Southwest Educational Development Laboratory
Volume 1, Number 3, 1996
Dissemination Indicators: A Word from the Director
Dissemination Patterns of NIDRR Grantees
→ Characteristics of Current NIDRR Grantees: Initial Findings
One of the primary objectives of the NCDDR is to gather information from a wide range of users and potential users of disability research. NCDDR staff contacted the Principal Investigators (PIs) of current NIDRR-funded projects to collect basic information about their general dissemination practices. Since no data on NIDRR project dissemination were found in the literature, the purpose of this first effort was to establish a baseline of data with which future data can be compared to determine if changes in dissemination practices occur over the NCDDR pilot project period. Future research will compare these responses with those of consumers to see if researchers' dissemination activities reflect the needs of consumers.
The NCDDR's data collection efforts were initially intended to focus on the nature of NIDRR-funded disability research programs and their results, general awareness of NIDRR activities, target audiences that could benefit from research outcomes, and NIDRR grantees' perceptions about the use of research results or outcomes. Other issues to be examined included the specific impact of disability research in the lives of persons with disabilities; the effectiveness of current dissemination activities; future dissemination plans; barriers to the dissemination and accessibility of research results, particularly to audiences from multicultural backgrounds; and dissemination assistance needs were other issues to be examined. NCDDR staff and outside research experts designed and reviewed an instrument to collect this information. NCDDR staff then conducted a pilot test and determined that the instrument was too lengthy and time consuming, and decided to refine the focus for the first phase of information collection. The revised information gathering instrument was designed to be administered in a short telephone interview.
The instrument protocol included updating information reported in the Fiscal Year 1994 NIDRR Program Directory (NARIC, 1995). The name of the PI, the contact person (the PI or another designated person to be contacted about NCDDR activities), addresses, telephone and fax numbers, electronic mail addresses, and Internet access information were all updated. Each NCDDR contact person was asked to identify the preferred format and mode for receiving information from the NCDDR, including general day-to- day correspondence as well as newsletters and other materials and products.
NCDDR contacts were also asked about each project's capability to disseminate information to its target audiences through various formats and modes. The list of format and mode options was formulated by NCDDR staff. The NCDDR contacts were asked if their projects had the capability to provide information in these formats, even if this had never been requested. This was not restricted to having the skills and resources onsite to produce alternate formats but included the ability to contract for needed services. When the answer was "yes," respondents were asked to indicate whether or not the format was frequently used. Formats were:
Contacts were asked to report which modes were used to disseminate information, and for those not used, which were projected to be used in the future. This did not require a definite plan or timeline, but included modes which had been discussed as possible targets for development in the future. Distribution modes included in the interview were:
Information was also requested about events that grantees were sponsoring to include in the Calendar of NIDRR Grantee Events, special recognition received by NIDRR projects during the past 12 months, and the willingness of contact persons to work with NCDDR staff in future information gathering activities.
The revised instrument was pilot-tested with four PIs from different NIDRR program areas who determined it to be easily administered in a telephone interview of approximately ten minutes. Several changes were made to further refine the telephone interview protocol.
Initial telephone interviews were conducted with the Principal Investigators and/or contact persons for 203 projects identified as ongoing in FY 1995 from the Fiscal Year 1994 NIDRR Program Directory (NARIC, 1995). Calls were made by trained telephone interviewers during January and February, 1996. Seven new projects funded by NIDRR in 1995 were identified through the interview process, for a total of 210 projects.
When the Fiscal Year 1995 NIDRR Program Directory (NARIC, 1996) was made available via NARIC's World Wide Web site, an additional 68 projects were identified as funded in 1995, as well as two more from 1994. Calls were made in April and May to the PIs and/or contact persons of those projects. This brought the total to 280 identified projects. One, an international project with the government of India, was not interviewed, leaving 279 projects that were interviewed. A total of 998 telephone calls, 40 fax transmissions, and 52 electronic mail posts were made to gather information from the current NIDRR grantees.
The NCDDR verified existing information for each project and updated its database records for 279 current NIDRR-funded projects. Some comparisons among the different program areas are presented in the following sections.
