Today’s Federal Register includes a notice of proposes priority for disability and rehabilitation research projects (DRRPs) on employment of people with disabilities. We won’t post the whole thing here (you can read it online). Projects funded under this priority must:

(1) Conduct research activities, development activities, or both,
in one or more of the following priority areas:
(i) The impact of government policies and programs on employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities.
(ii) Employer practices and workplace environments that contribute to improved employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities.
(iii) Preparedness of individuals with disabilities to participate
in the current and future workforce.
(iv) Technology (including the systems that develop, evaluate, and deliver the technology) that support improved employment outcomes of individuals with disabilities.
(v) Practices and policies that contribute to improved employment outcomes for transition-aged youth.
(vi) Vocational rehabilitation (VR) practices that result in
improved employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities.

The notice goes on to describe potential stages of research including exploration, intervention development, intervention efficacy, and scale up. DRRP projects might fall anywhere on this research spectrum.

The notice is open for comment through May 29th. Read it and find out how to comment.