Title : NSF 91-54 (Reprint) - Facilitation Awards For Scientists And Engineers With Disabilities Type : Program Guideline NSF Org: EHR Date : June 3, 1994 File : nsf9154 Opportunities for Support at the National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation encourages scientists and engineers with disabilities to participate fully in all of its programs. This announcement describes opportunities for physically disabled persons to facilitate their work by providing special equipment or assistance needed in conjunction with NSF-supported projects. This announcement covers all projects supported by NSF in science and engineering research or education, including fellowships. OBJECTIVES The Foundation's mandate to ensure the vitality of the Nation's scientific enterprise included responsibility for the quality, distribution, and effectiveness of the human resource base in science and engineering. As part of its effort to promote full utilization of highly qualified scientists and engineers and to develop scientific and technical talent, the Foundation has the following goals: - to reduce or remove barriers to participation in research and training by physically disabled individuals by providing special equipment and assistance under awards made by NSF, and - to encourage disabled individuals to pursue careers in science and engineering by stimulating the development and demonstration of special equipment that facilitates their work performance. METHOD OF SUPPORT Requests for special equipment or assistance may be: (1) included in the original proposal submitted to a Foundation program, or (2) submitted as a separate request for supplemental funding for an existing grant. There is no separate program for funding special equipment or assistance. Requests are made in conjunction with regular competitive proposals, and funds are provided as part of any resulting grant or as a supplement to an existing NSF award. WHAT IS SUPPORTED Funds may be requested to purchase special equipment, modify equipment or provide services required specifically for the work to be undertaken. Equipment or assistance that compensate in a general way for the disabling condition are not allowed. For example, funds may be requested to provide prosthetic devices to manipulate a particular apparatus; equipment to convert sound to visual signals, or vice versa, for a particular experiment; access to a special site or to a mode of transportation (except as defined below); a reader or interpreter with special technical competence related to the project; or other special-purpose equipment or assistance needed to conduct a particular project. Items such as standard wheel chairs, prosthetics, hearing aids, TDD/text-phones, or general readers for the blind would not be supported because the need for them is not specific to the proposed project. Similarly, ramps, elevators, or other structural modifications of research facilities are not eligible for support. No maximum amount has been set for requests. It is expected, however, that the cost (including equipment adaptation and installation) will not be a major portion of the total proposed budget for the project. Decisions about what constitutes appropriate support will be made on a case by case basis. WHO IS SUPPORTED Individuals with disabilities eligible for this support include principal investigators, other senior professionals, and graduate and undergraduate students. PROCEDURES FOR REQUESTING SUPPORT Requests in Initial Proposal Submission Guidelines for proposal preparation and general information on proposal evaluation and grant administration are contained in "Grant Proposal Guide" (NSF 94-2). Foundation programs are described in the "NSF Guide to Programs" (NSF 93-167). These publications may be obtained without cost by calling (703) 292-8129; by writing to: Publications Unit, National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia 22230; or by accessing NSF's Science and Technology Information System (STIS) through Internet: stisserv@nsf.gov. In preparing proposals for submission to Foundation programs, requests for funds for special equipment or assistance to facilitate the participation of individuals with disabilities should be included in the proposed budget for the project. The budget justification should describe the specific nature, purpose and need for such equipment or assistance in sufficient detail to permit evaluation of the request by knowledgeable reviewers. Requests for Supplemental Funding for Existing Grants Supplemental funds for special equipment or assistance to facilitate participation in NSF-supported projects by persons with disabilities may be provided under existing NSF grants. Requests should be submitted to NSF by the principal investigator, and should include: - standard NSF cover page countersigned by the institution's authorized organizational representative. The current grant title and number must be referenced. - budget request on NSF Form 1030, and budget justification. The specific nature, purpose and need for equipment or assistance should be described in sufficient detail to permit evaluation by knowledgeable reviewers. Supplemental requests should be submitted directly to the cognizant NSF program officer. Requests will be evaluated by the responsible NSF program officer, and others as appropriate. Decisions on support will be made on the basis of the budget justification and availability of program funds. Supplemental funding will be provided through a formal amendment of the existing NSF grant. Two to three months should be allowed for processing. Normally, title to equipment purchased in conjunction with NSF- supported activities is held by the grantee institution. The institution guarantees use of the equipment for the specific project during the period of work funded by the Foundation, and assures its use in an appropriate manner after project completion. In instances involving special equipment for persons with disabilities, the need for such may be unique to the individual. In such cases, the grantee institution may transfer title to the individual to assure appropriate use after project completion. INQUIRIES General Inquiries may be made to the Coordinator, Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities, Room 815, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22230 (703) 292-4674 or TDD (703) 292-5090. Inquiries relating to scientific work should be directed to the cognizant NSF program officer. Program telephone numbers are listed in Appendix A in "Grant Proposal Guide." ANOTHER PROGRAM OF INTEREST The Bioengineering and Aiding the Disabled Program supports fundamental research on emerging engineering technologies. The basic program includes: 1) sensory and motor function - rehabilitation, substitution, and control; 2) materials and their properties; 3) system analysis and control. Examples of funded research include: - Bioengineering: on-chip signal analysis; biological batteries; tissue-engineering and sensors; - Research to Aid the Disabled: neural-neural and neural- muscular interfaces; detection of imminent failure in orthoses and protheses; tactile. Further information on the above program may be obtained from the Program Director, Room 565, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22230, telephone (703) 292-8320. The Foundation welcomes proposals on behalf of all qualified scientists and engineers, and strongly encourages women, minorities, and persons with disabilities to compete fully in it programs. Individuals with hearing impairment may obtain information on NSF programs by calling TDD (703) 292-5090. In accordance with Federal statue and regulations and NSF policies, no person on grounds of race, color, age, sex, national origin, or disability shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any program or activity receiving financial assistance from the National Science Foundation. The Foundation provides awards for research in the sciences and engineering. The awardee is wholly responsible for the conduct of such research and preparation of the results for publication. The Foundation, therefore, does not assume responsibility for such findings or their interpretation. Programs to which this document applies are listed in the following categories of the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance: 47.041 ENG, 47.049 MPS, 47.050 GEO, 47.070 CISE, 47.073 OSTI, 47.074 BIO, 47.075 SBE, 47.076 EHR. OMB 3145-0058 NSF 91-54 (REPRINT)