A total of 280 current projects were identified. Of these, 75 were new awards in FY 1995, while 205 were funded during or before 1994. The 280 current NIDRR projects were funded under 16 program areas as shown in Figure 5.
| Program Area | Current Total | Funded in or before '94 | Funded '95 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research & Demonstration Projects | 19 | 17 | 2 |
| Rehabilitation Research & Training Centers | 46 | 43 | 3 |
| Innovative Research Projects | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Utilization Projects | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers | 16 | 13 | 3 |
| Fellowships | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Field-Initiated Research Projects | 55 | 38 | 17 |
| Interagency Agreements | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| International Projects (not included in data collection) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Model Spinal Cord Injury Projects | 18 | 0 | 18 |
| Research Training Grants | 14 | 12 | 2 |
| Small Business Innovative Research/I | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Small Business Innovative Research/II | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| State Technology Assistance Projects |
59 | 57 | 2 |
| ADA Technical Assistance Programs | 18 | 15 | 3 |
| Contracts | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| TOTALS | 280 | 205 | 75 |
Three of the sixteen program areas, State Technology Assistance Projects (59), Field-Initiated Research Projects (55), and Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (46) comprise 57% of the total number of current NIDRR-funded projects. Seven program areas make up only 7% of the projects: Utilization Projects (6), Small Business Innovative Research/II (5), Innovative Research (4), Contracts (2), Interagency Agreements (1), International Projects (1) and Small Business Innovative Research/I (1).
The 279 NIDRR projects interviewed are directed by 253 PIs. A total of 231 (83%) of the projects are directed by a PI responsible for only one NIDRR-funded project. Nineteen PIs direct two projects, two PIs direct three projects, and one directs four projects. In addition, 11 PIs served as Co-Principal Investigators (Co-PIs) and two served as NCDDR contacts on other NIDRR-funded projects. One individual served as a PI on one project, a Co-PI on another, and as contact person on a third.
Nearly two thirds of the current projects reported no Co-PIs (177, or 63%). Another 87 (31%) reported having one Co-PI, while 15 (5%) indicated having more than one Co-PI. Five Co-PIs served in that role for two projects, and one was Co-PI for three projects.
A total of 132 PIs (47%) identified themselves as the contact person for NCDDR activities. Another 17 PIs (6%) identified a Co-PI to serve as the contact person. Designated contact persons who were neither PI nor Co-PI were identified by 134 or 47% of the projects.
A total of 243 respondents (87%) indicated they have access to Internet services (which includes electronic mail). In addition, 88 projects (32%) have established sites on the World Wide Web (WWW), meaning that these projects have made information available to anyone who has access to the WWW. Another 65 projects (23%) are in the process of developing sites that should be ready by the end of 1996. This information, along with the projected total for the end of 1996, is presented by program area in Figure 6. The total number of projects for each program area are presented in parentheses.
| Program Area (No. of Projects) | Present Sites | Projected Future Sites | Total Sites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research & Demonstration Projects (19) | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Rehabilitation Research & Training Centers (46) | 19 | 13 | 32 |
| Innovative Research Projects (4) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Utilization Projects (6) |
3 | 3 | 6 |
| Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (16) | 10 | 2 | 12 |
| Fellowships (15) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Field-Initiated Research Projects (55) | 12 | 15 | 27 |
| Interagency Agreements (1) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Model Spinal Cord Injury Projects (18) | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| Research Training Grants (14) | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Small Business Innovative Research/I (1) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Small Business Innovative Research/II (5) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| State Technology Assistance Projects (59) | 17 | 18 | 35 |
| ADA Technical Assistance Programs (18) |
10 | 2 | 12 |
| Contracts (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS (279) | 88 | 65 | 153 |
Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers had the highest number of present sites with 19. A total of 32 sites are anticipated by the end of 1996, representing 70% of all the projects in that program area. Seventeen State Technology Assistance Projects currently have WWW sites with a total of 35 anticipated by the end of 1996, accounting for 59% of all State Technology Assistance Projects. Field-Initiated Research Projects have 12 WWW sites with a total of 27 anticipated by the end of the year, representing 49% of that program area's total. Ten Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers have sites with two more anticipated by the end of 1996, comprising 75% of the total for that area. Ten of the ADA Technical Assistance Programs presently have WWW sites and 12 of the 18 (67%) expect to have a site by the end of 1996.
A total of 274 (98%) of NCDDR contacts indicated that Regular Print was their preferred format for receiving day-to-day communication from the NCDDR. One hundred and ninety-four contacts (69%) preferred to receive such correspondence by U.S. Mail, 56 (20%) by Fax, and 81 (29%) by Electronic Mail (E-mail). A total of 47 respondents (18%) indicated that a combination of U.S. Mail, Fax, or E-mail would be appropriate, depending on the length and format of the communication.
Similar figures were reported for preferred formats and modes for materials and products such as this quarterly newsletter. Regular Print was preferred by 262 contacts (94%), Large Print by five, and Electronic/Computer File by 12. U.S. Mail was the preferred mode for 267 contacts (96%), while E-mail was preferred by 12 (4%).
