The
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation
Research’s (NIDRR) Long-Range Plan
presents a five-year agenda to advance the vital
work being done in applied rehabilitation research.
This Long-Range Plan fulfills NIDRR’s
obligation under the Rehabilitation Act to provide
a plan that identifies research needs and sets
research priorities for the disability field.
This plan is intended to balance the competing
demands of consumer relevance and scientific rigor,
to present an agenda that is scientifically sound
and accountable, and to contribute to the refinement
of the nation’s science and technology policy.
This Executive Summary describes the purpose
and scope of the Long-Range Plan, which
was published in the Federal Register on
December 7, 1999 (64 FR 68575-68614).
NIDRR’s
plan serves the following purposes:
- to
set broad general directions that will guide
NIDRR’s policies and use of resources as
the field of disability prepares for the 21st
century;
- to
establish objectives for research and dissemination
that will improve the lives of individuals with
disabilities and from which annual research
priorities can be formulated;
- to
describe a system for operationalizing the plan
in terms of annual priorities, evaluation of
the implementation of the plan, and updates
of the plan as necessary; and
- to
direct new emphasis to the management and administration
of the research endeavor.
The
Long-Range Plan was developed with the
guidance of a distinguished group of NIDRR constituents—individuals
with disabilities and their family members and
advocates, service providers, researchers, educators,
administrators, and policy-makers. The plan draws
upon public hearings and planning activities conducted
by NIDRR, as well as papers prepared specifically
for the plan by several authors.
The
plan also addresses a range of diverse objectives
intended to meet the following needs of the rehabilitation
community:
- the
needs of individuals with disabilities for knowledge
and information that will enable them to achieve
their aspirations for self-direction, independence,
inclusion, and functional competence;
- the
needs of rehabilitation service providers for
information on new techniques and technologies
that will enable them to assist in the rehabilitation
of individuals with disabilities;
- the
needs of researchers to advance the capabilities
of science as well as the body of scientific
knowledge;
- the
needs of society and its leadership for strategies
that will facilitate the potential contributions
of all citizens; and
- the
need to transfer findings from basic to applied
research.
Since
Congress created NIDRR in 1978, rehabilitation
researchers have achieved many significant outcomes
that benefit both the individual and society.
For example, at the individual level, the concerted
efforts of U.S. researchers, most of whom received
NIDRR support, have decreased medical complications
for individuals with spinal cord injuries, thus
significantly increasing their life expectancy.
In addition, rehabilitation engineering research
has led to the use of new materials for wheelchairs
and for orthotic and prosthetic devices, making
this essential equipment more comfortable, functional,
and attractive.
At
the environmental-societal level, technology has
greatly enhanced accommodations for people with
all types of disabilities. Research has led to
new applications of the principles of universal
design to the built environment, information technology,
telecommunications, transportation, and mass-market
consumer products. These advances, which allow
more people with disabilities to access buildings,
telecommunications devices, and computer technology,
illustrate a significant change in the disability
paradigm––a change that expands the
focus of disability to include environmental factors,
as well as individual factors.
New
Paradigm of Disability
