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Latest News

Jul 25, 2023

Making STEM More Inclusive of People with Disabilities

As she grew up navigating life in a wheelchair, Anjali Forber-Pratt encountered obstacles both in the physical world and in other people’s mindsets.

“As a young child going through public schooling and so forth, I was constantly faced not only with physical inaccessibility, in terms of accessing spaces, but also attitudinal inaccessibility,” she said.

Making STEM More Inclusive of People with Disabilities

May 16, 2023

When Agencies Listen

It’s gratifying when policymakers #LISTEN! On November 21, 2022, CommunicationFIRST submitted comments to the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) in response to the agency’s forthcoming 2024-2029 Long-Range Plan....

When Agencies Listen

Jan 31, 2023

Disability. Access. Heart.

Disability. Access. Heart.

Jan 4, 2022

The Adventurer Leading the Government’s Disability Research

On November 21, 2022, CommunicationFIRST submitted comments to the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR)... Read more: <a href="https://communicationfirst.org/when-agencies-listen/">https://communicationfirst.org/when-agencies-listen/</a>

The Adventurer Leading the Government’s Disability Research

Jul 21, 2021

"I am a brown, disabled, adopted scholar-activist": NIDILRR Director Dr. Anjali Forber-Pratt reflects on the impact of the ADA

I am a brown, disabled, adopted woman who acquired transverse myelitis as an infant, and I use a manual wheelchair. My experiences growing up with these identities shaped those I developed later—who I am as a person, researcher, and activist.

"I am a brown, disabled, adopted scholar-activist": NIDILRR Director Dr. Anjali Forber-Pratt reflects on the impact of the ADA

May 24, 2021

Education Alumna Appointed by White House as Director of the NIDILRR

Dr. Anjali Forber-Pratt, who holds three degrees from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has been appointed by the White House as the administration's new Director of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).

Education Alumna Appointed by White House as Director of the NIDILRR

May 4, 2021

Why kids bully — and what to do about it

For many parents, one of the biggest worries is that their kid is being picked on. And unfortunately, that concern isn't unwarranted: In 2017, almost one in three 6th-graders reported being bullied at school.

Why kids bully — and what to do about it

Feb 19, 2020

Say the Word

For some reason, the presence of disability generates a feeling of awkwardness in many individuals. I see and experience this every day. I could be strolling down a wide sidewalk in my wheelchair, and people will loudly and dramatically move to the other side—or even cross the road to avoid me!

Say the Word
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