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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. 


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Member Spotlight: Emily


By SD Network, 2023-04-03

image0.jpegMeet Emily. This karaoke singing young lady keeps busy by doing all sorts of fun activities. She loves to travel and play sports. She loves participating in activities with different groups and encourages people to join. We’re so fortunate to have her as a member of the Self-Determination Network!

What's your story?  Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Emily turned 30 years old on St. Patrick's Day. She has a boyfriend named Mitchell, and they have been dating for eight years. “We like to sing karaoke, go to parties and dances, and bowl together,” she says. She lives in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin now, but she’s from Illinois. She sings in a choir and also does lots of activities with Champions of Fond du Lac which is a group for people with disabilities. She enjoys taking an online cooking class every week and she also bowls.

What does Self-Determination mean to you? Why is it important? 

Emily explains that she likes to make her own decisions and vote. She wants to spend time with people she likes, and she wants to work to make money. “I want to do things for myself like shopping, deciding what I want to eat and where I want to live, and planning my activities,” she says. Her iPad is important to her, so she can do online classes, Facebook, and Facetime with her friends.

Tell us some good news - what's the most exciting thing happening for you (or in Wisconsin) in terms of self-determination?

Emily tells us that at a recent People First meeting they talked about voting rights. She was happy to learn that she can get help filling out her ballot.

What tip or resource would you like to share with people who want to be more self-determined?

Emily encourages people not to be afraid to say what you want and to ask for help. Try new things and be safe online. She encourages people to join People First and go to state meetings like the Self-Determination Conference. 

What are some of your hobbies?

Emily is looking forward to getting outside more when the weather is nice. She loves to bowl and play bocce. She also likes to do chores around the house like laundry, take out the trash, get the mail, keep her room clean. she likes to travel. She tells us that they are going to Arizona in a few weeks, and in July, they are taking a train across the country to San Francisco.

***We love hearing the views and opinions of Network members. We need to mention that the views and opinions expressed on this site are those of the person who is sharing them. They do not necessarily reflect InControl Wisconsin or any of our supporters and funders.

 


The caregiver shortage has only gotten worse. The problem will only worsen if the jobs don't improve, advocates say. The solution? Better pay, more training and options for career advancement. Since immigrants make up a large portion of the direct-care workforce, immigration policy also needs to be addressed, some say. 

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Advocates are highlighting a system of state tax credits across the US that allow employers to pay employees as low as $3 an hour. Disability advocates have made progress in recent years. Thirteen states have passed laws banning the subminimum wage exemptions for people with disabilities.

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Going into the April 4th supreme court election, Wisconsin voters are still confused about ballot assistance and ballot return assistance. This is due to the February 2022 ruling that said voters must return their own ballot, making no exception for people with disabilities. A federal judge did later clarify that voters with disabilities can have assistance returning their ballot, but many people are still confused. People are being told wrong information by municipal clerks and poll workers. All of this is leading to mass confusion for the April election.

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The National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) at ACL has two new funding opportunity under the Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (RRTCs) Program to address community living policy and research and capacity building for minority entities. Additionally, there is a new Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERC) Program funding opportunity on prosthetics and orthotics.
 

Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (RRTC) Program Funding Opportunities


The purpose of the RRTC program, which are funded through the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program, is to achieve the goals of, and improve the effectiveness of, services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act through well-designed research, training, technical assistance, and dissemination activities in important topic areas as specified by NIDILRR. These activities are designed to benefit rehabilitation service providers, individuals with disabilities, family members, and other stakeholders.

RRTC on Community Living Policy: The purpose of this particular RRTC is to engage in disability policy research, statistical analyses and modeling, knowledge translation, development of informational products, and dissemination to contribute to policies that facilitate and improve community living outcomes among people with disabilities.

View more details and application instructions.

Please visit the link above for more details about the grant opportunity and application process. This grant opportunity closes on May 22, 2023.

RRTC on Research and Capacity Building for Minority Entities: The purpose of this particular RRTC is to generate new knowledge about the experiences and outcomes of individuals with disabilities from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds that can be used as a foundation for developing interventions to improve those outcomes. Another purpose of the RRTC is to conduct research on the feasibility and effectiveness of methods and models to enhance disability and rehabilitation research capacity and infrastructure at minority-serving institutions.

View more details and application instructions.

Please visit the link above for more details about the grant opportunity and application process. This grant opportunity closes on May 22, 2023.
 


Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERC) Program Funding Opportunity


The purpose of the RERC program is to improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act by conducting advanced engineering research on and development of innovative technologies that are designed to solve particular rehabilitation problems or to remove environmental barriers. RERCs also demonstrate and evaluate such technologies, facilitate service delivery system changes, stimulate the production and distribution of new technologies and equipment in the private sector, and provide training opportunities.

RERC on Prosthetics and Orthotics: The purpose of this particular RERC is to conduct research, development, and related activities toward advances in prosthetics and orthotics technologies that improve health and function, employment, or community living outcomes among people with limb loss or impaired limb function. 

View more details and application instructions.

Please visit the link above for more details about the grant opportunity and application process. This grant opportunity closes on May 22, 2023.
 

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A proposal in Congress would do away with Medicaid's institutional bias and guarantee people with developmental disabilities access to services in the community. Backers of the measure known as the HCBS Access Act say the bill would eliminate waiting lists for community-based services over time by increasing funding for the program, providing grants to states to expand their service capacity and taking other steps to bolster the workforce of caregivers who support people with disabilities.

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The Accessibility professional is not just a change agent but in fact, part of a larger tribe that sees the world through a lens of inclusivity and espouses a new cultural norm that is essential in defining the mindset of the digital economy of the here-and-now and the future of the industry. The Tribe of Accessibility is a bridge between technical know-how, commerce, and a desire to imagine new possibilities where there is a bridge between design and technologies that allows for all users to be engaged in the digital ecosystem that is so vital to the way we live today. It is the Accessibility professional who understands that they have a responsibility not only to drive change but to be a conduit for the Disability Economy.

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