Grantees were asked to report which formats they had the capability to produce, if requested, and which of those formats they believed they used frequently. Responses are presented in Figure 7.
| Capability | Frequently | Used | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Format | # | % | # | % |
| Regular Print | 279 | 100 | 279 | 100 |
| Electronic File | 256 | 92 | 137 | 49 |
| Large Print | 249 | 89 | 77 | 28 |
| Audio/Oral | 246 | 88 | 68 | 24 |
| Visual/Graphic(non-print) | 229 | 82 | 77 | 28 |
| Braille |
206 | 74 | 46 | 16 |
| Other Language |
187 | 67 | 51 | 18 |
| Opened-caption Video | 149 | 53 | 32 | 11 |
| Closed-caption Video | 135 | 48 | 23 | 8 |
| Descriptive Video | 96 | 34 | 6 | 2 |
Seven of the ten formats reportedly can be produced by 67% or more of projects. The fewest grantees reported having the capability to produce were the three video formats.
In contrast to projects perceived capability to produce these formats, substantially fewer projects report using these formats frequently. Other than Regular Print, which is frequently used by 100% of respondents, and Electronic File, reportedly used frequently by 49%, all other formats are reported to be frequently used by 28% or less of projects.
Grantees were asked to report which modes they used to disseminate information, and for those not used, which were tentatively projected to be used in the future. This information is reported in Figure 8.
| Currently Used | Not Used | Projected Future Use |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | # | % | # | % | # | % |
| U.S. Mail |
279 | 100 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Voice Telephone |
279 | 100 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Fax |
276 | 99 | 3 | 1 | -- | -- |
| Computer Disk |
259 | 93 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| Electronic Mail |
253 | 91 | 10 | 4 | 18 | 5 |
| Audio Tape |
236 | 86 | 38 | 13 | 4 | 1 |
| Video Tape |
207 | 74 | 62 | 22 | 9 | 3 |
| Text Telephone |
206 | 74 | 68 | 24 | 5 | 2 |
| Internet |
143 | 51 | 45 | 16 | 106 | 33 |
| CD-ROM |
83 | 30 | 158 | 56 | 46 | 14 |
All projects reported that U.S. Mail and Voice Telephone are modes that are currently used. Eight of the ten modes of information dissemination are reportedly being presently used by at least 74% of projects. The two modes reported to be least used, Internet and CD-ROM, are also the two most expected to be used in the future by projects that are not presently using them. Thirty-three percent of projects reported they anticipated using the Internet as a mode of information dissemination in the future, while 14% report the same for CD-ROM.
Respondents were asked if they would like to include any events in the new Calendar of NIDRR Project Events. Over half (150 or 54%) responded yes. However, just more than half of those responding (54%) affirmatively have actually submitted events. Approximately 80 events were entered into the Calendar, which is located on the NCDDR's World Wide Web site. The URL address is: http://www.ncddr.org/calendar/calendar.cgi.
Thirty-four NIDRR-funded projects reported an award or special recognition during the past 12 months. This reflects 12% of the total number of NIDRR-funded projects, or 17% of the projects funded prior to 1995. These included professional group recognition, Telly awards for video productions, individual research awards, and exemplary service awards, among others. Several award-winning NIDRR-funded projects are recognized in this issue of The Research Exchange.
Respondents were asked if they would be willing to participate in future information-gathering activities of the NCDDR, such as telephone interviews, questionnaires, focus groups, teleconferences, etc. Of the 279 projects, 274 (98%) responded "Yes." The five "No" responses included two Field-Initiated Research projects, two State Technology Assistance projects, and one Model Spinal Cord Injury Project.
The following observations about the data reflect initial characteristics of NIDRR grantees as a whole.
The purpose of this information-gathering activity was to establish a baseline with which to compare future data to determine if changes in the dissemination practices of NIDRR grantees occur over the NCDDR pilot project period. The NCDDR will continue to trace the use of different formats and modes of information dissemination and compare new data to the data reported here and to consumer data gathered at a later time. Additionally, the NCDDR will conduct further research on the frequency of use of alternate formats, ways in which mediated materials enhance accessibility to information, and implications for NIDRR grantees and the users of their research results of selecting various alternate formats for information dissemination.
One of the purposes of the NCDDR is to increase the capacity of researchers to identify and use development and dissemination strategies that meet the needs of their target audience(s). We welcome your ideas for future research efforts that will help you meet your dissemination and utilization responsibilities.
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