Request for Information on the Future Direction of the Rehabilitation Training Program, 66959-66962 [2012-27332]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 217 (Thursday, November 8, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66959-66962]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-27332]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No: ED-2012-OSERS-0037]


Request for Information on the Future Direction of the 
Rehabilitation Training Program

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

ACTION: Request for information.

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SUMMARY: The Department is requesting input to revitalize its training 
and technical assistance (TA) activities funded under the 
Rehabilitation Training Program. The Department will use the 
information and data gathered in response to this notice to support the 
design and implementation of future training and TA that is aligned 
with the current and future economic trends, reflects the needs of 
vocational rehabilitation (VR) consumers and ensures that VR counselors 
are equipped with new and emerging skills. The goal of these training 
and TA activities is to increase the achievement of high-quality 
integrated employment for individuals with disabilities.

DATES: We must receive your submission at or before January 7, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Submit your response to this RFI through the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand 
delivery. We will not accept submissions by fax or by email. To ensure 
that we do not receive duplicate copies, please submit your comments 
only one time. In addition, please include the Docket ID and the term 
``Future Direction of the Rehabilitation Training Program'' at the top 
of your comments.
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov to submit 
your comments electronically. Information on using Regulations.gov, 
including instructions for accessing agency documents, submitting 
comments, and viewing the docket, is available on the site under ``How 
To Use This Site.''
    Postal Mail, Commercial Delivery, or Hand Delivery: If you mail or 
deliver your comments, address them to Roseann Ashby, Office of Special 
Education and Rehabilitative Services, Attention: Future Direction of 
Rehabilitation Training Program, U.S. Department of Education, 400 
Maryland Avenue SW., Potomac Center Plaza (PCP), Room 5055, Washington, 
DC 20202-2800.
    Privacy Note: The Department's policy for comments received from 
members of the public (including comments submitted by mail, commercial 
delivery, or hand delivery) is to make these submissions available for 
public viewing in their entirety on the Federal eRulemaking Portal at: 
www.regulations.gov. Therefore, commenters should be careful to include 
in their comments only information that they wish to make publicly 
available on the Internet.
    Given the subject matter, some comments may include proprietary 
information as it relates to confidential commercial information. The 
Freedom of Information Act defines ``confidential commercial 
information'' as information the disclosure of which could reasonably 
be expected to cause substantial competitive harm. You may wish to 
request that we not disclose what you regard as confidential commercial 
information.
    To assist us in making a determination on your request, we 
encourage you to identify in your submission any specific information 
that you consider confidential commercial information. Please list the 
information by page and paragraph numbers.

[[Page 66960]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: RoseAnn Ashby, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., PCP, Room 5055, Washington, DC 
20202-2800. Telephone: (202) 245-7258.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-
800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Rehabilitation Training Program is 
authorized by Title III of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended 
(Rehabilitation Act), and is administered by the Rehabilitation 
Services Administration (RSA) of the Office of Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services.
    Through this Request for Information (RFI), the Department is 
seeking input across four areas:
    (1) The preparation of rehabilitation professionals through the 
Rehabilitation Long-Term Training Program.
    (2) Methods for disseminating information to rehabilitation 
professionals, including grant-funded information, promising practices, 
and research.
    (3) Mechanisms for providing TA and continuing education (CE) to VR 
professionals, State agencies, and other grantees.
    (4) Use of the set-aside under section 21 of the Rehabilitation Act 
to (a) improve services to individuals with disabilities who are 
members of minority groups; and (b) conduct outreach and technical 
assistance to minority entities to promote their participation in 
activities funded under the Rehabilitation Act.
    We are issuing this RFI solely for informational and planning 
purposes. This notice is not a request for proposals (RFP) or a promise 
to issue an RFP or a notice inviting applications (NIA). Further, the 
RFI does not commit the Department to contract for any supply or 
service. At this time, we are not seeking proposals and will not accept 
unsolicited proposals. We will not pay for any information or 
administrative costs a respondent may incur in responding to this RFI.
    If you do not respond to this RFI, you may still apply for future 
contracts and grants. The Department posts RFPs on the Federal Business 
Opportunities Web site: www.fbo.gov. The Department announces grant 
competitions in the Federal Register at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. It is your 
responsibility to monitor these sites to determine whether the 
Department issues an RFP or NIA after considering the information 
received in response to this RFI.
    The documents and information submitted in response to this RFI 
become the property of the U.S. Government and will not be returned.

