        17.6
Sensory.....................       4,123,902         2.3       2,388,121         2.7       1,735,781         1.9
Physical....................      11,150,365         6.2       5,279,731         6.0       5,870,634         6.4
Mental......................       6,764,439         3.8       3,434,631         3.9       3,329,808         3.7
Self-care...................       3,149,875         1.8       1,463,184         1.7       1,686,691         1.9
Going outside the home......      11,414,508         6.4       5,569,362         6.4       5,845,146         6.4
Employment disability.......      21,287,570        11.9      11,373,786        13.0       9,913,784        10.9
Population 65 years and over      33,346,626       100.0      13,940,918       100.0      19,405,708       100.0
With any disability.........      13,978,118        41.9       5,634,282        40.4       8,343,836        43.0
Sensory.....................       4,738,479        14.2       2,177,216        15.6       2,561,263        13.2
Physical....................       9,545,680        28.6       3,590,139        25.8       5,955,541        30.7
Mental......................       3,592,912        10.8       1,380,060         9.9       2,212,852        11.4
Self-care...................       3,183,840         9.5       1,044,910         7.5       2,138,930        11.0
Going outside the home......       6,795,517        20.4       2,339,128        16.8       4,456,389        23.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part B: Managing for Success

Preface

    This section of the Plan contains two chapters. The first chapter 
describes NIDRR's logic model for outcomes achievement, which has 
served as the basis of development of the Plan.
    The second chapter details the systematic approaches NIDRR intends 
to pursue to advance the management of the Institute's operations. A 
central feature is a move toward a fixed competition schedule. The 
second chapter also describes efforts to enhance NIDRR's scientific 
review process, and the emphasis on outcomes evaluation.

I. NIDRR Logic Model

Introduction

    NIDRR has based the development of the Plan on its mission 
statement. The mission statement emphasizes participation in the 
community by persons with disabilities as the overall objective of 
NIDRR's investment activities. NIDRR's mission statement was derived 
from the enabling legislation for NIDRR. In developing its research 
agenda, NIDRR drew upon accountability guidelines from the Department 
and OMB, which focus on outcomes of research activities.
    To provide a theoretical framework for the Plan and guide its 
implementation, NIDRR developed its program Logic Model (see Appendix 
2), which represents graphically the different types of short-term and 
intermediate outcomes that NIDRR's investments in R&D are designed to 
produce or contribute to and the interrelationships among these 
intended outcomes. The Logic Model also serves as the framework for 
depicting NIDRR's planned performance assessment and outcomes 
evaluation processes, which are key to demonstrating the Institute's 
accountability for research results. The width and density of the 
upward-directed arrows, at the bottom of the Logic Model diagram, 
indicate that the degree of accountability and hence intensity of NIDRR 
efforts in assessment and evaluation is greatest for the short-term 
outcome arenas.

How the NIDRR Logic Model Contributes to the Long-Range Plan

    The value of any logic model is that it provides:
     A tool for outcomes planning and performance management 
that depicts the ``chain of events'' linking outcome goals to outputs, 
activities and inputs.
     A vehicle for communicating program goals and guiding 
program improvement and evaluation.
     A graphic representation or ``blueprint'' of the key 
elements of a program or intervention, and how these elements will work 
under certain conditions to ``solve'' identified problems.

Definitions of Components of the NIDRR Logic Model

Situation

    The uppermost block in the Logic Model, labeled ``situation,'' 
highlights the gaps in knowledge, skills, policy and practice that 
hinder attainment of parity in employment, health and function, and 
participation for people with disabilities compared to the non-disabled 
population (see Appendix 2). The Logic Model depicts the short-term and 
intermediate outcomes that NIDRR seeks to achieve directly and 
indirectly through its investments in research and related activities 
to eliminate these gaps and inform needed changes in policy, practice, 
behavior, and system capacity. These advancements and changes, in turn, 
contribute to the long-term outcome of improving the lives of people 
with disabilities.

Major Domains of NIDRR Mission

    The substantive focus of NIDRR's investment activity is R&D applied 
to maximizing the participation of people with disabilities. This 
activity is centered on the three major life domains of interest to 
NIDRR: (a) Employment, (b) participation and community living, and (c) 
health and function. In the Logic Model, interlocking circles represent 
these inter-related domains (see Appendix 2). The achievement of goals 
related to the three major life domains is facilitated by technology, 
which addresses both access and function, and knowledge of the 
demographics of disability, including characteristics and trends in the 
population of people with disabilities. Policymakers, service 
providers, researchers, and disability advocates are the principal 
users of demographic data. NIDRR is uniquely positioned to address 
these inter-connected domains.
    The employment circle of the Logic Model represents research on 
employment-related activities and strategies to improve employment 
outcomes and labor force participation. Lack of parity in employment 
remains one of the greatest barriers to independence for people with 
disabilities. Research is needed on strategies to enable Americans with 
disabilities to access careers, integrate into the workforce, and 
participate as full citizens in the economic marketplace. Employment, 
although an integral part of community participation, is treated as a 
separate

