News and Notes 497, February 2

birgitta.chaiken - Wed, 02/02/2022 - 12:27

NARIC staff highlights the News and Notes Opportunities to Participate section, offering readers to be a part of the innovating research and development happening in the NIDILRR community, including testing of assistive devices or rehabilitation technology, trials of interventions to improve one's health, and Participatory Action Research, allowing participants to become part of the research team; This Just In... presents a study evaluating the ability of a robotic exoskeleton (RE) to provide gait training in adults with acute stroke; the Learning and Working During the Transition to Adulthood Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (Transitions ACR) produces video series, The College Faculty Guide to Academic Supports for College Students with Serious Mental Health Conditions; cognitive technologies developed by AbleLink Technologies under more than 40 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) projects, were featured in Changing Lives with Smart Technologies for the ABCs of Disability Planning Podcast; principal investigator for the Southeast ADA Regional Center was interviewed for COVID-19 mandates and the ADA on Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR); the Great Lakes ADA Regional Center hosts webinar, Best Practices for Inclusive Recreation Programs; Research and Education to Support the Science of Independent Living for Inclusion and Engagement: National Center of Excellence RRTC (RESILIENCE RRTC) hosts webinar, Built to Scale, Scaling Up Evidence-Based Health Interventions, discussing why some great ideas make it big while others fail to take off; the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) seeks parents of children with burn injuries as well as teachers and rehabilitation professionals to provide feedback on a consumer factsheet, Help Your Child Recover - Build Your Child's Resilience After a Burn Injury; the Administration for Community Living (ACL) hosts the annual Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Stakeholder Day, held virtually; the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) releases video, Medical Information and the Interactive Process, part of its Accommodation and Compliance Series, including a role play training video demonstating when and how an employer may request personal medical information to support an employee's need for accommodation under the ADA.

Date sent: 
2022-02-02
NARIC news: 

Have you noticed we have an Opportunities to Participate section in our newsletter? We consider this one of the most important pieces of News and Notes, because it offers you a way to be a part of the innovative research and development happening in the NIDILRR community. Opportunities to participate can include online surveys, interviews like the one in today's issue, testing of assistive devices or rehabilitation technology, and trials of interventions to improve one's health. Some people become part of the research team in what's called Participatory Action Research. Every opportunity to participate is different, so read carefully to be sure you are eligible and you understand the benefits and risks of joining any study. You can be a part of cutting edge science that could improve lives for generations. How cool is that?

This Just In: 
Effect of robotic exoskeleton gait training during acute stroke on functional ambulation. Neurorehabilitation, Volume 48(4), Pgs. 493-503. NARIC Accession Number: J87811.
New to the NARIC collection, this NIDILRR-funded study evaluated the ability of a robotic exoskeleton (RE) to provide high-dose gait training and measured the resulting therapeutic effect on functional walking in adults with acute stroke. The researchers found that average total distance walked during RE gait training and the average distance per RE gait training session was significantly higher than those during standard-of-care sessions. All functional ambulation measures showed significant improvement at follow-up compared to baseline. Access the full abstract and ordering information in REHABDATA.
 
Resource Highlight: 
Video Series: The College Faculty Guide to Academic Supports for College Students with Serious Mental Health Conditions
The NIDILRR-funded Learning and Working During the Transition to Adulthood Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (Transitions ACR) (90RTEM0005) produced a video series, The College Faculty Guide to Academic Supports for College Students with Serious Mental Health Conditions. The video series provides evidence-based information and strategies for college faculty members on how to support the academic participation and success of students who experience mental health conditions. The series offers actionable strategies for structuring courses to support student mental health, and specific ways faculty can support the academic participation and success of students with mental health conditions. Students, faculty members, and mental health experts are featured throughout the series, accompanying critical information that promotes faculty reflection on supporting these students.
 