Context for Responses

    The Department is interested in responses that contain data, 
specific examples, and other relevant documentation to support the 
Department in revitalizing its training and TA activities. The 
Department is not seeking letters of support in each of the four 
targeted areas. Rather, it is the Department's expectation that 
respondents will consider the questions RSA has developed in the 
context of their responses. A response to each question is not 
required.
    The Department is seeking responses from a knowledgeable and 
diverse range of individuals including but not limited to the 
following--
    (1) State VR agency staff, including directors, supervisors, and 
counselors;
    (2) Current or former project directors or principal investigators 
of grants funded under the Rehabilitation Training Program;
    (3) Recipients of TA and CE provided by a Technical Assistance and 
Continuing Education (TACE) Center;
    (4) Users of materials posted on the Web site currently maintained 
by the National Clearinghouse of Rehabilitation Training Materials 
(NCRTM);
    (5) Contributors of materials posted on the Web site currently 
maintained by NCRTM;
    (6) Current and former scholars funded under the Rehabilitation 
Long-Term Training Program;
    (7) Recipients of TA currently provided under grants funded by the 
set-aside under section 21 of the Rehabilitation Act; and
    (8) Consumers.

I. Rehabilitation Long-Term Training Program

    The Rehabilitation Long-Term Training Program supports academic 
training grants awarded to colleges and universities with undergraduate 
and graduate programs in the field of rehabilitation. Grantees must 
direct 75 percent of the funds they receive to trainee scholarships. 
The Rehabilitation Act requires trainees who receive assistance either 
(1) to work two years in public or private nonprofit rehabilitation or 
related agencies for every year of assistance, or (2) to pay back the 
assistance they received.
    Grantees must build close relationships with State VR agencies, 
promote careers in VR, identify potential employers who would meet the 
trainees' payback requirements, and ensure that data on the employment 
of students are accurate.
    The Department currently funds 153 grants under the long-term 
training program. These grants support bachelors', masters', and 
doctoral programs, as well as certificate programs. Some grants support 
more than one degree. The breakdown of the degree programs offered by 
the 153 grants follows:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     Number of       Number of       Number of
         Specialty area              Number of       Number of      Bachelors'       Masters'        Doctoral
                                     Grantees     Cert. programs     programs        programs        programs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rehabilitation Counseling                     81               2               1              74              12
 (H129B)........................
Rehabilitation Administration                  1               1               0               0               0
 (H129C)........................
Rehabilitation Technology                      4               3               1               3               1
 (H129E)........................
Vocational Evaluation (H129F)...               7               0               1               6               0
Rehabilitation of Individuals                 10               1               0              10               3
 with Mental Illnesses (H129H)..
Rehabilitation Psychology                      2               1               0               1               1
 (H129J)........................
Undergraduate Education in                     5               0               5               0               0
 Rehabilitation (H129L).........
Rehabilitation of Individuals                 15               9               1              14               0
 Who Are Blind or Who Have Low
 Vision (H129P).................
Rehabilitation of Individuals                  7               3               0               7               0
 Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
 (H129Q)........................
Job Placement and Job                          9               2               0               7               0
 Development (H129R)............

[[Page 66961]]

