RTC-CL Awarded $4.3 Million in New 5-Year Funding Cycle
"There is nothing more important to children and adults with disabilities and their families than having opportunities to live and fully participate in their communities of choice," says Amy Hewitt, Director and Principal Investigator (PI) of ICI's Research and Training Center on Community Living (RTC-CL). "We are so pleased to have renewed funding to continue our research, training, and outreach related to community living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities."
On September 30, the RTC-CL began a new five-year, $4.3 million grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), Administration for Community Living, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. RTC-CL will use that funding to continue to conduct a wide range of projects related to community supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), including seven new studies in areas of employment for people with disabilities, direct support workforce development, community inclusion, and assistive technology. "This cycle brings us opportunities to understand more about effective interventions that support people to live and work in their communities, and new areas of study such as home technology and retirement," says Hewitt.
The application for renewed funding was submitted in collaboration with the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services, Institute on Community Inclusion (University of Massachusetts Boston), Human Services Research Institute, Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered, The Arc of the United States, Temple University, and Association of University Centers on Disability. "These partners share a common vision in the development and dissemination of knowledge to promote community living and participation of persons with IDD," notes Hewitt.
In addition to Hewitt as PI, RTC-CL is led by co-PIs Brian Abery, Sherri Larson, Kelly Nye-Lengerman, Renáta Tichá, and Roger Stancliffe.