Spring 2023

CEDAR Midwest is a Disability and Rehabilitation Research Project funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research. This project is exploring the participation needs of people aging with a physical disability and how community organizations can best meet those needs.

Community-Based Research Network

The Missouri Aging and Disability Research Network (MADRN) met on Feb. 7. Kerri Morgan and Rachel Heeb Desai of Washington University shared an overview of Project 2, our longitudinal cohort study, and discussed plans for future analyses using data from the cohort. MADRN members expressed interest in examining additional aspects of the data, including caregivers, transportation, peer assistance, and broadband/ internet access.

MADRN also hosted a webinar on universal design and accessible real estate on March 27. See What We've Been Up To below for more details and a video of the full webinar!

Longitudinal Cohort Study

Our most recent paper, published in The American Journal of Health Promotion, looked at qualitative data on physical activity participation. Specifically, we interviewed 20 people aging with long-term physical disabilities to learn about their experiences with and perspectives on physical activity.

The full paper is available in the American Journal of Health Promotion. A plain-language summary and infographic (below) are also available.

Click on image for full-sized infographic.

What We've Been Up To

On March 27, Gretchen Kingma from Empowered Homes joined MADRN to present a webinar on accessible housing. Gretchen is an occupational therapist and real estate agent whose goal is to "to create massive opportunities for ALL people, through real estate, despite ANY barriers." Empowered Homes helps buyers find accessible or universally designed homes, provides consultations to home owners about improving the accessibility and safety of their home, and provides resources and education to real estate agents on accessibility and universal design. In the webinar, she discussed universal design for living in place.

What's Coming

The 2023 NARRTC Annual Meeting will be held April 18-21 in Arlington, Va. The goal of the NARRTC Annual Meeting is to provide a space for grantees from the National Institution on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) to share their research findings. This year's theme is Equity: More Than a Seat at the Table.

Emily Somerville of Washington University and Michelle Putnam of Simmons University will attend this year's NARRTC conference. Emily will present a case study from our study of the REBIL intervention's efficacy and feasibility, and Michelle will present findings from a community-based-organization-focused assessment tool to evaluate participation in everyday life activities among persons aging with physical disability.

The contents of this newsletter were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90DPCCP00001-01-00). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this newsletter do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL or HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.