ACL Awards Four Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers Program Grants

ACL's National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) is announcing four 2024 Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERC) program grant awards.

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.

The planned project period for these grants is five years, with an estimated funding amount of around $925,000 per year for each grantee.

RERC Grant Recipients

• RERC on Technologies to Enhance Independence and Community Living Among People With Cognitive Disabilities — Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York City, NY: The goal of this project is to explore how technology can support the ability of older adults with cognitive disabilities to successfully engage in daily living and community activities.

• RERC on Technology for People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing — Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C.: This project aims to address the accessibility and usability of technology (such as artificial intelligence and extended reality technology) for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

• RERC on Rehabilitation Strategies, Techniques, and Interventions — Kessler Foundation, East Hanover, NJ: This project's goal is to advance state-of-the-art rehabilitation interventions and technologies using robotics and neuromodulation for lower extremity rehabilitation to improve functional ambulation.

• RERC on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Access — University of Washington, Seattle, WA: The goal of this project is to cultivate novel approaches to ICT accessibility by using generative artificial intelligence to increase agency and control for people with disabilities while also addressing risks such as bias, security, and privacy.