A Guest Post for Suicide Prevention Month Even though older adults are the most at-risk age group for suicide, they’re the least likely to get the services to prevent suicide. Home and community-based service providers, like the nutrition programs funded by the Older Americans Act (OAA), are uniquely positioned to offer supports and connections that can reduce this community’s risk of suicide.

ACL’s Office of Network Advancement (ONA) is announcing a new award to USAging for the Center of Excellence (COE) to Align Health and Social Care: Enhancing Community-Based Aging and Disability Organizations to Improve Access to Long-Term Services and Supports.

This three-year, $4.79 million grant will support a collaborative, multi-partner effort to build knowledge and advance fall prevention efforts across the nation.

September 26, 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the passage of the  Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the first civil rights legislation protecting disabled people from discrimination. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs receiving federal financial assistance or conducted by federal agencies, in federal employment, and in the employment practices of federal contractors.

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (The Rehab Act), as revised multiple times in various years, prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs conducted by federal agencies, in programs receiving federal financial assistance, in federal employment, and in the employment practices of federal contractors.

To continue to help people access supportive services and advance our nation’s understanding of Long COVID and its associated conditions, HHS has established the Office of Long COVID Research and Practice. This office will continue current efforts to lead the whole-of-government response and work across the government to implement the National Research Action Plan.

ACL has recently awarded the University of Florida and the University of Wisconsin each a three-year Traumatic Brain Injury State Partnership Program (TBI SPP) grant from September 1, 2023, to July 31, 2026, totaling $599,000.

Lifespan Respite Care programs are coordinated state systems of accessible, community-based respite care services for family caregivers of children and adults across all age groups, disabilities, and chronic conditions. The goals of the program include improving equitable access to, and quality of, respite care services to all family caregivers, thereby reducing family caregiver burden when supporting individuals across the lifespan.

The purpose of the SBIR program is to stimulate technological innovation in the private sector, strengthen the role of small businesses in meeting federal research or research and development needs, and improve the return on investment from federally funded research for economic and social benefits to the nation. The goal is to improve the lives of people with disabilities through research and development of products generated by small businesses and to increase the commercial application of NIDILRR-supported research results and development products.