NARIC's REHABDATA Connection literature awareness service. Development and usability of MSafe: A fall risk application for older adults with MS. AT Teaching Checklist. ASIA Lifetime Achievement Award. Webinar: The ADA at Work. Stronger Together Conference. MSKTC user information needs survey. HHS Autism Initiative.
NARIC News:
Our acquisitions team has been hard at work tracking the outcomes and outputs of the NIDILRR grantee community and scouting new material to add to our collection. Our library houses thousands of articles, reports, books, guides, manuals, and other grantee materials. One of the best ways to stay up-to-date on what this community is producing is to sign up for our free REHABDATA Connection literature awareness service. You can pick the topics that are important to you and receive an email with abstracts for products and publications that meet your interests. Our next release is coming up soon so sign up today!
This Just In:
Development and usability of MSafe: A fall risk application for older adults with multiple sclerosis. Sensors. Volume 25(22), Pgs. 7075. NARIC Accession Number: J94777.
New to the NARIC collection, this NIDILRR-funded study developed and evaluated the usability of MSafe, a fall risk app for older adults with multiple sclerosis (MS). MSafe guides participants through a series of 37 self-report questions, 9 quantitative cognitive and mobility assessments, and a final fall risk report. Following user testing and structured interviews with adults with MS, three themes emerged: (1) simplicity of use, (2) progress monitoring, and (3) guidance and support. Overall, participants found MSafe easy to use, valuable to track and monitor their fall risk, and either confirmed or increased awareness of their own abilities. This study found that MSafe is a comprehensive fall risk app that demonstrated high usability by older adults with MS. Access the full abstract and ordering information in REHABDATA.
Resource Highlight:
Guide: Checklist for Teaching Exploration and Troubleshooting
The NIDILRR-funded Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Employment Among People Who are Blind or Have Low Vision (90RTEM0015) released a new guide, Checklist for Teaching Exploration and Troubleshooting (docx). The guide helps assistive technology (AT) instructors ensure that they have covered necessary skills with their students, such as problem solving and staying current on technology, so they can continue learning after the training ends. The customizable checklist includes self-teaching resources, contacts for AT support, and space for students to record information about their devices.
News from the NIDILRR Community:
NIDILRR Researcher to Receive ASIA Lifetime Achievement Award
James S. Krause, PhD, co-principal investigator for the NIDILRR-funded projects Longitudinal Study of Opioid Use, Misuse, and Co-Use of Other Substances: Related Changes in Outcomes After Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) (90DPHF0014) and Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Health and Function of People Aging with Physical Disability (90RTHF0008), will receive the 2027 Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA). The award is the highest honor bestowed by ASIA to an individual recognized for significant contributions to the world of spinal cord injury care. Dr. Krause received the award in recognition of nearly four decades of experience leading longitudinal studies of health, employment, and community participation among people with SCI. The NARIC collection includes more than 220 publications from Dr. Krause, including more than 200 produced under NIDILRR projects.
Events:
Webinar: The ADA at Work - Real Stories of Accommodation in Action
The NIDILRR-funded Great Lakes ADA Regional Center (90DPAD0012) will host a webinar, The ADA at Work: Real Stories of Accommodation in Action, September 15th, 2 - 3:30 pm ET. Staff from the center will share memorable technical assistance calls related to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the workplace. From transportation barriers and service animals to parking, job coaches, policy modifications, and ADA leave, these stories show how Title I plays out on the ground, and what strategies actually work when compliance meets real-world challenges. Registration is free and required by September 14th.
Conference: Stronger Together - Empowering Brain Injury Survivors and Their Loved Ones
The NIDILRR-funded Northern New Jersey Traumatic Brain Injury System Center (NNJTBIS) (90DPTB0032) will host an in-person conference, Stronger Together: Empowering Brain Injury Survivors and Their Loved Ones, September 18th, 8:30 am - 3:30 pm ET, at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange, NJ. The conference is open to
Opportunity to Participate:
MSKTC User Needs Survey
The NIDILRR-funded Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) (90DPKT0009) seeks participants for a brief survey to understand their information needs related to spinal cord injury (SCI), traumatic brain injury (TBI), or burn injuries. Participants must be over 18 and may be a person with a TBI, SCI, or burn injury, or a caregiver, clinician, or state or federal program administrator. The information gathered will help MSKTC develop future publications and products for individuals, caregivers, and practitioners.
Elsewhere in the Community:
National Autism Missing and Endangered Person Alert Initiative Announced
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a factsheet on the launch of a National Autism Missing and Endangered Person Alert Initiative, in partnership with the Department of Justice and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The initiative will strengthen coordination among emergency management agencies, law enforcement, first responders, and community partners nationwide to improve preparedness and response when autistic individuals are reported missing. It will also establish a national framework of best practices to address the leading causes of preventable injury and death among autistic individuals, which include accidental drowning linked to wandering and elopement. A full press release detailing the program and other autism-related efforts is also available.