For the Network

Share

  Announcements

  1. Home
  2. Aging & Disability in America
  3. Data and Research
  4. NIDILRR Publications and Resources

NIDILRR Publications and Resources

National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitative Research (NIDILRR) and its grantees have produced the following publications, products, and tools for improving health, independence, employment, and community living opportunities for people with disabilities. Additional links to non-NIDILRR resources are also provided on this page.

ICDR Activities Update

Authorized by the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, as amended, the Interagency Committee on Disability Research (ICDR) was established to promote coordination and collaboration among federal departments and agencies conducting disability, independent living, and rehabilitation research programs, including programs related to assistive technology research and research that incorporates the principles of universal design.

The ICDR Executive Committee meets regularly and there is a meeting scheduled for March 2018. The meetings are quarterly; recent meetings occurred December 2017, September 2017, and June 2017.

The working groups of the ICDR reflect the key content areas that WIOA identified for the ICDR: 1) Assistive technology and universal design; 2) Community integration and participation; 3) Employment and education; 4) Health, functioning, and wellness; and 5) Government-wide inventory of disability research. Each working group has its action plan, and is pursuing its own timeline. For example, the working group on employment and education meets monthly.

WIOA requires that the ICDR establish a government-wide inventory of disability research – see the fifth working group described above. NIH members of the ICDR are currently working with ICDR leadership to establish this inventory, based on the existing FEDReporter tool.

Publications and Products

NIDILRR grantees are given money to do the work they described in their proposal that was deemed fundable by a panel of expert peer reviewers. After grant approval they go about their business engaging in the research and development process, otherwise known as the “activity or work phase.” Throughout this process, NIDILRR project officers monitor their progress using a variety of strategies and tools. For more information on how NIDILRR monitors its performance, and the performance of its grantees, check out NIDILRR's Performance Page.

An NIDILRR grantee's research and development process typically takes several years and the end result is usually publications and/or products, known as outputs. See the outputs organized by type below, and see which are available to the public from the National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC), NIDILRR's library and information center.

  • NIDILRR Publications
  • Grantee Publications
  • Tools
  • Technology-related Information and Products
  • Informational Products

NIDILRR Publications

The following publications are possible because of assistance from two groups: conscientious grantees who provide requested data, and NIDILRR contractors.

Grantee Publications

NARIC collects grantee-produced publications, develops short abstracts about each, and adds the abstract and citations to REHABDATA, its searchable database of rehabilitation literature. Search for NIDILRR-produced publications or use the quick links below to view REHABDATA searches by NIDILRR program and year.

  • 90DP—Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects: 2016, 2015
  • 90RT—Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (RRTCs): 2016, 2015
  • 90RE—Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERCs): 2016, 2015
  • 90SF—Research Fellows Program (formerly Switzer): 2016, 2015
  • 90IF—Field-Initiated Projects (FIP): 2016, 2015
  • 90SCI—Model Spinal Cord Injury Systems: 2016, 2015
  • 90AR—Advanced Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (ARRT): 2016, 2015
  • 90BI—Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR): 2016, 2015

Tools

Looking for a tool produced by a NIDILRR grantee? Search the NARIC Tools Collection. Tools are surveys, measurement and diagnostic instruments, or checklists used to assess the extent of a problem.

Technology-Related Information and Products

Technology-related information usually refers to standards for doing or building something the right way (e.g., standards for building a wheelchair or accessible van, transporting a wheelchair user safely in a vehicle).

Sometimes, standards exist but are outdated because of new developments in the market. Other standards do not exist because no one has ever tried to do what is being proposed. In either case, Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program grantees and the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) program provide the brain power behind the standards work. View a sample of grantee-produced documents related to rehabilitation engineering ANSI standards work.

Technology products usually refer to the "cool stuff" that people make, build, or write about. RERC and SBIR grantees are also involved in making, building, or testing this stuff. They follow a design process, which can be complicated but  basically starts with understanding a problem faced by a group of users. Then, they interview users to discover what features or needs they care about or desire. Technology people then take these user requirements and start to design, build, test, and make a prototype. Prototypes are tested by a group of users, tweaked or re-designed based on feedback, and re-tested until they satisfy user requirements. Read about NIDILRR's stages of development framework (SODF).

View some examples of products made by NIDILRR, SBIR, and RERC grantees in NARIC's multimedia collection.

Informational Products

Information products are usually geared toward a general audience and can include things like “how-to” manuals, CDs, newsletters, brochures, training guides, fact sheets, and videos. Grantees produce many of these types of outputs.

NIDILRR grantees, especially the Knowledge Translation Center grantees, produce full-text fact and tip sheets on a variety of subjects. Examples include, but are not limited to:

An ever-increasing number of full-text information products are available in REHABDATA. Some examples follow.

NIDILRR Research and Statistics

Disability Statistics and Demographics RRTC

A Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) primarily funded by NIDILRR: The purpose of the Disability Statistics RRTC is to produce and disseminate statistical information on disability and the status of people with disabilities in American society, and to establish and monitor indicators about how conditions change over time to meet their health, housing, economic, and social needs. The RRTC also maintains an Annual Disability Statistics Compendium.

Interagency Committee on Disability Research (ICDR)

Authorized by the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, as amended, the Interagency Committee on Disability Research (ICDR) was established to promote coordination and collaboration among federal departments and agencies conducting disability, independent living, and rehabilitation research programs, including programs related to assistive technology research and research that incorporates the principles of universal design.

The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center

The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC) supports and directs the collection, management, and analysis of the world's largest and longest spinal cord injury research database. Organizationally, NSCISC is currently at the hub of a network of 14 NIDILRR-sponsored and 5 subcontract-funded Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems located at major medical centers throughout the U.S. In addition to maintaining the national database, NSCISC personnel conduct ongoing, database-oriented research. Many findings of these investigative efforts have had significant impacts on the delivery and nature of medical rehabilitation services provided to patients with spinal cord injuries.

Traumatic Brain Injury National Data and Statistics Center

The primary purpose of the Traumatic Brain Injury National Data and Statistics Center (TBINDSC) is to advance medical rehabilitation by increasing the rigor and efficiency of scientific efforts to longitudinally assess the experience of individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The TBINDSC provides technical assistance, training, and methodological consultation to 16 TBIMS centers as they collect and analyze longitudinal data from people with TBI in their communities, and as they conduct research toward evidence-based TBI rehabilitation interventions.

National Data and Statistical Center for the Burn Model Systems

The National Data and Statistical Center for the Burn Model Systems (BMS NDSC) advances medical rehabilitation by increasing the rigor and efficiency of scientific efforts to assess the experiences and outcomes of individuals with burn injuries.

Additional Resources

ACL does not endorse the following resources. They are listed for informational purposes only.


Last modified on 09/09/2019


Back to Top