Dear all,
This is quite important to the US disability research community. Please
send Kate very thoughtful nominations.
Thanks,
devva
[This letter is being distributed in two forms: a Word97 file and as
> ASCII text in the body of a standard cc mail message]
>
> U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
> OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES
> National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
>
> September 1, 1998
>
> Dear Colleague:
>
> This Director's Occasional Letter is to announce that NIDRR is seeking
> nominations for individuals to serve as peer reviewers on standing
> panels. The Rehabilitation Act, NIDRR's authorizing legislation,
> states that:
> "The Director (of NIDRR) shall, pursuant to regulations which the
> Secretary (of Education) shall prescribe, provide for scientific
> review of all research grants and programs over which the Director has
> authority by utilizing, to the maximum extent possible, appropriate
> peer review groups established within the Institute and composed of
> non Federal scientists and other experts in the rehabilitation field
> (including experts in the independent living field) competent to
> review research grants and programs, including knowledgeable
> individuals with disabilities, and the parents, family members,
> guardians, advocates, or authorized representatives of the
> individuals. The Director shall solicit nominations for such peer
> review groups from the public, and shall publish the names of
> individuals selected. Individuals comprising each peer review group
> shall be selected from a pool of qualified individuals to facilitate
> knowledgeable, cost-effective review."
>
> In the past NIDRR has used a variety of methods to solicit these
> nominations for its ad-hoc review panels. Now, in order to begin the
> use of standing panels, I am asking your help in identifying
> outstanding individuals who will be considered to serve on these
> panels. The current plan is for reviewers to serve for three-year
> terms, with two meetings to be held per year.
>
> The format for submitting nominations for the new standing panels is
> appended to this letter. I invite you to review the list of standing
> panels NIDRR intends to form, and to nominate the one individual you
> feel is the best qualified person you know to serve as a member of one
> of these standing panels.
>
> As a nominator, you should be well acquainted with the nominee and have
> insight as to the nominee's abilities as a peer reviewer. Nominators
> must contact the individual they wish to nominate to determine if the
> prospective nominee is willing to serve, and to avoid multiple
> nominations. This is to help NIDRR seek out the highest quality
> nominees and to avoid unnecessary duplication and make this process
> administratively manageable. Please respect this request that you
> nominate one and only one individual to serve on one and only one panel
> (not one individual for each panel).
>
> This nomination period will open on the date of this letter, September
> 1, 1998, and close 60 days thereafter.
>
> The standing panels NIDRR intends to form are based on the research
> agenda stated in the 1998 Long-Range Plan. They are as follows:
>
> 1. Employment Outcomes
> 2. Health and Function
> 3. Technology for Access and Function
> 4. Independent Living and Community Integration
> 5. Statistics/Outcomes/Disability Studies/Rehabilitation
> Science/Policy
>
> There have been a number of suggestions in the past few years
> indicating that the introduction of standing panels at NIDRR would
> represent and improvement in the peer review process. NIDRR has
> responded positively to this suggestion. I am hopeful that you will
> give this solicitation for nominations your most serious
> consideration, and bring this letter to the attention of your
> colleagues. Please direct all comments and questions concerning the
> nomination process to Robert Jaeger at 202-205-8061.
>
> Sincerely yours,
>
>
> Katherine D. Seelman, Ph.D.
> Director
>
>
>
> NOMINATION PROCEEDURE
>
> Prospective panel members must be nominated by an individual who is
> well acquainted with the nominee and has insight as to the nominee's
> abilities as a peer reviewer. Nominators must contact the individual
> they wish to nominate to determine if the prospective nominee is
> willing to serve, and to avoid multiple nominations. IF MULTIPLE
> NOMINATIONS FOR A SINGLE INDIVIDUAL ARE RECEIVED, ONLY THE FIRST
> NOMINATION RECEIVED BY NIDRR WILL BE PROCESSED. INDIVIDUALS MAY NOT
> NOMINATE THEMSELVES.
>
> The nominator forwards two items to NIDRR.
>
> 1. Cover Letter
>
> This is prepared by the nominator, and limited to one page. It
> contains the name of the nominee, mailing address and other contact
> information for both nominator and nominee, the name of the panel the
> individual is being nominated to, and a brief description of
> qualifications of the nominee to serve as a member of the standing
> panel. The letter should also contain a brief statement as to how the
> nominator is acquainted with the qualifications of the nominee.
