Developmental Disabilities: Request for Public Comments on Proposed Developmental Disabilities Funding Priority for Projects of National Significance for Fiscal Year 1996

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families

[Program Announcement No. 93631-96-02]

Developmental Disabilities: Request for Public Comments on

Proposed Developmental Disabilities Funding Priority for Projects of

National Significance for Fiscal Year 1996

AGENCY: Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD),

Administration for Children and Families (ACF).

ACTION: Notice of request for public comments on developmental

disabilities tentative funding priority for Projects of National

Significance for Fiscal Year 1996.

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SUMMARY: The Administration on Developmental Disabilities,

Administration for Children and Families, announces that public

comments are being requested on a tentative funding priority for Fiscal

Year 1996 Projects of National Significance prior to being announced in

its final form.

We welcome specific comments and suggestions on this proposed

announcement and funding priority which will assist in bringing about

the increased independence, productivity, integration, and inclusion

into the community of individuals with developmental disabilities.

DATES: The closing date for submission of public comments is June 11,

1996.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to: Bob Williams, Commissioner,

Administration on Developmental Disabilities, Administration for

Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services, Room

329-D, HHH Building, 200 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC

20201.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Adele Gorelick, Program Development

Division, Administration on Developmental Disabilities, 202/690-5982.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Part I. Background

A. Goals of the Administration on Developmental Disabilities

The Administration on Developmental Disabilities is located within

the Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and

Human Services (DHHS). Although different from the other ACF program

administrations in the specific constituency it serves, ADD shares a

common set of goals that promote the economic and social well-being of

families, children, individuals and communities. Through national

leadership, we see:

Families and individuals empowered to increase their own

economic independence and productivity;

Strong, healthy, supportive communities having a positive

impact on the quality of life and the development of children;

Partnerships with individuals, front-line service

providers, communities, States and Congress that enable solutions which

transcend traditional agency boundaries;

Services planned and integrated to improve client access;

and

A strong commitment to working with Native Americans,

individuals with developmental disabilities, refugees and migrants to

address their needs, strengths and abilities.

Emphasis on these goals and progress toward them will help more

individuals, including those with developmental disabilities, to live

productive and independent lives integrated into their communities. The

Projects of National Significance Program is one means through which

ADD promotes the achievement of these goals.

Two issues are of particular concern with these projects. First,

there is a pressing need for networking and cooperation among

specialized and categorical programs, particularly at the service

delivery level, to ensure continuation of coordinated services to

people with developmental disabilities. Second, project findings and

successful innovative models of projects need to be made available

nationally to policy makers as well as to direct service providers.

B. Purpose of the Administration on Developmental Disabilities

The Administration on Developmental Disabilities is the lead agency

within ACF and DHHS responsible for planning and administering programs

which promote the self-sufficiency and protect the rights of

individuals with developmental disabilities.

The 1994 Amendments (Pub. L. 103-230) to the Developmental

Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (42 U.S.C. 6000 et seq.)

(the Act) supports and provides assistance to States and public and

private nonprofit agencies and organizations to assure that individuals

with developmental disabilities and their families participate in the

design of and have access to culturally competent services, supports,

and other assistance and opportunities that promote independence,

productivity and integration and inclusion into the community.

The Act points out that:

Disability is a natural part of the human experience that

does not diminish the right of individuals with developmental

disabilities to enjoy the opportunity for independence, productivity

and inclusion into the community;

Individuals whose disabilities occur during their

developmental period frequently have severe disabilities that are

likely to continue indefinitely;

Individuals with developmental disabilities often require

lifelong specialized services and assistance, provided in a coordinated

and culturally competent manner by many agencies, professionals,

advocates, community representatives, and others to eliminate barriers

and to meet the needs of such individuals and their families;

The Act further finds that:

Individuals with developmental disabilities, including

those with the most severe developmental disabilities, are capable of

achieving independence, productivity, and integration and inclusion

into the community, and often require the provision of services,

supports and other assistance to achieve such;

Individuals with developmental disabilities have

competencies, capabilities and personal goals that should be

recognized, supported, and encouraged, and any assistance to such

individuals should be provided in an individualized manner, consistent

with the unique strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities,

and capabilities of the individual;

Individuals with developmental disabilities and their

families are the primary decision makers regarding the services and

supports such individuals and their families receive; and play decision

making roles in policies and programs that affect the lives of such

individuals and their families; and

It is in the nation's interest for individuals with

developmental disabilities to be employed, and to live conventional and

independent lives as a part of families and communities.

Toward these ends, ADD seeks to enhance the capabilities of

families in assisting individuals with developmental disabilities to

achieve their maximum potential, to support the increasing ability of

individuals with developmental disabilities to exercise greater choice

and self-determination, to engage in leadership activities in their

communities, as well as to ensure the protection of their legal and

human rights.

Programs funded under the Act are:

Federal assistance to State developmental disabilities

councils;

State system for the protection and advocacy of individual

rights;

Grants to university affiliated programs for

interdisciplinary training, exemplary services, technical assistance,

and information dissemination; and

Grants for Projects of National Significance.

