News and Notes 493 December 22

birgitta.chaiken - Wed, 12/22/2021 - 15:12

During the past year, NARIC staff has turned to colleagues at the NIDILRR grantee community for research-based resources to help with challenges encountered, such as new variants of COVID-19, inclusion at work or at school, and resources to help staying safe in emergencies, many of which were featured in the Spotlight blog; This Just In... features a NIDILRR-funded study that utilized focus group sessions  with occupational and physical therapists to identify barriers and facilitators to rehabilitation care of individuals with spatial neglect; the Center on Knowledge Translation for Disability and Rehabilitation Research (KTDRR) publishes its 9th edition of the Knowledge Translation (KT) casebook; Project Director for the Rocky Mountain ADA Regional Center was interviewed in news story, Two Americas: Accessibility in Billlings through the eyes of the disabled, on KTVQ television station in Billings, MT; the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Community Living and Participation hosts webinar, Policy Forum: Wage Compression Among Direct Support Professionals (DSPs); the Great Lakes ADA Regional Center hosts webinar, Ask an ADA Professional Questions RE: Service Animals; the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Housing and Urban Development announce a new Housing and Services Resource Center, a center created for people who work in organizations and systems that provide housing resources and homelessness services, behavioral and mental health services, and other supportive services.

Date sent: 
2021-12-22
NARIC news: 

As we head toward the close of 2021, we are reflecting on what a remarkable year this has been. We've celebrated some extraordinary accomplishments: Paralympians achieved new feats of athleticism, students returned to classrooms, more people had access to COVID vaccines, and more people returned to the workplace. We also faced challenges, like new variants of COVID-19 and storms and wildfires. Throughout the year, we've turned to our colleagues in the NIDILRR grantee community for research-based resources to help, whether we needed to understand how COVID is impacting our community, information about inclusion at work or at school, or resources to help us stay safe in emergencies. These and many more are featured regularly in our Spotlight blog. News and Notes will be on our traditional holiday hiatus, returning in January. We wish you a happy, healthy New Year!

This Just In: 
Barriers and facilitators to rehabilitation care of individuals with spatial neglect: A qualitative study of professional views. Archives of Rehabilitation Research and Clinical Translation. NARIC Accession Number: J86506.
Recently added to the NARIC collection, this NIDILRR-funded study utilized focus group sessions with occupational and physical therapists to identify barriers and facilitators to achieving optimal inpatient rehabilitation care among individuals with spatial neglect (SN). Therapists identified several patient- and caregiver-, and facility-related characteristics that posed barriers to treatment including the symptoms of SN itself, cognitive issues, physical weakness, lack of preparedness to assume caregiver roles, and poor understanding of SN and rehabilitation goals, among others. Key facilitators included supportive family members, having resources and technologies available to support SN treatment, and strong continuity of care between transitions, among others. This study also identified specific needs for innovative interventions to address barriers and support effective rehabilitation. Access the full abstract and ordering information in REHABDATA.
 
Resource Highlight: 
New Edition of KTDRR's Knowledge Translation Casebook
The NIDILRR-funded Center on Knowledge Translation for Disability and Rehabilitation Research (KTDRR) (90DPKT0001) published the 9th edition of the Knowledge Translation (KT) Casebook. The Casebook discusses how NIDILRR grantees are using innovative, effective, and measured KT strategies to ensure their research is useful to their audiences. This edition of the Casebook highlights grantees from NIDILRR's technology portfolio, who conducted research and development in apps, sensors, and other assistive technology solutions.
 
News items: 
ADA and Public Access in Focus on KTVQ
Emily Shuman, Project Director for the NIDILRR-funded Rocky Mountain ADA Regional Center (90DPAD0009), was interviewed in a news story, Two Americas: Accessibility in Billings through the eyes of the disabled, on KTVQ in Billings, MT. In the video and accompanying article, Ms. Shuman explained how the Center assists communities in understanding their responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and demonstrated examples of barriers to access in downtown Billings.
 
Grantee event: 
Webinar: Policy Forum - Wage Compression Among DSPs
The NIDILRR-funded Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Community Living and Participation (90RTCP0003) will host a webinar, Policy Forum: Wage Compression Among Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), January 11th, 12-1:30 pm ET. Presenters will discuss the issue of wage compression among DSPs, which occurs when there is little difference in pay between new and more experienced DSP staff. Presenters will also discuss data showing that wage increases among DSPs in the US are much lower than among other hourly workers. Registration is free and required.
 
Webinar: Ask an ADA Professional Questions RE: Service Animals
The NIDILRR-funded Great Lakes ADA Regional Center (90DPAD0012) will host a webinar, Ask an ADA Professional Questions RE: Service Animals, January 12th, 2-3 pm, ET. Presenters will discuss how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to service animals. Presenters will answer questions from participants on this topic, including qualifications of trained service animals, how service animals are trained, the types of animals that may be used as service animals, and more. Participants may send questions in advance. Registration is free and required. Continuing education credits are available upon request.
 
Elsewhere in the Community: 
HHS and HUD Debut New Housing and Services Resource Center
The Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Housing and Urban Development announced a new Housing and Services Resource Center. The center was created for people who work in the organizations and systems that provide housing resources and homelessness services, behavioral and mental health services, independent living services and other supportive services, and others who are working to help people with disabilities and older adults live successfully and stably in the community. The center's website brings together a wide variety of federal resources and guidance on both housing and services that support community living, as well as information about organizations in the respective networks, examples of successful partnerships, tools for community collaborations, and more.
 
Archive link: 
http://www.icontact-archive.com/archive?c=654309&f=1190&s=26993&m=927989&t=635cba0a9267f719dd304fcd1ae764b160681b0bc4432192fe4b80b0dffecb7c