Research Projects

Shirley Ryan AbilityLab has received a $4.2 million, 5-year grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) to lead an international study exploring how differences in inpatient rehabilitation length of stay (LOS) after spinal cord injury (SCI) affect the experiences and long-term outcomes of people with SCI.

Lisa Ottomanelli, PhD, a clinical psychologist at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital & Clinics in Tampa, Florida, delivered the 2023 NIDILRR Invited Lecture for CROR’s RRTC on Employment for Persons with Physical Disabilities on September 11.

Subscribe to the CROR Outcomes Newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and issues related to disability and employment, hear from experts in the field, and read about Shirley Ryan AbilityLab staff.

Subscribe to the HCBS Quality Matters Newsletter for high-quality, in-depth interviews with service providers, people who receive services, thought leaders and more. Our "Literature Corner" will keep you current on the latest published research related to HCBS.

MRSCICS Matters is the newsletter of the Midwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury Care System (MRSCICS). Subscribe to read about topics related to living with a spinal cord injury, updates from the research world, and opportunities for people with spinal cord injury to get involved.

Aco is a research project coordinator at another major Chicago hospital, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab where he is involved in several studies led by Miriam Rafferty, PT, DPT, PhD, a Research Scientist and Director of Implementation Science.

The goal of the prospective observational study is to gain insight into whether vocational rehabilitation (VR) counseling and other resources can help people with Parkinson’s remain employed.

Lynn Johnson was a busy mother of two and a senior project manager when she was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease in her 40s.

Learn more about Paulo Aco and how his love of sports and movement lead to a role in parkinson’s disease research.

The goal of this collaborative module was to obtain evidence that informs consumers, clinicians, insurers, and manufacturers about the utilization and cost-effectiveness of robotic exoskeletons in inpatient, outpatient, and community settings.