>
> 2. Complete Resume or Curriculum Vitae of Nominee (any format, no
> length limitation)
>
>
> These documents should be sent by US mail to:
> Robert J. Jaeger, Ph.D.
> Standing Panel Nominations
> National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
> Mary E. Switzer Building - Room 3422
> U.S. Department of Education
> 600 Independence Avenue, S.W.
> Washington, D.C. 20202-2645
> If the documents are sent by courier service, the following address
> should be used:
> Robert J. Jaeger, Ph.D.
> Standing Panel Nominations
> National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
> Mary E. Switzer Building - Room 3422
> U.S. Department of Education
> 330 C Street, S.W.
> Washington, D.C. 20202-2645
> Telephone 202-205-8061
>
> NOMINATIONS BY FAX, EMAIL, OR OTHER ELECTRONIC VERSIONS WILL NOT BE
> ACCEPTED
>
> Confirmation of receipt of nomination will be sent by regular mail to
> all nominators and nominees.
>
>
> BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF RESEARCH AREAS FOR NIDRR STANDING PANELS
>
> Panel 1: Employment Outcomes
>
> Given the magnitude of changes in the nature and structure of the
> world of work and possible changes in the characteristics of the
> disabled population, NIDRR?s employment-related research agenda must
> extend beyond prior research efforts to discover mechanisms that will
> make the labor market more amenable to full employment for persons
> with disabilities. That research agenda must incorporate economic
> research, service delivery research, and policy research, and most
> important, must relate to the context in which employment outcomes are
> determined. Among the key policy issues that will affect the
> evolution of this agenda are SSA reform; restructured funding and
> payment mechanisms, including the use of vouchers; the impact of
> workforce consolidation; radical restructuring of employment training
> services at State and local levels; employment-related needs of
> unserved and underserved groups; linkage of health insurance benefits
> to either jobs or benefit programs; and transition from school to work
> among youth with disabilities.
> An important focus for research will be changes in the environment
> (e.g., in the workplace, information technology, and
> telecommunications and transportation systems) that will make work
> more accessible, along with strategies for assisting individuals to
> achieve both the skill levels and the flexibility required for full
> labor force participation in the 21st century. Finally, as a
> departure from NIDRR?s historical emphasis on the service system and
> the quality of services, the agenda calls for examination of economic
> issues (including benefits and costs of various incentive plans)
> associated with employment of persons with disabilities, labor force
> projections and analyses, and an increased understanding of employer
> roles, perspectives, and motivational systems.
> The purpose of NIDRR?s research in the area of employment is to:
> > Assess the impact of economic policy and labor market trends on
> the employment outcomes of persons with disabilities;
> > Improve the effectiveness of community-based employment service
> programs;
> > Improve the effectiveness of State employment service systems;
> > Evaluate the contribution of employer practices and workplace
> supports to the employment outcomes of persons with disabilities; and
> > Improve school-to-work transition outcomes.
>
>
> Panel 2: Health and Function
>
> NIDRR plans to support research in a number of broad areas that
> link health status and functional outcomes to health care and medical
> rehabilitation. In addition, NIDRR will support research to continue
> development of new treatments and delivery mechanisms to meet the
> rehabilitation, functional restoration, and health maintenance needs
> of individuals with disabilities. This research will occur at the
> individual and the delivery system levels. The purpose of NIDRR?s
> research in the area of health care and medical rehabilitation is to:
> > Identify and evaluate effective models of health care for
> persons with disabilities;
> > Develop models to promote health and wellness for persons with
> disabilities;
> > Examine the impact of changes in the health care delivery system
> on access to care;
> > Evaluate medical rehabilitation interventions that maximize
> physical function for individuals with disabilities, taking into
> account aging, environment, emerging disabilities, and changes in the
> health services delivery system;
> > Identify and evaluate medical rehabilitation interventions that
> will help disabled individuals maintain health, through prevention and
> amelioration of secondary conditions and co-morbidities, and through
> education;
> > Improve delivery of medical rehabilitation services to persons
> with disabilities; and
> > Evaluate the health and medical rehabilitation needs of persons
> whose impairments are attributed to newly recognized causes or whose
> conditions are newly recognized as disabilities, for example,
> disability relating to acts of violence or to conditions of children
> with chronic diseases like asthma.
