[Federal Register: December 27, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 249)]
[Notices]
[Page 82217-82219]
>From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr27de00-142]
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Part VI
Department of Education
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National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research; Final
Funding Priority for Fiscal Years 2001-2002 for Traumatic Brain Injury
Data Collection Center and I
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nviting Applications for a New Disability and Rehabilitation Research
Project for Fiscal Year 2001-2002; Notices
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research;
Notice of a Final Funding Priority for Fiscal Years 2001-2002 for a
Traumatic Brain Injury Data Collection Center
AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services,
Department of Education.
SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education
and Rehabilitative Services announces a final funding priority for a
Traumatic Brain Injury Data Collection Center under the National
Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) for fiscal
years 2001-2002. The Assistant Secretary takes this action to focus
research attention on areas of national need. We intend this priority
to improve the rehabilitation services and outcomes for individuals
with disabilities.
DATES: This priority is effective on January 26, 2001.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donna Nangle, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3414, Switzer Building,
Washington, DC 20202-2645. Telephone: (202) 205-5880. Individuals who
use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the TDD
number at (202) 205-4475. Internet: donna_nangle@ed.gov 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 in the preceding paragraph.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The final priority refers to NIDRR's Long-Range Plan (the Plan).
The Plan can be accessed on the World Wide Web at: http://www.ed.gov/
offices/OSERS/NIDRR/#LRP.
National Education Goals
This final priority will address the National Education Goal that
every adult American will be literate and will possess the knowledge
and skills necessary to compete in a global economy and exercise the
rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
Note: This notice does not solicit applications. A notice
inviting applications is published in this issue of the Federal
Register.
Analysis of Comments and Changes
On November 7, 2000, the Assistant Secretary published a notice of
proposed priorities in the Federal Register (65 FR 66732). The
Department of Education received no comments on the notice of proposed
priorities by the deadline date.
Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program
The authority for Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects
(DRRP) is contained in sections 202(g) and 204 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 762(g) and 764(b)(4)). The purpose
of the DRRP program is to plan and conduct research, demonstration
projects, training and related activities to--
(a) Develop methods, procedures, and rehabilitation technology that
maximizes the full inclusion and integration into society, employment,
independent living, family support, and economic and social self-
sufficiency of individuals with disabilities; and
(b) Improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Act.
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Data Center
Background
An estimated 5.3 million Americans currently live with disabilities
resulting from brain injury. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
estimates that approximately 80,000 Americans experience the onset of
disabilities resulting from TBI each year. The three leading causes of
TBI are motor vehicle crashes, violence, and falls, particularly among
the elderly. As stated in the 1998 National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Consensus Conference, ``TBI may result in lifelong impairment of an
individual's physical, cognitive, and psychosocial functioning.''
In 1987, NIDRR established the National Traumatic Brain Injury
Model Systems (TBIMS) Program by funding four research and
demonstration projects to conduct research on comprehensive,
multidisciplinary rehabilitation services to persons who experience
TBI. This number expanded to 17 projects in 1998. The multi-project
TBIMS program is designed to study the course of recovery and outcomes
following the delivery of a coordinated system of care. (Additional
information on TBIMS can be found at http:\\www.tbims.org). The TBIMS
database currently contains over 2,000 cases and supports clinical
research and research on outcomes including employment, community
integration, and quality of life. Through a complex data collection and
retrieval program, the TBIMS projects are capable of analyzing
different system components to provide information on project cost
effectiveness and benefits. Data are collected throughout the
rehabilitation process and at specified follow-up periods following
discharge from the rehabilitation facility.
The parameters of the database are determined collaboratively by
TBIMS project directors, in consultation with NIDRR. A syllabus
describing the current data elements may be obtained from Donna Nangle
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Expansion of the number
of projects has broadened the representation of subjects in terms of
geographic distribution, ethnic group membership, and socioeconomic
status.
In the past, data from the TBIMS database have been largely
restricted to the use of TBIMS researchers. Recent Federal regulations
(see March 16, 2000, 65 FR 14416-14418) outline conditions under which
outside parties may request access to the data under the auspices of
the Freedom of Information Act. In addition, there is increased
interest in expanding the use of these data in conjunction with
population-based data to further research on TBI by the larger research
community. Both activities require development of guidelines that
ensure subject confidentiality, protect the identity of individual
projects, and support use of the data in rigorous research efforts.
Historically, the data center has been funded as a supplement to
one of the projects in the TBIMS. We propose to establish a separate
TBI data center to maintain this information.
Absolute Priority
We will establish a data center for the purpose of managing and
facilitating the use of information collected by the TBIMS projects on
individuals with traumatic brain injury. The data center must:
(1) Establish and maintain a database repository for data from
TBIMS projects while providing for confidentiality, quality control,
and data retrieval capabilities, using cost-effective and user-friendly
technology;
(2) Ensure data quality, reliability, and integrity by providing
training and technical assistance to TBIMS projects on data collection
procedures, data entry methods, and use of study instruments;
(3) Provide consultation to NIDRR and directors and staff of the
TBIMS projects on utility and quality of data elements;
(4) Support efforts to improve the research findings of the TBIMS
projects by providing statistical and other consultation regarding the
national database;
(5) Facilitate dissemination of information generated by the TBIMS
projects, including statistical
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information, scientific papers, and consumer materials;
(6) Evaluate the feasibility of linking and comparing TBIMS data to
population-based data sets, such as the CDC State-based injury
surveillance data and provide technical assistance for such linkage, as
appropriate; and
(7) Develop guidelines to provide access to TBIMS data by
individuals and institutions, ensuring that data are available in
accessible formats for persons with disabilities.
In carrying out these purposes, the center must:
Demonstrate knowledge of culturally appropriate methods of
data collection, including understanding of culturally sensitive
measurement approaches; and
Collaborate with other NIDRR funded projects, e.g., the
Model Spinal Cord Injury and Burn Injury Model System Data Centers,
regarding issues such as database development and maintenance, center
operations, and data management.
Additional Selection Criterion
We will use the selection criteria in 34 CFR 350.54 to evaluate
applications under this program. The maximum score for all the criteria
is 100 points; however, we will also use the following criterion so
that up to an additional ten points may be earned by an applicant for a
total possible score of 110 points.
Up to ten (10) points based on the extent to which an application
includes effective strategies for employing and advancing in employment
qualified individuals with disabilities in projects awarded under this
absolute priority. In determining the effectiveness of those
strategies, we will consider the applicant's prior success, as
described in the application, in employing and advancing in employment
qualified individuals with disabilities.
Thus, for purposes of this competitive preference, applicants can
be awarded up to a total of 10 points in addition to those awarded
under the published selection criteria for these priorities. That is,
an applicant meeting this competitive preference could earn a maximum
total of 110 points.
Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR part 350.
Electronic Access to This Document
You may view this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at either of the
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http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm
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Note: The official version of the document is published in the
Federal Register. Free Internet access to the official edition of
the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is
available on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/
index.html.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Numbers 84.133A, Disability
Rehabilitation Research Project)
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 762(g) and 764(b)(4)).
Dated: December 20, 2000.
Curtis L. Richards,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services.
[FR Doc. 00-32887 Filed 12-26-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P