U.S. Department of Education Awards $613,091 Grant for Research to Provide Opportunities for People with Disabilities

The U.S. Department of Education today announced the award of $613,091 for a grant to The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR), Houston, Texas, to carry out research that aims to improve living and work situations for people with disabilities. TIRR will establish the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) National Network Research Collaborative to examine factors that influence community living, community participation, and work and economic participation of people with disabilities, with the goal of identifying key participation disparities and strategies to address them.

“This grant will help generate valuable new knowledge about how to improve the lives of those with disabilities,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “It will support research and training that promote goals of inclusion, integration, employment and self-sufficiency – ultimately providing opportunities for individuals with disabilities and helping them achieve their full potential.”

The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), a component of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), is the main federal agency that supports applied research, training and development to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities.

More information on the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research is available at http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/nidrr/index.html

Note to Editor: The $613,091 announced today reflects the first year amount of a five-year grant.