A key initiative of the RRTC is the development of a National Resource Center, designed to translate knowledge into real-world applications.

The National Resource Center serves as a vital link between research and those who need it most: individuals with disabilities, their families, service providers, healthcare professionals, and policymakers. Our goal is to ensure the information, training, and technical assistance we provide is evidence-based, practical, relevant, and accessible.

We use a community-informed approach to sharing knowledge by partnering with disability organizations and engaging diverse communities to understand their needs and preferences. This approach helps us create materials that are culturally responsive, easy to understand, and available in different formats to meet various accessibility needs.

Through webinars, research briefs, visual abstracts, publications, social media, and training modules, the National Resource Center acts as a bridge—bringing research directly to those who can use it to make a positive impact.

For more information on national disability resources, please visit the CDHW Disability Health Resources website: https://disabilityhealthresources.org

Project Director: Dr. James Krause (Medical University of South Carolina)
Co-Investigators: Dr. Lushan Cao (MUSC), Dr. Michelle Meade, Dr. Saul Warschausky (University of Michigan)

This important study explores the factors that influence health as adults with long-term physical disabilities grow older. The research focuses on individuals with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Cerebral Palsy (CP), Spina Bifida (SB), and Stroke (S).

What We’re Doing:

• Building a Comprehensive Data Core: We're creating a strong data system that helps us understand how aging impacts health in people with different physical disabilities.
• Comparing Across Conditions: Our team is examining both the similarities and differences in health outcomes among individuals with SCI, MS, CP, SB, and Stroke. We pay special attention to how personal experiences and environmental factors shape long-term health and quality of life.
• Using Long-Term Data: By analyzing data collected over many years from people with SCI and MS, we’re able to identify patterns and better understand how their health changes over time.
• Supporting Future Research: This study lays the foundation for future projects focused on important issues such as access to personal care, preventing health decline, and developing effective support strategies.

Project Director: Dr. Lushan Cao (Medical University of South Carolina)
Co-Investigators: Dr. Robin Clark, Dr. Amanda Twardzik, Dr. Michelle Meade (University of Michigan), Dr. James Krause (MUSC)

This study focuses on how both personal and environmental factors affect health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in adults aging with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) and Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

What We’re Doing:

• Merging National and Individual Data: We're combining participants' health information with neighborhood-level data from the National Neighborhood Data Archive (NaNDA). This helps us see how a person’s local environment—like their neighborhood’s safety, resources, and social conditions—affects their quality of life.
• Identifying Predictors of Health: By analyzing both new and existing data, we’re finding patterns that help explain which factors are linked to better or worse health over time for people with SCI and MS.
• Focusing on Environmental Impact: We’re especially interested in how outside influences—such as income levels, access to healthcare, and community conditions—play a role in shaping long-term health and well-being.

Project Director: Dr. James Krause (Medical University of South Carolina)
Co-Investigators: Dr. Lushan Cao (MUSC), Dr. Michelle Meade (University of Michigan)

Attendant care—help from caregivers with daily tasks—is essential for many people with physical disabilities to stay healthy and independent. This study looks at what happens when that care is interrupted or unavailable, and why these lapses occur.

Study Objectives:

• Stage 1: Analyzing the Data (Quantitative Analysis):
  We examine how gaps in attendant care relate to negative outcomes like lower quality of life, increased visits to the doctor or hospital, and higher levels of anxiety and depression. This stage helps us spot broad patterns across a larger group of people.
• Stage 2: Listening to Real Experiences (Qualitative Insights):
  We conduct interviews with individuals who have lived through lapses in their attendant care. Their stories help us understand the real-life challenges and circumstances behind these interruptions—insights we might miss just by looking at numbers.

This two-part approach helps us build a fuller picture of how lapses in care affect people and what might be done to prevent them in the future.

Project Director: Dr. DiPiro (Medical University of South Carolina)
Co-Investigators: Dr. James Krause and Dr. Lushan Cao (MUSC)

This study explores how certain health issues can lead to a “negative health spiral” in individuals living with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). A health spiral happens when one problem leads to another, causing a person’s overall health to keep getting worse over time.

What We’re Doing:

• Acute Health Cycle Analysis:
  We’re looking at how short-term health problems—called secondary health conditions (SHCs), like infections or pressure injuries—can build on each other and turn into longer-term health declines.
• Outcome Evaluation:
  In the next phase, we track whether these spirals lead to serious life changes, such as needing more medical care or having to make big adjustments in daily life.

By understanding how and when these spirals begin, this research can help us find ways to interrupt them early and protect long-term health.

Project Director: Dr. Michelle Meade (University of Michigan)
Co-Investigator: Dr. Casey Newman (University of Southern California)

As people with physical disabilities grow older, they often face new challenges with health, independence, and staying connected to their communities. This study focuses on creating a program to support adults with physical disabilities as they transition into older adulthood.

What We’re Doing:

• Designing a Supportive Program:
  We're developing a research-based intervention that helps aging adults with physical disabilities maintain their health, improve their daily functioning, and stay engaged in their communities.
• Creating a Scalable Solution:
  The goal is to design a program that can be adapted and used widely, so it can reach and benefit more people across different settings.