Administration for Community Living (ACL) has published a grants notice to fund a Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) that addresses the universal accessibility and usability of information and communication technology (ICT) for people with disabilities. The purpose of this RERC is to conduct research and development that ensure accessibility standards are met or exceeded for ICT, promote availability and usability of individualized ICT configurations for people with disabilities, and identify barriers to sustainable innovations that provide universal access to ICT. The grant will have a 60-month project period, requiring five 12-month budget periods.  

Grant applications are due June 05, 2023 via electronic submission. Eligible applicants, details about the grant, and other information can be found on Grants.gov. 

The RERC program is part of ACL's National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), the federal government’s primary disability research organization. NIDILRR’s mission is to generate new knowledge and to promote its effective use to improve the abilities of individuals with disabilities to perform activities of their choice in the community, and to expand society’s capacity to provide full opportunities and accommodations for its citizens with disabilities.  

In support of this mission, NIDILRR sponsors RERCs to address the barriers confronted by people with disabilities and improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act. RERCs also demonstrate and evaluate technologies, facilitate service delivery system changes, stimulate the production and distribution of new technologies and equipment in the private sector, and provide training opportunities.