News and Notes 523 August 3

birgitta.chaiken - Wed, 08/03/2022 - 12:39

In these "dog days of summer," NARIC staff has information on service and support animals in their Spotlight blog; NIDILRR/ACL publishes brief, Research Supporting Competitive, Integrated Employment (CIE) as a direct pathway to greater independence and self-sufficiency for people with disabilities; This Just In... presents a study examining the demographic and health profile of people living with traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) incurred between 1972 and 2019; the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Community Living and Participation publishes report, Community Supports in Crisis: No Staff, No Services, exploring the current crisis in labor shortage in the direct support professional (DSP) workforce; the New England ADA Regional Center wins top honors in ADA Jeopardy! 2022 finals, hosted by the Great Lakes ADA Regional Center, with the Southeast ADA Regional Center placing second; the project Assessment and Investigation of New Coverage Policies for Complex Rehabilitation Technology (CRT) Within a Contemporary Accountable Care Environment receives several awards at the 2022 Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) Virtual Conference; the Great Lakes ADA Regional Center hosts webinar, They Are Called "Natural" Resources, not "Built" Resources; How Do We Access Them?, with presenters discussing best practices to assure accessibility of parks and outdoor areas; the Pacific ADA Regional Center hosts webinar, What Did They Say - Why Effective Communications is Critical in Emergency Management; the Research and Training Center on Promoting Interventions for Community Living (RTC/PICL) hosts webinar, Community Living Summit; the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) seeks parents with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) to test new factsheet, Being a Parent After a Traumatic Brain Injury; the Department of Transportation (DOT) publishes first-ever Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights, a summary of the fundamental rights of air travelers with disabilities under the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA).

Date sent: 
2022-08-03
NARIC news: 

As we enter the "dog days of Summer," we thought this was the perfect opportunity to highlight the crucial role of service animals in supporting the independence and participation of people with disabilities. Service animals, most often dogs, are individually trained to perform tasks directly related to a person's disability. Tasks can include guiding, pulling a wheelchair, providing physical support for balance and stability, opening doors, and retrieving objects. They can also be trained to alert a person who has a seizure disorder, interrupt impulsive or destructive behaviors, and provide safety checks for a person with PTSD. These are just a few examples of tasks service animal teams can perform. Visit our Spotlight blog to learn more about service animals, the difference between service and support animals, legal rights and responsibilities, and much more with research and resources from the NIDILRR community and elsewhere.

This Just In: 
Demographic and health profiles of people living with traumatic spinal cord injury in the United States during 2015-2019: Findings from the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems Database. Journal of Rehabilitation, Volume 88(1) , Pgs. 7-22. NARIC Accession Number: J88621.
New to the NARIC collection, this NIDILRR-funded study examined the demographic and health profile of people living with traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) who incurred a TSCI between 1972 and 2019, were initially treated at one of the SCI Model Systems (SCIMS) centers in the United States (US), and were alive during the period from 2015 to 2019. The data, obtained from the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems Database, were compared with previous estimates in 2008 and with general population statistics in 2017. Compared with the 2008 TSCI population profile, people living with TSCI from 2015-2019 were older, and had a higher percentage of C1-C4, and American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale D injuries. The prevalence of pain and urinary tract infection remained high over postinjury years for both groups. Rehospitalization and depression were most common during the first year, and pressure injury was more common among those 20 years or more postinjury. Health conditions declined with advanced age, including self-perceived health, diabetes, and institutional residence. People who survived TSCI for years, however, had relatively good degrees of independence and social participation. Although the proportion of people with a bachelor’s degree or higher was similar between the TSCI and general US populations, the employment rate was lower in the TSCI population. Access the full abstract and ordering information in REHABDATA.
 
Resource Highlight: 
Report: Community Supports in Crisis - No Staff, No Services
The NIDILRR-funded Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Community Living and Participation (90RTCP0003) has published a report, Community Supports in Crisis: No Staff, No Services. The report explores the current crisis of labor shortages and pervasive high turnover rates in the direct support professional (DSP) workforce, and the impact of this crisis on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The report gives a background on the DSP network, drivers of the DSP crisis, the impact on the community, and initiatives to enhance workforce stability and competence.
 
NIDILRR News and Events: 
Research Brief: Research Supporting Competitive, Integrated Employment
NIDILRR/ACL has published a brief, Research Supporting Competitive, Integrated Employment, spotlighting recent findings from NIDILRR-funded projects focusing on competitive, integrated employment (CIE) as a direct pathway to greater independence and self-sufficiency for people with disabilities. CIE is full- or part-time work where an individual is compensated at minimum wage or higher, and where the employee with a disability interacts with people without disabilities and has similar opportunities for advancement. The report discusses research on the benefits of and barriers to implementing CIE and presents the results of a successful five-year study of CIE for adults with autism.
 
