A central feature of the RUSH project has been its use of the Research Utilization Award (RUA) mechanism to partner with NIDRR grantees in support of research utilization activities. This Update highlights two completed RUAs. It also offers further analyses of the RUSH project's own survey of NIDRR grantees' knowledge translation activity, with a focus on grantees with projects that aim to improve the participation and community living of people with disabilities.
RUA-funded Manual Explains How to Launch a CoP
As highlighted in the November 2007 RUSH Update, Dr. Ann Turnbull and colleagues used the RUA to support the expansion of a "community of practice" (CoP) among families of children with disabilities, practitioners, policy leaders and researchers. Their CoP, based at the University of Kansas' Beach Center, used a specialized on-line program to facilitate discussion and identification of best available research, and family and professional wisdom about various family supports.
They produced a 'how-to' CoP manual, and reported findings about the process of establishing their CoP and its effects (download Turnbull's report).
RUA Helps to Improve Communication with
People who have Alzheimer's Disease
Drs. Melanie Fried-Oken and Charity Rowland used the RUA in on-going work at the Oregon Health & Science University on a particular augmentative and alternative communication strategy: the use of communication boards with and by persons with Alzheimer's disease. The technique, already proven effective in a previous randomized controlled trial, involves creating boards with pictures and words to improve conversational quality. Drs. Fried-Oken and Rowland developed a training curriculum that a community-based nurse educator delivered to 93 licensed long-term care providers in nine Oregon facilities. Read more about their work and how they documented its efficacy (download Fried-Oken's report).
Knowledge Translation Activity Among NIDRR Grantees
RUSH staff continue to analyze data from the summer 2007 survey of knowledge translation activity among NIDRR grantees. This RUSH Update highlights grantees who work in the NIDRR domain of participation and community living. The February 2008 RUSH Update offered an overview of the survey data from all grantees who responded.
Stay Tuned…
RUSH highlighted the work of Dr. AnnMaria De Mars of Spirit Lake Consulting in Fort Totten, North Dakota, in the May 2008 RUSH Update. Future Updates will describe outcomes related to other RUAs and offer analyses of KT activity among grantees who work in the areas of employment outcomes and health and function.
Contact us
We encourage you to contact RUSH at 1-800-761-7874 or 512-476-6861 or by email rush@sedl.org with any question about the content of this update or research utilization in general.
The Research Utilization Support and Help (RUSH) project is operated by the SEDL. SEDL is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and is committed to affording equal employment opportunities for all individuals in all employment matters. Neither SEDL nor the RUSH project discriminate on the basis of age, sex, race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, marital or veteran status, or the presence of a disability. This document was developed under grant H133A031402 from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) in the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS). RUSH is funded 100 percent by NIDRR at $350,000 per project year. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal government.
Copyright (c) 2008 SEDL
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