C. Description of Projects of National Significance

Under Part E of the Act, demonstration grants (and in some cases, a

cooperative agreement) and technical assistance contracts are awarded

for projects of national significance that support the development of

national and State policy to enhance the independence, productivity,

and integration and inclusion of individuals with developmental

disabilities through:

Data collection and analysis;

Technical assistance to enhance the quality of State

developmental disabilities councils, protection and advocacy systems,

and university affiliated programs; and

Other projects of sufficient size and scope that hold

promise to expand or improve opportunities for individuals with

developmental disabilities, including:

--Technical assistance for the development of information and referral

systems;

--Educating policy makers;

--Federal interagency initiatives;

--The enhancement of participation of racial and ethnic minorities in

public and private sector initiatives in developmental disabilities;

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--Transition of youth with developmental disabilities from school to

adult life; and

--Special pilots and evaluation studies to explore the expansion of

programs under part B (State developmental disabilities councils) to

individuals with severe disabilities other than developmental

disabilities.

Section 162(c) of the Act requires that ADD publish in the Federal

Register proposed priorities for grants and contracts to carry out

Projects of National Significance. The Act also requires a period of 60

days for public comment concerning such proposed priorities. After

analyzing and considering such comments, ADD must publish in the

Federal Register final priorities for such grants and contracts, and

solicit applications for funding based on the final priorities

selected.

The following section presents the proposed priority area for

Fiscal Year 1996 Projects of National Significance. We welcome specific

comments and suggestions. We would also like to receive suggestions on

topics which are timely and relate to specific needs in the

developmental disabilities field.

Please be aware that the development of the final funding priority

is based on the public comment response to this notice, current agency

and Departmental priorities, needs in the field of developmental

disabilities and the developmental disabilities network, etc., as well

as the availability of funds for this fiscal year.

Part II. Fiscal Year 1996 Proposed Priority Area for Projects of

National Significance

ADD is interested in all comments and recommendations which address

areas of existing or evolving national significance related to the

field of developmental disabilities.

ADD also solicits recommendations for project activities which will

advocate for public policy change and community acceptance of all

individuals with developmental disabilities and families so that such

individuals receive the culturally competent services, supports, and

other assistance and opportunities necessary to enable them to achieve

their maximum potential through increased independence, productivity,

and integration into the community.

ADD is also interested in activities which promote the inclusion of

all individuals with developmental disabilities, including individuals

with the most severe disabilities, in community life; which promote the

interdependent activity of all individuals with developmental

disabilities and individuals who are not disabled; and which recognize

the contributions of these individuals (whether they have a disability

or not), as such individuals share their talents at home, school, and

work, and in recreation and leisure time.

No proposals, concept papers or other forms of applications should

be submitted at this time. Any such submission will be discarded.

ADD will not respond to individual comment letters. However, all

comments will be considered in preparing the final funding solicitation

announcement and will be acknowledged and addressed in that

announcement.

Please be reminded that, because of possible funding limitations,

the proposed priority area listed below may not be published in a final

funding solicitation for this fiscal year.

Comments should be addressed to: Bob Williams, Commissioner,

Administration on Developmental Disabilities, Department of Health and

Human Services, Room 329-D HHH Building, 200 Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20201.

Fiscal Year 1996 Proposed Priority Area: Ongoing Data Collection and

Information Dissemination

The purpose of this priority area is to fund a variety of projects

through grants and/or cooperative agreements to collect data on public

expenditures, employment and economic status, and other factors as they

impact on the independence, productivity, integration and inclusion

into the community of persons with developmental disabilities. ADD is

particularly interested in the maximum use of already existing data

bases and in fostering the broadest dissemination to and use of the

data by consumers, families and advocacy audiences. Examples of

successful projects that ADD has funded include:

--University of Minnesota: National Recurring Data Set Project on

Residential Services--Ongoing National and State-by-State Data

Collection and Policy/Impact Analysis on Residential Services for

Persons with Developmental Disabilities (Charles Lakin: 612/624-5005)

--University of Illinois at Chicago: Fourth National Study of Public

Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities Spending (David Braddock:

312/413-1647)

--Boston Children's Hospital: Ongoing National Collection on Data and

Employment Services for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities (Bill

Kiernan: 617/355-6506).

Examples of projects that ADD will fund include activities which

would:

Identify, collect and disseminate new data bases.

Modify, expand and/or reformulate existing data bases.

Project and model the cost-benefit impact of alternative

future decisions based on the analysis of discrete programmatic options

in the areas of residential services and employment.

Connect, integrate or analyze available data bases.

(Federal Catalog of Domestic Assistance Number 93.631--Developmental

Disabilities--Projects of National Significance)

Dated: March 27, 1996.

Bob Williams,

Commissioner, Administration on Developmental Disabilities.

[FR Doc. 96-9117 Filed 4-11-96; 8:45 am]

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