NIDRR Grantees Receive Recognition Vol.4, No. 2

NIDRR Grantees Receive Recognition

The NCDDR congratulates each of the following NIDRR grantees and staff members. All grantees are encouraged to contact the NCDDR with information to share in future issues of The Research Exchange.

The Director of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) , Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in the U.S. Department of Education, has been named a Fellow of the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA). The award was presented at RESNA's Annual Conference on June 28, 1999, in Long Beach, California.

The Director of NIDRR since 1995 was cited by RESNA for her commitment in developing the fields of assistive technology and rehabilitation engineering. This award, the engineering society's highest honor, specifically recognizes the Director of the National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research's "consistent leadership and vision on behalf of persons with disabilities and the possibilities offered them through the use of technology. "

She joins a group of distinguished fellows and honorary fellows, including well-known scientists and leaders in rehabilitation engineering such as: Dr. Dudley Childress (Northwestern University), Dr. Lawrence Scadden (National Science Foundation), Dr. Gregg Vanderheiden (University of Wisconsin-Madison), the Hon. Tom Harkin (United States Senate), and (posthumously) Mr. Ed Roberts (World Institute on Disability).

The Director of the National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research is chair of the Interagency Committee on Disability Research (ICDR), and she has been Co-Chair of major U.S. and international delegations in disability research and science. She also has been the recipient of a distinguished Switzer fellowship, a National Science Foundation Assistantship and she is a member of the Hunter College Hall of Fame.

The Director of the National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research will also accept the Association of Access Engineering Specialists (AAES) Excellence in Access award on behalf of the Department of Education. The Department's OCIO Assistive Technology Team won the award for their implementation of the "Requirements for Accessible Software Design. "

For further information contact Ellen Blasiotti at NIDRR: ellen_blasiotti@ed.gov

Dr. Megan Kirshbaum, Project Co-Director, National Resource Center for Parents with Disabilities at Through the Looking Glass, Berkeley, CA, was selected for a two-year fellowship in ZERO TO THREE's prestigious Leaders for the 21st Century program. One of 15 Mid-Career Fellows, Dr. Kirshbaum's project will evaluate assessments of parents with cognitive disabilities who are involved with children's protective services departments nationally, and propose guidelines for appropriate practice. ZERO TO THREE is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the healthy development of babies and young children. Leaders for the 21st Century is funded by grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and philanthropist Irving Harris.

Judith Rogers, OTR, Pregnancy and Birthing Specialist at the National Resource Center, was honored by the Alta Bates Hospital and Breast Cancer Fund for her community advocacy leading to the establishment of a breast cancer prevention center for women with disabilities.

For further information contact Dr. Kirshbaum and Ms. Rogers at (800) 644-2666 or by e-mail: megan_kirshbaum@lookingglass.org and judi_rogers@lookingglass.org

Dr. Charlie Lakin, Principal Investigator of the Research and Training Center on Community Living at the University of Minnesota's Institute on Community Integration, received the Dybwad Humanitarian Award. It was presented at the American Association on Mental Retardation's 123rd Annual Conference on May 22, 1999, in New Orleans. The Dybwad Humanitarian Award was made to Dr. Lakin "for promotion of human welfare and social reform."
For further information contact Dr. Lakin at (612) 624-5005 or by e-mail: lakin001@umn.edu

NIDRR-related Web sites win awards

Macro International's ABLEDATA Web site at <http://www.abledata.com/> was selected in November, 1998 to receive a Links2Go Key Resource award in the Disabilities topic. Links2Go selects at most 50 of the most representative links as the "Key Resources" for each topic, based on an analysis of millions of Web pages. Please visit < www.links2go.com/award/Disabilities [inactive Link 10/02]> for more information, or contact Assistant Project Director Katherine Belknap at (301) 608-8998 x 100 or by e-mail at: belknap@macroint.com
The Rehabilitation Robotics Research Program's World Wide Web site <http://www.asel.udel.edu/robotics/> was chosen by BioMedLink as a "three star ‘indispensable' site" <http://www.biomednet.com/db/biomedlink/BMLK.12558> in January 1998. BioMedLink is an evaluated and annotated database of Internet resources for biological and medical researchers and is part of BioMedNet. The Web site was also chosen as a "Web Pick" by the HMS Beagle BioMedNet Magazine.

The RERC on Rehabilitation Robotics is part of the Robotics Research Program at the University of Delaware. For more information, contact Dr. Richard A. Foulds, Principal Investigator of the RERC, at (302) 651-6830 or by e-mail: foulds@asel.udel.edu

Speaking to Write: Realizing the Potential of Speech Recognition for Secondary Students with Disabilities is a field-initiated project of the Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) and the Communication Enhancement Center at Children's Hospital, Boston. Dr. Patricia Corley of EDC is Principal Investigator. The project's Web site was awarded a "B" by Education World's Education Site Reviews in June, 1998 <http://www.education-world.com/awards/ past/r0698-18.shtml>. Education World is designed to be a resource guide for educators and is produced by Concourse C, Inc. Digital Marketing Services, Oklahoma City. For more information, contact Ms. Jennifer Gold at (617) 969-7100 ext. 2485 or by email: jgold@edc.org
Four NIDRR-related Web sites have been recognized as Picks of the Month <http://www.ed.gov/Picks/> by the U.S. Department of Education. ED picks three great resources every month and highlights them on the ED Web site. The picks are taken from three broad categories: ED-affiliated Internet sites elsewhere, newly available documents of merit, and new selections at the ED site focusing on individual programs and offices. NIDRR-related Picks of the Month include:

NCDDR <http://www.ncddr.org/> (www.ed.gov/Picks/98/sept.html [Inactive Link 10/02] September, 1998)
NCAM <http://www.wgbh.org/ncam/> (www.ed.gov/Picks/97/nov.html [Inactive Link 10/02] November, 1997)
NIDRR <http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/nidrr/index.html> http://www.ed.gov/Picks/96/dec.html [Inactive Link 10/02] December, 1996)
NARIC <http://www.naric.com/> (December,1995)

As the National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research (NCDDR) looks toward the completion of a four-year pilot period, we would like to encourage all grantees to submit to us any special recognition made to NIDRR-funded projects or their staff members. This information will be compiled with past awards and recognition to demonstrate the achievements of NIDRR grantees over the past few years.

The NCDDR also wants to remind grantees to visit the Calendar of NIDRR Project Events at http://www.ncddr.org/calendar/calendar.cgi and use the online form to add new entries to the variety of events that grantees are carrying out. The form is at http://www.ncddr.org/calendar/calendar.cgi?eregister.html If preferred, an "Event Information" form is available in alternate formats.

Please contact the NCDDR to request a "NIDRR Grantee Recognition" or "Event Information" form by fax, email, or U.S. mail.

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