Research and Resource Centers

ABLEDATA
ABLEDATA features a database of products used to assist in activities of daily living, including assistive technology and rehabilitation equipment. This site also provides links and resources for one-stop shopping for assistive technology needs.

Assitivetech.net
This website, which is provided by the Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access, offers a comprehensive database of assistive technology products and links to various disability services and resources.

Center for an Accessible Society
Funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), the Center for an Accessible Society is a national organization designed to focus public attention on disability and independent living issues by disseminating information developed through NIDRR-funded research to promote independent living.

Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange
The Center's mission is to facilitate the sharing of information and expertise in rehabilitation research between the U.S. and other countries. The Center maintains an international rehabilitation research database that enable users to locate research in their field by country.

Disability Statistics Center
The purpose of the Disability Statistics Center is to produce and disseminate statistical information on disability and the status of people with disabilities in the U.S. and to establish and monitor indicators of how conditions are changing over time to meet their health, housing, economic and social needs.

Disability Studies Quarterly
Disability Studies Quarterly (DSQ) is the journal of the Society for Disability Studies (SDS). It is a multidisciplinary and international journal of interest to social scientists, scholars in the humanities, disability rights advocates, creative writers, and others concerned with the issues of people with disabilities.

Disability World
Disability World is a web-zine dedicated to advancing an exchange of information and research about the international independent living movement of people with disabilities.

Model Spinal Cord Injury Systems (MSCIS) Dissemination Center
The Center provides information on academic publications and consumer and professional education materials produced by MSCIS Centers and collaborative research projects on spinal cord injuries.

National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research
The Center's mission is to enhance the dissemination efforts of research projects funded by NIDRR and to increase the accessibility of research outcomes for the benefit of their consumers, particularly those from minority backgrounds.

National Center on Accessible Information Technology in Education
The Center promotes the use of electronic and information technology for students and employees with disabilities in educational institutions at all academic levels. Its website provides support in this area, primarily through its Knowledge Base, a searchable, growing database of questions and answers regarding accessible electronic and information technology.

National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
NIDRR is a division of the U. S. Department of Education which funds a variety of research projects and research centers around the country.

National Rehabilitation Information Center
The National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC) collects and disseminates the results of federally funded research projects. NARIC's literature collection, which also includes commercially published books, journal articles, and audiovisuals, averages around 200 new documents per month. NARIC's website features searchable databases of research, organizations, documents, and Internet pages.

National Resource Center for Parents with Disabilities
This center provides information on research, training, and services for families in which a child, parent or grandparent has a disability or medical issue.

National Resource Center on Supported Living and Choice
The National Resource Center on Supported Living and Choice is designed to promote the full inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in community life. The Center produces a range of informational materials on community inclusion, supported living, and choice and can respond to individual questions and requests for assistance.

National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is an independent U.S. government agency responsible for promoting science and engineering through programs in almost 20,000 research and education projects in science and engineering.

National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center
The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center supervises and directs the collection, management and analysis of the world's largest spinal cord injury database.

Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers
Funded by NIDRR, Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERCs) conduct programs of advanced research of an engineering or technical nature designed to apply advanced technology, scientific achievement and psychological and social knowledge to solve rehabilitation problems and remove environmental barriers. Each center is affiliated with one or more institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations. Involved at both the individual and systems levels, RERCs seek to find and evaluate the newest technologies, products, and methods that ultimately can benefit the independence of persons with disabilities and the universal design of environments for people of all ages.

Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers
Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (RRTCs), which are funded by NIDRR, conduct research targeted toward the production of new knowledge which will improve rehabilitation methodology and service delivery systems, alleviate or stabilize disabling conditions, and promote maximum social and economic independence. The Centers institute related teaching and training programs to disseminate and promote the utilization of research findings.

Research and Training Center on Independent Living
This Center focuses on research and training to enhance independent living for people with disabilities. Core areas of research include independent living, health promotion, and disability policy. The Center provides an on-line database on independent living studies.

Tech Connections
Tech Connections is a national dissemination project designed to increase the utilization of existing and emerging assistive technology by state vocational rehabilitation programs, employment specialists, employers, and others interested in assistive technology for individuals with disabilities. Tech Connections provides current information on assistive technology by phone and through its website and training programs.

Universal Design Education Materials Online This on-line resource is designed to support the teaching and study of universal design. Universal design is an approach to the design of all products and environments to be as usable as possible by as many people as possible regardless of age, ability, or situation.

Web Accessibility Initiative
The Web Accessibility Initiative, in coordination with organizations around the world, pursues accessibility of the Web through five primary areas of work: technology, guidelines, tools, education and outreach, and research and development. The Initiative is a program of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which was founded in 1994 to develop common protocols for the evolution of the web.