News and Notes 512 May 18

birgitta.chaiken - Wed, 05/18/2022 - 11:57

In observance of Older Americans Month, led by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), NARIC offers diverse NIDILRR-funded projects supporting people aging with disabilities in its Spotlight blog; NIDILRR director to deliver keynote address for virtual conference, Achieving Research Equity & Inclusion, hosted by Mass General Brigham; This Just In... presents study investigating barriers and potential solutions to improving community-living outcomes for people of color with disabilities who have opioid use disorder; the Temple University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Community Living and Participation of People with Serious Mental Illness (TU Collaborative) in collaboration with the Center on Knowledge Translation on Employment Research (CeKTER) publish infocomic, Managing Cognitive Demand; the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC) was featured in Forbes Magazine online article, An Online Resource for Understanding Disability by the Numbers; the Mid-Atlantic ADA Regional Center hosts webinar, Creating Welcoming Park Environments: Inclusion of Individuals with Mental Health Conditions; the Center for Research, Training, and Dissemination of Family Support for People with Disabilities Across the Life Course hosts the Second Conference on Caregiving Research; the project on Reclaiming Employment: Self-Employment Resources for Mental Health Service Users seeks users with mental health challenges who seek or are engaged in self-employment to pilot its Reclaiming Employment platform; the US Access Board seeks comments from the public regarding the appropriate low-height of accessible medical diagnostic equipment (MDE).

Date sent: 
2022-05-18
NARIC news: 

May is Older Americans Month and the Administration for Community Living (ACL) leads its national observance. This year's theme, Age My Way, focuses on aging in place and explores the many ways in which older adults with or without disabilities can continue to participate in their communities. NIDILRR-funded research and development activities support adults aging with and into disabilities by understanding disability across the life span, investigating and developing interventions and technology solutions to support healthy aging, and removing barriers to aging in place and living independently in the community. Visit our Spotlight blog to explore some of the diverse projects currently underway to understand and support people aging with disabilities, along with highlights from our Research In Focus series and resources from the broader community.

This Just In: 
Barriers and translational solutions to improving community living outcomes among people of color with disabilities with opioid use disorder: A focus group perspective. Journal of Rehabilitation, Volume 88(1), Pgs. 45-57. NARIC Accession Number: J88574.
New to the NARIC collection, this NIDILRR-funded study investigated vocational rehabilitation, substance abuse, and mental health service providers’ perceptions about barriers and potential solutions to improving community living outcomes for people of color with disabilities who have opioid use disorder. Through focus groups, providers identified the following barriers: (1) proliferation of opioids in the community, (2) treatment access barriers, (3) employment, (4) transportation, (5) partnerships, and (6) community participation. Providers also acknowledged various solutions including the following: (1) building partnerships and inter-agency collaborations, (2) on-the job training and job bonding, and (3) expansion of healthcare services. The findings highlight the need for further research to address inadequate community living outcomes. Access the full abstract and ordering information in REHABDATA.
 
Resource Highlight: 
Infocomic: Managing Cognitive Demand
The NIDILRR-funded Temple University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Community Living and Participation of People with Serious Mental Illness (TU Collaborative) (90RTCP0001), in collaboration with the Center on Knowledge Translation on Employment Research (CeKTER) (90DPEM0004), published an infocomic, Managing Cognitive Demand. The comic shows how employers can create welcoming work environments for employees with disabilities by helping them manage cognitive demand. In one scene, a new employee is overwhelmed by new tasks every day. In the second scene, a manager works with a new employee to support their training to master tasks one at a time.
 
NIDILRR News and Events: 
NIDILRR Director to Deliver Keynote for Achieving Research Equity & Inclusion Conference
NIDILRR Director Anjali Forber-Pratt, PhD, will deliver the keynote address for Achieving Research Equity & Inclusion, a virtual conference hosted by Mass General Brigham, May 23rd - 24th. Dr. Forber-Pratt's keynote on May 23rd will highlight the importance of representation in all aspects of research. She will also join a live panel discussion on universal design. Registration is free and required to watch the sessions live or on demand after the conference.
 
News items: 
Disability Statistics Research Featured in Forbes
Research and resources from the NIDILRR-funded Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC) (90RTGE0001) was featured in An Online Resource for Understanding Disability by the Numbers in Forbes Magazine online. The article covers the March 2022 release of the center's Annual Disability Statistics Compendium and the two days of presentations highlighting the state of disability data in the US. The article also describes the Compendium as an important resource to understand the size and make-up of the disability population, the impacts of unemployment and poverty on the disability community, and the intersectional nature of disability.
 
Grantee event: 
Webinar: Creating Welcoming Park Environments - Inclusion of Individuals with Mental Health Conditions
The NIDILRR-funded Mid-Atlantic ADA Regional Center (90DPAD0008) will host a webinar, Creating Welcoming Park Environments: Inclusion of Individuals with Mental Health Conditions, May 25th, 2 – 3:30 pm ET. Presenters from the NIDILRR-funded Temple University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Community Living and Participation of People with Serious Mental Illness (TU Collaborative) (90RTCP0001) will introduce the idea of welcoming parks, and identify actionable strategies for intentionally including individuals who experience mental health conditions in park environments. Presenters will highlight a new resource, Creating Welcoming Parks and Recreation Environments, which focuses on specific strategies to foster parks that are welcoming to everyone. Certificates of Attendance are available for a nominal fee. Registration is free and required.
 
Second Conference on Caregiving Research
The NIDILRR-funded Center for Research, Training, and Dissemination of Family Support for People with Disabilities Across the Life Course (90RTGE0002) will host the Second Conference on Caregiving Research, September 30th – October 1st in Pittsburgh, PA. The conference will bring together a multidisciplinary group of national leaders in caregiving research, policy, and practice across the lifespan. Registration is required and there are related fees. Early bird registration ends July 15th and is highly encouraged to ensure hotel block rooms are still available.
 
Participate: 
Reclaiming Employment™ Self-Employment Platform Pilot Test
The NIDILRR-funded project Reclaiming Employment: Self-Employment Resources for Mental Health Service Users (90IFDV0016) is recruiting users to pilot its Reclaiming Employment platform, which will launch in June. Reclaiming Employment offers support for people with mental health challenges around work to start and run small businesses. During the pilot research study, users will have access to all the website’s features and participate in a few surveys. Participation is open to individuals with mental health challenges who are interested in or currently engaged in self-employment. Interested individuals can complete the online form to request an invitation to the platform.
 
Elsewhere in the Community: 
Access Board Seeks Comments on Accessible MDE
The US Access Board seeks comments regarding the appropriate low-height of accessible medical diagnostic equipment (MDE). The Access Board previously published voluntary accessible standards for MDE, including the high- and low-height specifications for transfer surfaces used by patients such as imaging equipment, exam tables, and exam chairs. The low-height was set between 17 and 19 inches. The Board seeks comments from the public on this issue, including people with disabilities who may be users of such equipment. Comments may be submitted via email to mde@access-board.gov through May 27th, 2022. Background information about the standards and instructions for submitting comments are in the published notice.
 
Archive link: 
http://www.icontact-archive.com/archive?c=654309&f=1190&s=26993&m=932116&t=635cba0a9267f719dd304fcd1ae764b160681b0bc4432192fe4b80b0dffecb7c