ACL's National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) has awarded a new Disability and Rehabilitation Research Program project grant this year in the amount of $1,500,000 during three years to the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy at Brandeis University, to support research toward advancing pregnancy experiences for women with disabilities.
The overarching goal of the Center for Disability and Pregnancy Research (CDPR) is to:
- address gaps in knowledge about pregnancy and disability by leveraging existing and new data sources to examine perinatal care, complications, and outcomes - particularly racial and ethnic disparities in perinatal health;
- develop and test evidence-based interventions and supports to enhance the experience of pregnancy in women with disabilities; and
- ensure optimal pregnancy-related outcomes, health, and well-being for all pregnant people with disabilities through active dissemination of findings and trainings for stakeholders.
The CDPR’s five research projects will: 1) leverage existing and new data sources to examine racial and ethnic disparities in perinatal care, complications, and outcomes; 2) develop and test the efficacy of a preconception education curriculum for women with mobility disabilities; 3) adapt and pilot the use of an accessible pregnancy action plan for women with diverse disabilities; 4) test the efficacy of a disability accommodation field in the electronic health record across a network of hospital-based obstetric clinics and; 5) adapt and validate a screening tool for the detection of perinatal depression in women with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In addition to rigorous, evidence-based research, the project will provide targeted, tailored, effective supports for pregnant people with disabilities, and knowledge translation activities employing state-of-the-art technologies.
Contact Amanda Reichard at NIDILRR if you have questions about this project.
NIDILRR, part of ACL, generates new knowledge and promotes its effective use so that people with disabilities can perform activities of their choice in the community. NIDILRR also works to expand society’s capacity to provide full opportunities and accommodations for people with disabilities.