[[Page 43529]]

domain because of NIDRR's statutory relationship with the Federal-State 
vocational rehabilitation program, and because of its overwhelming 
significance to people with disabilities and society.
    The participation and community living circle of the Logic Model 
represents the interaction with the social and built environment in a 
way that maximizes full inclusion and integration of people with 
disabilities. This domain focuses on direct supports that increase the 
availability of acceptable options and opportunities to make choices 
and enhance participation in everyday activities. For the promise of 
full participation and community living to become a reality, people 
with disabilities need safe and affordable housing, access to 
transportation, access to the political process, and access to the 
services, programs and activities offered to all members of the 
community at public and private facilities.
    The health and function circle of the Logic Model represents 
individual factors such as the structure and function of the human 
body, as well as strategies to prevent, identify, assess or resolve 
causes and consequences of disability. In this domain, as in the 
others, NIDRR stresses the importance of individual choice--choosing 
providers, services and objectives. The health and function domain 
encompasses research to achieve outcomes at the individual level--
improved functioning, fitness, and health, including mental health. 
This domain also addresses goals at the system level, such as more 
effective service delivery systems, better access (financial and 
logistical) to health care services, and the assessment of 
rehabilitation effectiveness.
    The outer ring of the Logic Model includes two additional domains: 
technology for access and function and demographics of disability. 
Technology for access and function is essential to community 
integration, employment, and health and function, and plays a major 
role in enabling a good fit between individuals with disabilities and 
the environment. The domain of demographics of disability emphasizes 
describing and characterizing people with disabilities to provide a 
better understanding of the phenomenon of disability. Improved 
statistics on disability and participation are critical to developing 
policies and strategies that will be effective in addressing barriers 
to participation faced by individuals with disabilities, and in 
assessing the Nation's progress in improving life outcomes for 
individuals with disabilities.

Long-term Outcomes

    Generally, outcomes refer to anticipated or actual changes in a 
target system that occurs from carrying out program activities and 
outputs. Long-term outcomes are the desired end-results of a program at 
the societal level; long-term outcomes are indicated by changes in 
overall conditions of the target population. Given their scope, long-
term outcomes go beyond the direct or indirect influence and control of 
any one agency. Because of this, NIDRR is not accountable for 
producing, by itself, societal level improvements in the overall 
conditions of people with disabilities. Rather, the Institute's long-
term outcomes, which focus on eliminating disparities in employment, 
participation and community living, and health and function, serve as 
critical anchor points guiding all strategic planning and research 
management efforts. Consistent with the Act, NIDRR's span of 
accountability centers on generating, promoting and disseminating 
short-term outcomes that consist of new knowledge resulting from the 
combined accomplishments of its grantees. These short-term outcomes, 
when combined with KT activities, can be used to inform policy, change 
practice and behavior, and expand system capacity, which in turn will 
contribute to improving the lives of individuals of all ages with 
disabilities.

Short-Term Outcome Arenas

    Short-term outcomes refer to advancements in understanding, 
knowledge, skills and learning systems that result from the successful 
implementation of program activities and the use of R&D related 
outputs. Within the Logic Model and in the context of disability and 
rehabilitation research, there are three short-term outcome arenas, 
corresponding to NIDRR's investments in three functional programs. 
These functional arenas are: (1) C-B (2) R&D; and (3) KT, corresponding 
to NIDRR's three strategic goals (See Part C). Given its centrality to 
the NIDRR mission, the R&D arena is further divided to reflect three 
stages of knowledge development. The three stages recognize that 
advancements in knowledge may occur through (a) discoveries, (b) new or 
improved theories, measures and methods, or (c) interventions, 
products, devices, and environmental adaptations. The generation of new 
knowledge in this short-term outcomes block is the primary area of 
direct responsibility for which NIDRR holds itself accountable.
    Although the three strategic goals are discussed separately in Part 
C of the Plan, they are inextricably intertwined, in that research is 
supported by C-B and feeds KT, but the process is not linear. 
Inevitably, the generation of new knowledge raises new questions, calls 
for new skills and leads to further discoveries, theories and 
interventions, multiplying the efficacy of NIDRR's investment.

Research and Development

    R&D is divided into three generally sequential, but closely 
related, outcome arenas, corresponding to stages in knowledge 
development. Characteristically, research begins with significant 
discoveries (stage one) and moves through theory, measure and method 
development (stage two) ultimately to enable the development of 
effective new and improved interventions, products and devices, and 
environmental adaptations (stage three). In this context, a product may 
be a new device or technique. An adaptation may include methods to 
improve physical, behavioral or virtual environments.
    The first two stages--discoveries and new or improved theories, 
measures and methods--provide the critical foundation for new ideas, 
information, analyses, and scientific tools (i.e., theories, measures, 
methods) upon which to base the conduct of valid and reliable research 
and development activity. NIDRR will shape future priorities based on 
considerations of the state of knowledge development in a particular 
subject area to determine, for example, if an adequate theoretical 
basis exists upon which an intervention can be developed.