News items: 
New England ADA Center Wins Top Spot in ADA Jeopardy!
The NIDILRR-funded New England ADA Regional Center (90DPAD0011)won top honors in the ADA Jeopardy! 2022 Finals, hosted by the Great Lakes ADA Regional Center (90DPAD0012) on July 25th, with the Southeast ADA Regional Center (90DPAD0005) placing second. Players from both teams tested their knowledge of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), presenting their answers in the form of a question. Viewers can watch archived videos from the first round and the final round to learn more about the ADA and test their own knowledge about this important civil rights law.
 
NIDILRR Researchers Receive RESNA Awards
Researchers and team members from the NIDILRR-funded project Assessment and Investigation of New Coverage Policies for Complex Rehabilitation Technology (CRT) Within a Contemporary Accountable Care Environment (90DPGE0014) received several awards at the 2022 Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) Virtual Conference. Co-investigator Theresa Berner, OTR/L, received the Sam McFarland Mentor Award, which recognizes those who have influenced, counseled, and nurtured others in the field of rehabilitation engineering and assistive technology. Tyler Beauregard was one of the Student Scientific Paper Award recipients as co-author for the project's paper "Development of an online questionnaire examining stakeholder perception of the CRT service delivery process." In addition, two members of the project's Advisory Board received Honorary RESNA Fellow Awards recognizing those who have promoted issues and demonstrated leadership highly relevant to the field of assistive technology and rehabilitation engineering and who have encouraged the independence of individuals with disabilities.
 
Grantee event: 
Webinar: They Are Called "Natural" Resources, not "Built" Resources; How Do We Access Them?
The NIDILRR-funded Great Lakes ADA Regional Center (90DPAD0012) will host a webinar, They Are Called "Natural" Resources, not "Built" Resources; How Do We Access Them?, August 11th, 2 – 3:30 pm ET. Presenters will discuss best practices to ensure that parks and outdoor areas are and remain as accessible as possible without taking away the natural experience. Presenters will cover prioritizing, evaluating, and maintenance planning in relation to trails, picnic areas, and vault toilets, among other topics. Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions after the presentation. Registration is free and required. Continuing education credits are available upon request.
 
Webinar: What Did They Say – Why Effective Communications is Critical in Emergency Management
The NIDILRR-funded Pacific ADA Regional Center (90DPAD0006) will host a webinar, What Did They Say – Why Effective Communications is Critical in Emergency Management, August 11th, 2:30 – 4 pm ET. Presenters will review the importance of effective communication in emergency management. Presenters will address what effective communication means and how emergency managers can improve their public communication to make it effective to people with disabilities. Registration is free and required. Registration closes at midnight on August 10th.
 
Webinar: Community Living Summit
The NIDILRR-funded Research and Training Center on Promoting Interventions for Community Living (RTC/PICL) (90RT5043) will host a webinar, Community Living Summit, August 17th, 3 – 4:30 pm ET. Presenters will share information and resources developed by the RTC/PICL, including the National Community Living Resource Center, the Home Usability Program, Out and About, and factsheets on home modifications. The summit is presented in partnership with the National Council on Independent Living. Registration is free and required.
 
Participate: 
Factsheet Testing with Parents with TBI
The NIDILRR-funded Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) (90DPKT0009) is recruiting parents with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) to test a new factsheet, Being a Parent After a Traumatic Brain Injury. Participants must be at least 18 years old, be a parent, and have a TBI. Eligible participants will be interviewed after reviewing the factsheet and will receive a $25 gift card for their time. To volunteer, call 202/403-5600 or email msktc@air.org.
 
Elsewhere in the Community: 
DOT Publishes First-Ever Bill of Rights for Airline Passengers with Disabilities
The Department of Transportation (DOT) published the first-ever Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights, an easy-to-use summary of the fundamental rights of air travelers with disabilities under the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA). The Bill of Rights empowers air travelers with disabilities to understand and assert their rights, such as the right to accessible airport facilities, to assistance at airports, and to travel with a service animal, among others. The Bill of Rights also helps ensure that US and foreign air carriers and their contractors uphold those rights. The Bill of Rights was developed using feedback from the ACAA Advisory Committee, which includes people with disabilities, aircraft and wheelchair manufacturers, and others.
 
Archive link: 
http://www.icontact-archive.com/archive?c=654309&f=1190&s=26993&m=933992&t=635cba0a9267f719dd304fcd1ae764b160681b0bc4432192fe4b80b0dffecb7c