The NIDRR Program Directory: Introduction

Below is the introduction printed in the hard copy version of the directory. See the publications list for information on downloading the Directory.

Introduction

The mission of NIDRR is to generate new knowledge and promote its effective use to improve the abilities of people with disabilities to perform activities of their choice in the community, and also to expand society’s capacity to provide full opportunities and accommodations for its citizens with disabilities. NIDRR conducts comprehensive and coordinated programs of research and related activities to assist in the achievement of the full inclusion, social integration, employment, and independent living of people with disabilities. This edition of the NIDRR Program Directory lists all projects funded by NIDRR during the 2008 fiscal year.

The contextual paradigm of disability and rehabilitation research, originally described in NIDRR’s Long Range Plan, 1999-2003, continues to frame the NIDRR research agenda. This paradigm overcomes the limitations imposed by a medical model of disability. This paradigm of disability maintains that “disability is a product of the interaction between characteristics of the individual (e.g., conditions or impairments, functional status, or personal and social qualities) and the characteristics of the natural, built, cultural, and social environments.” (NIDRR Long-Range Plan 1999-2003.)

NIDRR’s Research Program

Under the Long Range Plan 2005-2009, NIDRR-funded research activities fall within three strategic arenas: Research and Development, Capacity Building, and Knowledge Translation. Most NIDRR grantees are universities or organizations of rehabilitation or related services. NIDRR’s largest funding programs are the Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (RRTCs), the Model Systems, and Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERCs). NIDRR also makes awards through other program mechanisms, including ADA Technical Assistance Projects, Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training Projects, Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects, Mary E. Switzer Research Fellowships, NIDRR Contracts, NIDRR Scholars, and Small Business Innovative Research. Program descriptions are provided below.

ADA Technical Assistance Projects

NIDRR funds a network of Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTACs) to provide information, training, and technical assistance related to the American with Disability Act (ADA) to businesses, agencies, and the public. Presently, ten regional DBTACs and one Coordination, Outreach, and Research Center (CORC) are funded under this program.

Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training Projects

The Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training (ARRT) Program provides research training and experience at an advanced level to individuals with doctorates, or similar advanced degrees, who have clinical or other relevant experience. ARRT projects train rehabilitation researchers, including researchers with disabilities, with particular attention to research areas that support the implementation and objectives of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Act), and that improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Act. Grants are made to institutions to recruit qualified persons, and to provide a training program that includes didactic and classroom instruction, is multidisciplinary, emphasizes scientific research methodology, and may involve collaboration among institutions

Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects

The Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) program funds projects with special emphasis on research, demonstration, training, dissemination, utilization, and technical assistance. Projects may include combinations of these activities. True to the mission of NIDRR, these projects may develop methods, procedures, and rehabilitation technology to assist in achieving the full inclusion and integration into society, employment, independent living, family support, and economic and social self-sufficiency of individuals with disabilities, especially individuals with the most significant disabilities, or to improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act.

Mary E. Switzer Research Fellowships

Research Fellowships, named for the late Mary E. Switzer, give individual researchers the opportunity to develop new ideas and gain research experience. There are two levels of fellowships: Distinguished Fellowships and Merit Fellowships. Distinguished Fellowships go to individuals who have seven or more years of research experience in subject areas, methods, or techniques relevant to rehabilitation research and must have a doctorate, other terminal degree, or comparable academic qualifications. Merit Fellowships are given to individuals who have either advanced professional training or independent study experience in an area that is directly pertinent to disability and rehabilitation but who do not meet the qualifications for Distinguished, usually because they are in earlier stages of their careers. Fellows work for one year on an independent research project of their design.

Model Systems

NIDRR administers programs that have become world-renowned model systems of care for persons with spinal cord injuries, burns, and traumatic brain injuries. The Model Systems establish innovative projects for the delivery, demonstration, and evaluation of comprehensive medical, vocational, and other rehabilitation services. The work of the Model Systems begins at the point of injury and ends with successful re-entry into full community life. These projects collect and contribute data on patient characteristics, diagnoses, causes of injury, interventions, outcomes, and costs to a uniform national database; participate in collaborative research with other Model System centers; and coordinate research efforts with other related grant recipients. In 2006, NIDRR funded a coordinating knowledge translation center for all three Model System types.

NIDRR Scholars

The NIDRR Scholars Program is designed to provide internship opportunities in disability and rehabilitation research for undergraduate students with disabilities. Each year, NIDRR provides funding for this program to projects and centers. The intent of the program is to enable students to gain practical experience in ongoing research, thereby preparing them for careers in disability and rehabilitation research. The duration of the internship is one semester and the students are required to work 20 hours per week.

NIDRR Contracts

Through its contracts, NIDRR seeks improved methods, systems, products, and practices to add to its work. The contracts are for specific activities related to management, research, and information dissemination.

Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers

Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERCs) conduct programs of advanced research of an engineering or technical nature designed to apply advanced technology, scientific achievement, and psychological and social knowledge to solve rehabilitation problems and remove environmental barriers. Each center is affiliated with one or more institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations. The RERCs’ work in a rehabilitation setting provides an environment for cooperative research and the transfer of rehabilitation technologies into rehabilitation practice. Involved at both the individual and systems levels, RERCs seek to find and evaluate the newest technologies, products, and methods that ultimately can benefit the independence of persons with disabilities and the universal design of environments for all people of all ages. The centers also exchange technical and engineering information worldwide and improve the distribution of technological devices and equipment to individuals who need them.

Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers

NIDRR’s Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (RRTCs) conduct coordinated and integrated advanced programs of research targeted toward the production of new knowledge, which may improve rehabilitation methodology and service delivery systems, alleviate or stabilize disabling conditions, or promote maximum social and economic independence for persons with disabilities. Operated in collaboration with institutions of higher education or providers of rehabilitation or other appropriate services, RRTCs serve as centers of national excellence in rehabilitation research. Also, they are national or regional resources for research information for individuals with disabilities and the parents, family members, guardians, advocates, or authorized representatives of the individuals. These centers also conduct related training programs, including graduate, pre-service and in-service training. The centers also disseminate and promote the utilization of research findings.

Small Business Innovation Research

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants help support the production of new assistive and rehabilitation technology. This two-phase program takes a product from development to market readiness.

NARIC and the NIDRR Program Directory

The Program Directory is compiled by the National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC). NARIC functions as NIDRR’s library, providing the rehabilitation community with information and referral services to help locate pertinent research related to specific areas of expertise. Since 1977, NARIC has been the primary source of rehabilitation and disability information generated by NIDRR funds, with special priority services to NIDRR staff and NIDRR-funded project staff.

NARIC also produces REHABDATA, an index of disability and rehabilitation literature produced by NIDRR grantees as well as commercial publishers. Copies of NIDRR-supported research products are received by NARIC and added to the reference collection and REHABDATA database. Information about holdings are available online at www.naric.com.

Neither NARIC nor NIDRR assumes liability for the Directory’s contents or the use thereof. NARIC does not evaluate or certify the programs or products of the organizations listed in the Directory.

This Directory is not intended for use as a fiscal document to show how NIDRR funds are allocated; its purpose is to display the range of programs that NIDRR supports. This listing is current as of December 31, 2010. This directory may incude projects that have passed the indicated extension date.

NARIC operates under U.S. Department of Education contract ED-OSE-10-0095.

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