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).
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a challenging condition that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is a leading cause of death and disability. TBI results from an impact of external force to the brain, usually caused by a direct blow to the head, jolt of the head, or a penetrating object. A TBI can... Read this article
A study funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
Complementary and integrative healthcare (CIH) is used to describe approaches to managing one's health that may be considered outside of conventional or Western medicine. Some examples of CIH are massage, vitamin supplements, and cannabis, among others.In recent years, the use of CIH has gradually increased among the general... Read this article
A study funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
For full-time wheelchair users, the ability to safely transfer to and from their wheelchair is important to achieving independence. For example, they may need to transfer in and out of bed, on and off shower and toilet seats, and into and out of motor vehicles. On average, full-time wheelchair users transfer to and from their... Read this article
A study funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
Neurocognition involves information processing, ability to focus, accessing/using memory, and learning, and it plays an integral role in the health and well-being of individuals with serious mental illness such as mood disorders and schizophrenia. Research has shown that deficits in neurocognition are closely associated with... Read this article
A study funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage anywhere along the spinal cord from trauma. An SCI can occur in the upper part of the spine (a cervical injury) or in the lower part of the spine (a non-cervical injury), with cervical injuries usually having more severe impacts on mobility. People who experience traumatic SCI can face a lifetime of... Read this article
A study funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
Each year, about half a million Americans are treated for burn injuries. A burn injury may result from a fire or contact with chemicals, electricity, or hot liquids. If individuals are exposed to smoke from a fire, they may experience not only injury from the burn itself, but also inhalation injuries from inhaling smoke or a... Read this article
A study funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
Serious mental illness such as major depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia can have an impact on a person’s ability or desire to participate in their community. This could lead to people with serious mental illness spending significantly more time at home than their peers... Read this article
A study funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
Access to healthcare is an important factor for individuals to have positive health outcomes and to maintain a positive health status. It is, therefore, important to minimize barriers to healthcare access, real or perceived. Prior research has also suggested that there are persistent health disparities between individuals from... Read this article
A study funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is lasting brain damage from an external force, such as a fall or car accident. People who have a TBI may experience pain after their injury, and that pain may be intermittent or persistent. Like many people, they may use opioids to manage their pain. A recent national... Read this article
A study funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and its impact on society is well documented. In addition to the public health impact, the pandemic-related economic shutdown led to a recession by June 2020. Little is known about the effects of the pandemic on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) working in... Read this article
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