Other News

December 2013 —The American Association on Health and Disability (AAHD) announced the launch of the National Disability Navigator Resource Collaborative (NDNRC) website. The new site, which is co-sponsored by seven national disability organizations, will serve as a resource for Navigators as they aid people with disabilities who enroll in health insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces. Currently, an estimated 3.5 million people with pre-existing conditions or disabilities do not have health insurance.

December 2013 — The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) announced the release of the 2013 Compendium of Disability Statistics, a web-based tool that pools disability statistics published by various federal agencies.  The Compendium is meant to serve as a tool for researchers and policy makers by providing accessible data to help support “decisions related to policy improvements, program administration, service delivery, protection of civil rights and major life activities.”  Findings from the 2013 Compendium highlight that the employment gap between people with and witho

November 2013 – In November, United Cerebral Palsy’s Life Labs partnered with Enabled by Design and Futuregov to host the first International Enabled by Design-athon in Washington, D.C.  Over 100 participants not only had the chance to hear from experts on accessibility and design, but were able to participate in an “immersive usability workshop,” where they created prototypes of accessible and attractive products. Of the event, Stephen Bennett, President and CEO of UCP, noted, “United Cerebral Palsy is thrilled to have hosted this year’s exciting and hugely successful Design-athon.

November 2013 — The University of New Hampshire in partnership with the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center for Evidence Based Practice in Vocational Rehabilitation (RRTC-EBP-VR) and the Kessler Foundation will host a State of the Science Conference, April 8-9, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency in Bethesda, Maryland.  The conference will address employment disparities for people with disabilities by “[showcasing] research from three NIDRR-funded employment rehabilitation research and training centers.” When available, additional information regarding the conference, including registration,

November 2013 — The U.S. Department of Education National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) has awarded $3.7 million to Carnegie Mellon University to conduct a Disability Rehabilitation Research Project (DRRP) on Inclusive Cloud and Web Computing.  The project is a collaboration between Carnegie Mellon, Syracuse University and The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).