Research In Focus is a weekly publication featuring reader-friendly summaries of the latest research from NIDILRR-funded projects. Each installment presents you with an overview of a recently-published NIDILRR-funded study, highlighting important findings, and discussing implications or directions for future research. This could be a starting point to learn more about the intervention, technology, or program. We hand-select the articles from our diverse library collections, aiming to broadly cover interesting research in many areas of disability, various types of intervention, and a wide range of age spectrum from early childhood to aging with and into disability. To be alerted to new articles, sign up for our weekly email newsletter News and Notes from the NIDILRR Community and Beyond! These articles are also available in Spanish. Are you a NIDILRR grantee? Learn how to recommend your recent study for an upcoming issue.
A study funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, progressive central nervous system disease. People with MS can experience a variety of symptoms which typically start between the ages of 20 and 40, including difficulty walking, vision loss, pain, fatigue, or challenges with thinking and memory. As people get older with MS, they... Read this article
A study funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
Active video games (AVGs), also known as exergames, are video games that involve active body movement as part of the gameplay. Nintendo Wii is an example of gaming console with several options for AVGs. One popular AVG controller, the Wii Fit Balance Board, allows players to make moves in the video games... Read this article
A study funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is lasting brain damage resulting from an external force, such as a fall or a car accident. People with TBI may have challenges managing stress, thinking and remembering things, or communicating with others. Resilience is the ability to adapt positively to traumatic events and being... Read this article
A study funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is lasting brain damage from an external force, such as a fall or accident. TBI can be mild, moderate, or severe. Past research has found that some people with TBI may have trouble empathizing with others. Empathy is the process of caring about, understanding, and sharing another person’s... Read this article
A study funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
People with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may have difficulty processing and responding to social cues. Social information processing (SIP) is the ability to understand and reason through challenging social situations, such as conflict situations. Children who have difficulties with SIP may have trouble making and... Read this article
A study funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
Working women with disabilities (WWD) face disadvantages compared to working men with and without disabilities. Studies show the average WWD is paid only 83% as much as a working man with a disability and 67% as much as a working man without a disability. Negative attitudes and stereotypes about WWD may contribute to... Read this article
A study funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is brain damage resulting from an external force, such as a fall or a car accident. TBI can be rated as mild, moderate, or severe depending on how long the person loses consciousness. Some people with mild TBI, sometimes called a concussion, may still experience injury serious enough for... Read this article
A study funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
An estimated 285 million people worldwide have a visual impairment, meaning that they have significant vision loss that cannot be corrected with glasses or contact lenses. To compensate for their vision loss when accessing computers, some people with visual impairments use assistive computer software such as screen-... Read this article
A study funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
A spinal cord injury (SCI) consists of damage anywhere along the spinal cord from an accident or other trauma, oftentimes causing weakness or paralysis. Many people with SCI use wheelchairs to get around. Along with mobility, wheelchairs offer physical support for a person’s trunk and limbs. A properly functioning... Read this article
A study funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have lifelong conditions that may affect their ability to communicate, learn, or make decisions. About a third of adults with IDD have a “dual diagnosis” of both IDD and a mental illness, and this number is increasing. According to earlier studies, people... Read this article
The contents of NARIC web site were developed under a contract from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (contract #GS-06F-0726Z). However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the NIDILRR, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government
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