UIC College of Applied Health Sciences Centering Voices and Experiences of People with Disabilities

Dr. Susan Magasi and Dr. Joy Hammel, professors at the UIC College of Applied Health Sciences, are launching a new center for community-engaged research in support of people with long-term disabilities. A five-year, $4.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research is funding the ENGAGED: Disability Community Engaged Medical Rehabilitation Research Resource Center. The center will be a hub for community-engaged training, outreach and investigation into the social, economic, environmental and policy factors that affect the health of people with long-term disabilities. Researchers in the center, some of whom identify as disabled, will not only conduct independent research, but will also create resources and initiatives to support other medical rehab researchers in the integration of community-engaged research practices into their work.

Dr. Delphine Labbé and Dr. Yochai Eisenberg have received a three-year, $750,000 grant from National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research to develop tools and resources for urban planners and ADA coordinators aimed at increasing the involvement of people with disabilities in city planning and advisory committees. The goal is for cities to more effectively incorporate input from people with disabilities in city planning, and the researchers hope their materials will be used by people across the country to spur creation of more accessible cities.