News items: 
AT Research Featured on ABCs of Disability Planning
Cognitive technologies, developed by AbleLink Technologies under more than 40 NIDILRR-funded Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) projects, were featured in Changing Lives with Smart Technologies for the ABCs of Disability Planning podcast. Dan Davies, founder and president of AbleLink Technologies, discussed their history of research and development in assistive technology (AT) and how current and emerging technologies can support the independence of people with cognitive disabilities.
 
ADA and COVID in Focus on WPR
Peter Blanck, PhD, JD, principal investigator for the NIDILRR-funded Southeast ADA Regional Center (90DPAD0005), was interviewed for COVID-19 mandates and the ADA on the Ideas Network on Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR). Dr. Blanck gave an overview of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and discussed how health policies and regulations established during the COVID-19 pandemic may interact with it and other disability rights laws.
 
Grantee event: 
Webinar: Best Practices for Inclusive Recreation Programs
The NIDILRR-funded Great Lakes ADA Regional Center (90DPAD0012) will host a webinar, Best Practices for Inclusive Recreation Programs, February 10th, 2-3:30 pm ET. Presenters will discuss best practices for making recreation programs inclusive and accessible to individuals with a range of disabilities and ages. Topics will include advertising, registration, and the accommodation process for activities such as sports, summer camps, and classes. Presenters will discuss issues unique to recreation, such as one-to-one support, behavior policies, medication, and personal care. Registration is free and required. Continuing education credits are available upon request.
 
Webinar: Built to Scale - Scaling Up Evidence-Based Health Interventions
The NIDILRR-funded Research and Education to Support the Science of Independent Living for Inclusion and Engagement: National Center of Excellence RRTC (RESILIENCE RRTC) (90RTGE0003) will host a webinar, Built to Scale: Scaling Up Evidence-Based Health Interventions, February 16th, 11 am-12 pm ET. Presenters will discuss one of the most complex questions around scaling up an intervention: Why do some great ideas make it big while others fail to take off? Registration is free and required. Previous Built to Scale webinars are archived on the website.
 
Participate: 
Burn Consumer Factsheet Testing
The NIDILRR-funded Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) (90DPKT0009) is recruiting parents of children with burn injuries as well as teachers and rehabilitation professionals to provide feedback on a consumer factsheet, Help Your Child Recover - Build Your Child's Resilience After a Burn Injury. Participants must be at least 18 years old and parents or primary caregivers of a child with burn injuries, or a teacher, recreational therapist, or other professional who works with these children. Interviews will last approximately 60 minutes and participants will receive a $25 gift card for their time. To register or for more information, call 202/403-5600 or email msktc@air.org.
 
Elsewhere in the Community: 
TBI Stakeholder Day 2022
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) will host the annual Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Stakeholder Day, March 8th, 12-4:30 pm ET. The virtual TBI Stakeholder Day will bring all stakeholders together to discuss important issues around TBI services, supports, and systems, and to learn from other stakeholders, brain injury survivors, family members, support networks, and state and federal representatives. Topics will include survivor engagement strategies, domestic violence and its effect on children, effective partnerships in behavioral health and suicide, and effective strategies for using and leveraging data. Registration is free and required. This event will be live-captioned and ASL-interpreted. For more information and to request additional accommodations, email tbitarc@hsri.org.
 
JAN Training Video: Medical Information and the Interactive Process
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) has released a video, Medical Information and the Interactive Process, part of its Accommodation and Compliance Series. The role play training video demonstrates when and how an employer may request personal medical information to support an employee’s need for accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The video depicts a performance evaluation discussion where an employee, their medical professional, and the human resources department work together to identify and implement accommodations that will help the employee succeed in their job. The video series is part of the Workplace Accommodation Toolkit.
 
Archive link: 
http://www.icontact-archive.com/archive?c=654309&f=1190&s=26993&m=929033&t=635cba0a9267f719dd304fcd1ae764b160681b0bc4432192fe4b80b0dffecb7c