>
>
> Panel 3: Technology for Access and Function
>
> Future rehabilitation engineering research agendas must incorporate
> several cross-cutting issues, including orphan technology markets, and
> outcomes measures. In addition, research must continue to result in
> improvements in the functional capacities of individuals with sensory,
> mobility, and manipulation impairments. Telecommunications and
> computer access offer significant potential to improve participation
> of persons with disabilities in all facets of life. Continuous
> innovations in these areas require that the needs of persons with
> various disabilities be recognized and accommodated. Finally, access
> to the built-environment remains a critical need for persons with
> disabilities, and thus requires ongoing research.
> The purpose of NIDRR?s research in the area of technology is to:
> > Develop assistive technology that supports persons with
> disabilities to function and live independently;
> > Develop biomedical engineering innovations to improve function
> of persons with disabilities;
> > Ensure access of disabled persons to telecommunications and
> information technology;
> > Ensure the transfer of technological developments to other
> research sectors, to production, and to the marketplace;
> > Identify business incentives for manufacturers and distributors;
> > Remove barriers and improve access in the built environment;
> > Identify the best methods of making technology accessible to
> persons with disabilities;
> > Develop rehabilitation engineering science, including a
> theoretical framework to advance empirical research; and
> > Raise the visibility of engineering and technological research
> for persons with disabilities as a consideration in national science
> and technology policy.
>
>
> Panel 4: Independent Living and Community Integration
>
> Independent living and community integration concepts and outcomes
> are key foci of NIDRR research. Central to independent living is the
> recognition that each individual has a right to independence that
> comes from exercising maximal control over his or her life, based on
> an ability and opportunity to make choices in performing everyday
> activities. These activities include managing one?s own life;
> participating in community life; fulfilling social roles, such as
> marriage, parenthood, employment, and citizenship; sustaining
> self-determination; and minimizing physical or psychological
> dependence on others. While independent living emphasizes maximal
> independence, whatever the setting, it is, by its very nature, a
> concept that also emphasizes participation, especially participation
> in community settings. For this reason, NIDRR is proposing to
> integrate its research agenda in independent living and community
> integration to encourage interdisciplinary thinking about the
> interrelationship, to achieve more successful outcomes for persons
> with disabilities, and to foster the development of innovative methods
> to achieve these outcomes and to measure the achievements.
> The purpose of NIDRR?s research in the area of independent living
> and community integration is to facilitate participation of persons
> with disabilities in society by:
> > Identifying and evaluating factors or domains of community
> integration and independent living, especially those aspects that lead
> to full participation in society;
> > Identifying and evaluating community support models that promote
> community integration and independent living outcomes for individuals
> with all types of disabilities and from a full range of cultural
> backgrounds;
> > Providing empirical evidence of the impact of consumer control
> on outcomes associated with community integration and independent
> living;
> > Assessing the impact of environmental factors on individual
> achievement of community integration and independent living;
> > Developing and disseminating training on independent living and
> community integration concepts and methods for consumers, families,
> service providers, and advocates; and
> > Developing and evaluating management tools to enable centers for
> independent living and other community programs to support independent
> living and community integration.
>
>
> Panel 5: Statistics/Outcomes/Disability Studies/Rehabilitation
> Science/Policy
>
> Several important issue areas cut across the four research areas ?
> Employment, Health and Function, Technology for Access and Function,
> and Independent Living and Community Integration. These cross-cutting
> areas are: disability statistics, disability outcomes measures,
> disability studies, rehabilitation science, and disability policy
> research. NIDRR views these cross-cutting areas as integral to
> successful completion of a comprehensive agenda in disability and
> rehabilitation research. NIDRR will fund research efforts in each of
> these areas to enhance the overall research program and contribute to
> NIDRR's achieving its goals of helping people with disabilities attain
> maximal independence.
>
>
>
>
>
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Devva Kasnitz, PhD
Research Director,
Research and Training Center
on Independent Living and Disability Policy
World Institute on Disability
510 16 Street, Suite #100
Oakland, CA 94612-1500
Voice: 510-251-4348
TTY: 510-208-9493
FAX: 510-208-9494
email: [log in to unmask]
Home: 2345 7th St
Berkeley, CA 94710
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