 
Grants to Assist VR Agency Staff              11               5               0              11               0
 to Meet Comprehensive System of
 Personnel Development (CSPD)
 Requirements (H129W)...........
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Current data indicate that only about 80 percent of the individuals 
who are provided scholarships under these programs and who graduate 
with masters' degrees obtain employment that qualifies to repay their 
service obligation, and slightly fewer than 50 percent of these 
individuals obtain employment in State VR agencies.
    The following questions examine the Department's pre-service 
programs that prepare rehabilitation professionals. Responses will 
assist the Department in designing funding priorities for grants funded 
under the Rehabilitation Long-Term Training Program that--
    (1) Reflect current knowledge and skills needed by rehabilitation 
professionals;
    (2) Effectively link the employment needs of individuals with 
disabilities with current workforce demands;
    (3) Demonstrate cost-effective practices; and
    (4) Address personnel shortages in the field of rehabilitation 
counseling.
    1.1. In your State or local area, what are the current and 
projected employment opportunities in the field of rehabilitation 
counseling and related specialty areas, and what are the degree 
requirements for these employment opportunities (e.g., bachelor's, 
master's, or doctoral)?
    1.2. What are your recommendations for adding new specialty areas 
to the list of eleven specialty areas the Department currently funds, 
eliminating some specialty areas, or combining two or more specialty 
areas?
    1.3. Should the Department continue to fund bachelor's-level 
programs, and, if so, in what specialty areas?
    1.4. Should the Department continue to fund doctoral programs, and, 
if so, in what specialty areas?
    1.5. Currently, the Department supports certificate programs (e.g., 
a certificate in vocational evaluation and work adjustment, a 
certificate in rehabilitation counseling for the deaf, and a 
certificate in psychiatric vocational rehabilitation). What certificate 
programs, if any, should the Department fund? Should the Department 
support a stand-alone certificate program, or should the Department 
support a certificate program only when it is incorporated into a 
degree program?
    1.6. How do rehabilitation counseling degree programs ensure that 
they are adequately preparing rehabilitation counselors to meet skill 
demands now and in the future?
    1.7. How do universities ensure that programs to support employed 
State VR agency staff remain current and effective in meeting State VR 
agency's CSPD requirements?
    1.8. In recent years a number of rehabilitation counseling programs 
have closed. What could the Department do to support the continuation 
of viable programs? For example, should the Department fund a model for 
training rehabilitation counselors that involves collaboration among 
several universities across one or more geographic areas?
    1.9. How can the Department increase the percentage of students (a) 
who complete a rehabilitation counseling program, (b) who obtain 
qualifying employment after completing the program, and (c) who obtain 
employment in State VR agencies?
    1.10. Currently the Department provides universities with grants of 
$150,000 annually for rehabilitation counseling programs and grants of 
$100,000 annually for the other specialty areas. At least 75 percent of 
these grant funds are to be used for scholarships. Are these funding 
levels appropriate?
    1.11. Universities vary in the amount of scholarship funds they 
provide. Some cover all or part of tuition and fees, others also cover 
books, and still others provide stipends for living expenses. What 
expenses should these scholarships cover? Should universities award 
more substantial scholarships to fewer scholars rather than varied 
amounts to a number of scholars? Would this approach increase overall 
outcomes in terms of successful completion of the rehabilitation 
counseling program and in obtaining employment that qualifies to repay 
the students' service obligations?
    1.12. What do you anticipate will be the cost to fund tuition and 
stipends for a scholar in the next 5 to 10 years? Based on this cost, 
approximately how many scholars could be adequately served with a 
$750,000 grant (i.e., $150,000 each year for five years)?

II. Dissemination

    The Department funds the National Clearinghouse of Rehabilitation 
Training Materials (NCRTM) at $300,000 annually. The NCRTM is a central 
repository for information and training materials to assist in the pre-
service and in-service training of rehabilitation professionals. The 
NCRTM also responds to inquiries from researchers, Federal and State 
agencies, and individuals with disabilities and their families. The 
NCRTM reported 66,607 visits to its Web site in FY 2011, and 6,558 
documents downloaded. The NCRTM also arranges for webinars at the 
request of RSA.
    The Department is seeking information about the need for and use of 
a centralized repository of rehabilitation training materials, as well 
as information on how a national clearinghouse can be used to benefit 
rehabilitation professionals, particularly those working in State VR 
agencies and in community rehabilitation programs. The following 
questions are designed to support respondents in thinking about what 
technology and information is necessary for a state-of-the-art 
centralized repository of rehabilitation training materials:
    2.1. Should RSA continue to fund a centralized repository of 
rehabilitation training materials?
    2.2. How have you used materials available on the NCRTM Web site? 
Did you customize these materials for your own use? Did these materials 
support your work as a grantee, as a professional in the field of 
rehabilitation counseling, as a student, etc.?
    2.3. If you have not used materials available on the NCRTM Web 
site, why not? Were you unaware of the Web site? Did you access the Web 
site and find the materials and information there limited, unhelpful, 
or of low quality?
    2.4. What rehabilitation training materials currently missing from 
the NCRTM site would be beneficial to grantees, students, counselors, 
employers, job seekers, etc.?
    2.5. How can the dissemination of rehabilitation training materials 
be improved?
    2.6. What new functions could a national clearinghouse provide to 
meet your needs?

