ACL's National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) has awarded two new research grants to help inform how to best support parents with a disability. One is a new Disability and Rehabilitation Research Project (DRRP) Program grant to the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy at Brandeis University from September 1, 2021, to August 31, 2026, with an anticipated total award of $2.5 million. A second grant is a Field Initiated Project (FIP) to Through the Looking Glass (TLG) from September 1, 2021, to August 31, 2024, with an anticipated total award of $600,000.
The Brandeis University project is entitled “Parents Empowering Parents: National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities” (PEP Center). The Center is directed by a National Advisory Board of racially and ethnically diverse parents with disabilities living with a range of disabilities. The goal of the grant is to conduct research and provide training and technical assistance to improve the lives of parents with disabilities and their families, particularly racial and ethnic minority parents.
The PEP Center plans to: 1) provide accurate population-based estimates pertaining to the prevalence and life circumstances of parents with disabilities and their families; 2) analyze the impact of state laws related to the rights of parents with disabilities; 3) adapt an intervention for parents with psychiatric disabilities; 4) develop and test interventions for parents with intellectual disabilities and Deaf parents; and 5) develop and test a intervention for child welfare professionals. Products of this grant will include a comprehensive, accessible online hub for parents with disabilities, with training, technical assistance, and dissemination materials in English and Spanish.
The Through the Looking Glass (TLG) project is entitled “Increasing Adaptive Babycare Resources and Intervention Supports with Parents and Caregivers with Physical or Vision Disabilities.” With this grant TLG will partner with key stakeholders to build on their previous NIDILRR-funded foundational research and development work to increase support for parents and caregivers with physical or vision disabilities.
The objectives of this work are to: 1) increase the availability of online resources for occupational therapists to support interventions for parents with disabilities; 2) increase the availability of online resources for parents to enhance awareness of and access to services and supports; and 3) increase the capacity of the occupational therapy workforce to provide adaptive babycare assessments and interventions. As a result of this project, parents with disabilities and occupational therapists will have increased access to online resources and a babycare assessment and intervention to support parenting tasks.
Contact Kirstin Painter at NIDILRR if you have questions about these projects.
NIDILRR, part of ACL, generates new knowledge and promotes its effective use so that people with disabilities can perform activities of their choice in the community. NIDILRR also works to expand society’s capacity to provide full opportunities and accommodations for people with disabilities.