Where Industry and Security Intersect
What's New | Sitemap | Search
The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) funds the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) Program under authority of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. § 762(b)(3)). RERCs conduct programs of advanced research of an engineering or technical nature designed to apply advanced technology, scientific achievement, and psychological and social knowledge to solve rehabilitation problems and remove environmental barriers.
Each center is affiliated with one or more institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations. RERCs work at the individual level focusing on technology to benefit those affected by sensory loss, mobility impairment, or communication difficulties. They also work at the systems level to eliminate barriers such as those found in telecommunications and the built environment.
In addition, each center is affiliated with a rehabilitation setting, which provides an environment for cooperative research and the transfer of rehabilitation technologies into rehabilitation practice. RERCs also develop systems for the exchange of technical and engineering information worldwide and improve the distribution of technological devices and equipment to individuals with disabilities.
Each RERC focuses on a specific area of disability-related research. For example, currently-funded RERCs are conducting research on hearing enhancement; technologies for children with orthopedic disabilities; tele-rehabilitation; prosthetics and orthotics; improved technology access for land mine survivors; ergonomic solutions for employment; assistive technology for older persons with disabilities; technology transfer; universal design and the built environment; communication enhancement; wheeled mobility; information technology access; and telecommunications access.44
Further information on the RERCs is available on the Web
44 For more information about the individual RERCs and other NIDRR-funded research, see http://www.naric.com/search/pd/indextype.html