UNH (NH UCEDD/LEND) Receives $4.3M Federal Grant to Improve National Disability Data

December 17, 2018

The Institute on Disability (IOD) at the University of New Hampshire has been awarded a five-year, $4.3 million grant from the U.S. Administration on Community Living's National Institute for Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).

This five-year grant, called the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC), works towards improving access and utilization of existing disability data and generates new knowledge needed to improve disability data collection and dissemination.

"Statistics are a vital tool," says Andrew Houtenville, research director at the Institute on Disability and principal investigator for the StatsRRTC grant. "People use them to frame issues, monitor progress, judge the effectiveness of policies and programs, and predict the costs of potential policy changes. Accurate and timely information for and about people with disabilities is important for moving policies and practices forward."

The goal of the StatsRRTC is to narrow and actively bridge the divide between the producers and end users of disability statistics.  Much of the work consists of timely and high-quality data analyses, which will help policymakers and program administrators to make informed, evidence-based decisions about programs and policies that impact people with disabilities.

Highlights of the research and knowledge translation projects proposed by the grant include:

 

• The Annual Disability Statistics Compendium, Supplements, and user-friendly website;
• Nine research projects related to data collection methods, identifying people with disabilities in the US, and maximizing the usefulness of national disability programs; and
• Many training and technical assistance opportunities for a wide range of audiences to better use and understand disability data and statistics.

 

Key partners include Mathematica Policy Research, the Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD), and the Kessler Foundation.

The Institute on Disability (IOD) at the University of New Hampshire was established in 1987 to provide a university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of persons with disabilities and their families. Its mission is to promote full access, equal opportunities, and participation for all persons by strengthening communities and advancing policy and systems change, promising practices, education, and research.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,300 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students.