[[Page 66962]]

    2.7. What new technologies might be used to disseminate information 
to rehabilitation professionals to keep their skills current?

III. Technical Assistance and Continuing Education

    The Department currently funds 10 regional TACE Centers, each at 
just under $800,000 annually, to provide TA and CE to State VR agencies 
and their partners. The Department also supports a National Technical 
Assistance Project to provide TA on topics of national scope through a 
variety of methods, including conferences and webinars. This one-time, 
two-year grant was awarded in FY 2010 for $800,000. The following 
questions are designed to obtain information and feedback that reflects 
future delivery and coordination of TA and CE that will directly result 
in high-quality employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities.
    3.1. How do providers and recipients of TA and CE assess TA and CE 
needs, and how can the needs assessment process be improved?
    3.2. What are the most important TA needs for State VR agencies and 
other grantees, and what are the most effective and efficient ways for 
TA to be delivered?
    3.3. What are the most critical CE needs of State VR agencies and 
other grantees, and what are the effective and efficient ways to 
provide CE?
    3.4. Are current Federal funding levels for addressing TA needs and 
delivering CE adequate?
    3.5. What is the best structure for delivering TA and CE (e.g., a 
system comprised of centers providing TA on topical areas such as 
program management or quality assurance, a system of regional TA 
Centers, or a combination of these or other structures)?
    3.6. How can national collaboration among all TA and CE providers 
be improved so that the resources devoted to TA and CE are efficiently 
and effectively used?
    3.7. How should disability and employment research and evaluation 
on promising and evidenced-based practices be incorporated into TA and 
CE?
    3.8. What outcomes should we expect from a TA and CE delivery 
system, and what performance measures can effectively measure these 
outcomes?

IV. Use of Section 21 Set-Aside

    Research indicates that individuals with disabilities who are 
members of minority groups are less likely to access VR services and 
achieve employment outcomes at lower rates than other individuals with 
disabilities. Funds made available under section 21 of the 
Rehabilitation Act are intended to improve services and outcomes for 
individuals with disabilities who are members of minority groups. The 
statute requires that the Department set aside for this purpose one 
percent of all funds appropriated for programs authorized under each of 
Titles II, III, VI, and VII. In fiscal year 2012 RSA set aside 
approximately $2.1 million for grants funded under section 21.
    Currently the Department provides section 21 funds to four minority 
institutions of higher education to develop rehabilitation training 
programs for individuals wishing to enter the field of rehabilitation 
counseling. In addition, the Department funds five grants to provide 
outreach, capacity building, TA, and training to minority entities that 
are seeking grants under the Rehabilitation Act, including grant-
writing workshops and training on disability legislation. Under the 
Act, the term minority entity means an entity that is a historically 
black college or university, a Hispanic-serving institution of higher 
education, an American Indian Tribal college or university, or another 
institution of higher education whose minority student enrollment is at 
least 50 percent. Respondents may use the questions below to guide 
their input on how to use the section 21 funds most effectively to 
improve services and outcomes for individuals with disabilities who are 
members of minority groups.
    4.1. Is the current use of section 21 funds effective in improving 
services to and outcomes for individuals with disabilities who are 
members of minority groups, and if so, what specific activities or 
strategies currently funded by section 21 have been most effective?
    4.2. What activities and strategies currently funded under section 
21 are least effective in improving services to and outcomes for 
individuals with disabilities who are members of minority groups?
    4.3. In what new ways should the Department use section 21 funds to 
improve outcomes for individuals with disabilities being served by 
State VR agencies who are members of minority groups? Are there new or 
emerging TA or training needs that should be addressed?
    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, 
audiotape, or compact disc) on request to the program contact person 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

Electronic Access to This Document

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    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6771.

    Dated: November 5, 2012.
Michael Yudin,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services.
[FR Doc. 2012-27332 Filed 11-7-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P