Capacity Building

    NIDRR will focus its specific C-B activities primarily on the need 
to train new investigators to enable them to pursue topics of 
importance to NIDRR's research agenda, and to otherwise increase the 
capacity of the system to carry out complex studies. The Institute's 
training agenda includes cross-training of individuals already skilled 
in other disciplines in topics relevant to disability issues, and 
training of promising young investigators, with particular emphasis on 
underrepresented groups and persons with disabilities to facilitate 
their participation in the research process. In addition, NIDRR 
specifically supports institutional C-B through targeted initiatives. 
Finally, NIDRR plays an active leadership role throughout the 
Department and the Federal government in raising

[[Page 43530]]

awareness of the needs of people with disabilities and issues of 
equity.

Knowledge Translation

    Equally critical to NIDRR's mission is the ability to effectively 
translate and transfer the knowledge and products generated through R&D 
activities. NIDRR must successfully disseminate this information for 
use by intended target audiences, including individuals with 
disabilities and their families and caregivers. Indeed, NIDRR will 
include an assessment of the potential for translation of knowledge 
gained through the project to the target audiences in considering new 
projects for support. KT includes the important work of technology 
transfer that directly promotes the widespread commercialization and 
utilization of research results. Previously referred to as the 
``Knowledge Dissemination and Utilization (KDU)'' component of NIDRR's 
agenda, this arena has been renamed KT to reflect the evolution of 
translation science as a field and increased emphasis in the Federal 
government on the importance of systematic review and synthesis of R&D 
results.

Intermediate Beneficiaries

    This component refers to the immediate intended beneficiaries of 
NIDRR products and services as well as the recipients of the outputs 
and outcomes generated by NIDRR-funded grantees. This array of 
recipients includes individuals with disabilities and family members, 
researchers, clinicians and engineers, educators, service providers, 
product developers, policy experts and decision-makers, Federal and 
non-federal partners, industry representatives, employers, media, and 
consumer advocates.

Intermediate Outcome Arenas

    Intermediate outcomes refer to changes in policy, practice, 
behavior, and system capacity that occur in part as a result of the 
external use or adoption of NIDRR-funded outputs and advances in 
knowledge. Unlike short-term outcomes, intermediate outcomes are under 
the indirect influence of program activities and outputs and consist of 
changes in decision-making and societal action. Because of the multiple 
influences on these intermediate outcomes, NIDRR can only partially 
influence these outcomes, and thus cannot be held accountable to the 
same degree as for short-term outcomes.

Intended Beneficiaries

    The intended beneficiaries of NIDRR's overall investments are 
people with disabilities and their families. These individuals may 
benefit either directly, or more likely, indirectly through changes in 
policy, practice, behavior and system capacity brought about through 
NIDRR's investments. The of purpose of NIDRR's activities, as described 
above in discussing the Long-term Outcomes, is the elimination of 
disparities in employment, participation and community living, and 
health and function. Intended beneficiaries include people with 
impairments or limitations in mobility, communications, cognition, and 
behavior.

Performance Assessment & Outcomes Evaluation

    The last component of the NIDRR Logic Model depicts NIDRR's multi-
level evaluation system. The intensity of the assessment and evaluation 
efforts is proportional to the thickness of the arrows of the Logic 
Model, and is greatest for short-term outcomes (see Appendix 2). 
Performance assessment takes place annually and is focused on 
evaluating grantee progress and the quality and relevance of the 
aggregate of R&D findings and accomplishments. Moreover, the 
performance assessment identifies the strengths and weaknesses of 
portfolio areas, which are defined as clusters of projects in NIDRR's 
domains and the Institute's program funding mechanisms. Data from these 
annual performance assessment and portfolio reviews are used to satisfy 
GPRA and PART requirements and inform program improvement efforts. 
Outcomes evaluation, in contrast, occurs periodically and is focused 
primarily on a retrospective assessment of the long-term achievements 
in a portfolio area relative to both short-term and intermediate 
outcomes, as well as any contributions at the societal level toward 
improving the overall condition of people with disabilities. Both types 
of evaluations are performed by independent review panels comprised of 
scientists, engineers, clinicians, service providers, policy analysts, 
industry representatives, consumer advocates, individuals with 
disabilities, and family members.

Contextual Factors

    Some of the factors that may change the activities implemented by 
NIDRR, either directly or indirectly, are called ``contextual factors'' 
and are shown at the base of the Logic Model (see Appendix 2). Changes 
may be mandated directly in changing policies or indirectly in a 
changing environment that might require new strategies. The contextual 
factors include variable funding, scientific and technological 
advancements, societal attitudes, economic conditions, changing public 
policies, and coordination and cooperation with other government 
entities.

II. Managing for Results

A. Overview

    In this chapter, NIDRR presents the management agenda for 
implementing its disability and rehabilitation research portfolio. 
Management of NIDRR research programs and projects encompasses many 
distinct aspects: Provision of a results-oriented planning environment, 
selection and scheduling of priorities, operation of program mechanisms 
to carry out research and related activities, organization and 
monitoring of projects, and support for interagency and international 
research efforts.
    To further advance the management of research and related 
activities, NIDRR is developing plans to improve its grant-making 
procedures and to expand the scope and enhance the effectiveness of its