economic self-sufficiency for adults with disabilities. The Center will: Conduct research to identify, validate, document, and otherwise promote effective practices and policies in targeted goal areas; develop and disseminate information; provide technical assistance; encourage collaboration and partnership across State and local generic and disability-specific systems and programs, both public and private; and work with States and localities on multiple strategies in targeted goal areas for improving employment outcomes and economic self-sufficiency for adults with disabilities. Activities of the Center must be based on the assumptions that: people with disabilities have the ability to make and implement decisions (with support as appropriate) about their own work life, and that they have the ability to mobilize and develop resources (with support as necessary) to move from poverty and dependency to independence and productivity through employment. They must also be based on the assumption that there is a need for multiple generic and disability- specific systems and services to effectively partner across traditional boundaries. In accomplishing these goals, the Center will provide transformational leadership for translating innovation and emerging successful solutions from isolated demonstrations to systemic practices, and will act as a voice for elevating the discussion about employment and disability nationally. The Center's research-related activities will improve systems capacity to provide leadership for increasing employment and economic self-sufficiency at the State and local level in targeted goal areas, and must include the development of policy-related recommendations for consideration across agencies and systems. It must include, but is not limited to, the following activities: Implementing research, demonstration activities, and otherwise developing evidence (either through qualitative and quantitative methods, as appropriate) in targeted goal areas for effective models and approaches to increasing employment and economic self-sufficiency for adults with disabilities; Promoting and documenting the impact of actions of key leadership personnel at the State and local levels across public and private systems and agencies utilizing employment approaches in targeted goal areas in select states; Conducting an analysis of the interaction between and among various strategies and approaches in targeted goal areas as they exist in public policy, both nationally and in select states; and Developing evidence across public and private systems and agencies of effective leadership strategies in targeted goal areas. [[Page 39839]] The Center's technical assistance and dissemination activities must include, but are not limited to, the following: Developing evidence-based information and materials (including multi-media materials, curricula, and other relevant accessible products) in targeted goal areas for use in increasing leadership capacity for advancing employment and economic self- sufficiency for adults with disabilities; Preparing and disseminating appropriate reports and documents related to targeted goal areas in publications including, but not limited to, peer-reviewed journals; Providing intensive technical assistance, training, and information in targeted goal areas to ODEP's grantees including documenting the impact of such actions; Providing information to educate relevant stakeholders, including State and local policymakers, systems personnel, key leadership personnel, educators, and other relevant individuals and groups about changes in policy and practice needed in order to increase employment and economic self-sufficiency for adults with disabilities, and the evidence supporting action in targeted goal areas under this solicitation; Providing technical assistance, training, and information to increase understanding and utilization by relevant workforce systems and agencies of strategies developed in targeted goal areas; Serving as a repository and dissemination center for materials and effective practices developed by current and former ODEP grantees; and Creating and maintaining a user-friendly Web site with relevant information and documents in a form that meets a government or industry-recognized standard for accessibility. The Center's collaboration and partnership activities must include, but are not limited to: Developing evidence on strategies for, and results of, effective interagency partnership and collaboration between and among Federal, State, and local systems and agencies, both generic and disability-specific, that effectively leverage and maximize available resources in ways that provide choice, control and self-direction to individual job seekers; and Developing, maintaining, and documenting relationships that result in partnerships and collaborations to foster employment and economic self-sufficiency for adults with disabilities. Partners may include but are not limited to the following entities: (1) State departments and agencies across generic and disability- specific systems such as departments of Labor, Economic Development, Vocational Rehabilitation, Veterans Affairs, Mental Health, Medicaid, Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities, Education, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); and Governors' Committees on Employment of People with Disabilities and Developmental Disability Councils; (2) Local Work Investment Act (WIA) service providers, employment service providers, local One-Stop Career Centers and the Veterans Employment and Training Service; State and local financial services entities; social security benefits planning and assistance programs; community and faith-based organizations and disability organizations; community colleges and other training entities; and providers of employment-related supports, including public housing and transportation authorities; (3) Employers and their professional networks; (4) Federal agencies including the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, Treasury, Transportation, Education, and Veterans' Affairs; the Small Business Administration and Social Security Administration; and other generic and disability-specific agencies that work in areas related to improving employment and economic self-sufficiency for adults with disabilities and others with complex barriers to employment; and (5) ODEP-sponsored and other Federal technical assistance projects that provide information about, or work in areas related to, employment (including self employment), economic development, and/or enhancing employment profitability through use of relevant tax incentives, financial literacy, work incentives, benefits assistance and related areas). Additionally, the Center will work with ODEP to implement on-site, intensive, targeted technical assistance and research in two pilot states or economic development regions. The pilot project will be competitively selected by the third quarter of year 1 of Center activities. Staff and expert consultant time and project resources dedicated to provide technical assistance, research, and training support to the competitively selected states or regions will be negotiated with ODEP as part of the Cooperative Agreement within thirty (30) days of the date of the award in year 1. However, it is expected that a minimum of $600,000 is to be spent on the above component of the work plan. Year 1 activities will include the development of targeted technical assistance materials, a work plan (to be approved by ODEP) for this component of Center activities, and design and implementation of a competitive selection process for the states or economic development regions. Intensive, on-site, targeted activities will begin immediately with the competitively selected states or regions no later than the first quarter of year 2 of Center activities, and will focus on implementation of goal areas defined in this SGA throughout the states or economic development regions. Additional funding for this activity will be dedicated to this component of Center activities during years 3-5 pending ODEP's exercise of the option periods provided herein, and the availability of funds and adequacy of performance. The remainder of the funding that is provided is to be spent on carrying out the general technical assistance, research, and training functions in targeted goal areas described previously.