HHS Announces More Than $35 Million in New Grants for Disability Research, Technology, and Training

Originally published on HHS.gov

WASHINGTON, D.C.-OCTOBER 28, 2026-The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Administration for Community Living (ACL), today announced $35,763,912 in fiscal year 2026 funding for 68 new grants from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). The grants pay for research, technology development, training, and technical assistance. They aim to improve health, expand job opportunities, and support independent living and community life for people with disabilities.

The work supports HHS and ACL priorities: Whole-person health, employment, caregiving, connecting people to services, and economic security.

"President Trump is expanding opportunity for Americans with disabilities to live healthier, more independent, and more productive lives," said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. "HHS is investing in practical research and new technologies that remove barriers to work, improve health, strengthen independence, and help people participate fully in their communities. We will measure these investments by one standard: whether they make a real difference in people's everyday lives."

"These grants will help people with disabilities stay healthy, find meaningful work, and live and take part in their communities. Our goal is research and technology that make a real difference in everyday life, and these new grants move us closer to that," said Kristi Hill, PhD, Acting Director of NIDILRR.

Improving Rehabilitation and Whole-Person Health

Since 1970, the Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Model Systems program, among the world's longest-running, has linked specialized rehabilitation care, research at individual centers, studies that span centers, and a national database that follows people's outcomes over the long term.

• SCI Model Systems (14 centers) - $8,445,498: studies include arm recovery and fatigue (Craig Hospital), home-based spinal stimulation (Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital), nerve pain (University of Miami), and urinary tract infection prevention (Medstar Health Research Institute)
• Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital - $699,999: self-management for adults with chronic burn injury
• Medical University of South Carolina - $699,950: resilience and mental health after spinal cord injury, including an online peer story-exchange program

Expanding Employment and Economic Opportunity

These awards study how to help people with disabilities get hired, succeed at work, and thrive in their communities.

• Virginia Commonwealth University - $925,000: employer practices and technology in hiring, accommodations, and advancement
• University of Texas at Austin - $700,000: accessible career exploration and job-readiness supports for deaf high school students.

Other projects look at workplace communication for autistic youth and AI-supported task instructions for employees with intellectual disabilities.

Supporting Independence and Caregivers

These projects look at ways to improve daily independence, support families, and make useful technology and services easier to find and use.

• Temple University - $925,000: peer-led community living, including volunteer transportation and peer coaching
• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Georgia Tech - $999,993 combined: a wheelchair-mounted robotic arm with accessible controls (UW-Milwaukee) and an online assistive technology assessment platform (Georgia Tech)
• University of Northern Colorado: help for families moving from child to adult services
• University of Pittsburgh: smart-home research

Strengthening Accessibility and ADA Implementation

Since 1991, the ADA National Network has helped people with disabilities, employers, businesses, and public agencies understand and carry out the Americans with Disabilities Act. New work covers healthcare and workplace access, accommodations, web access, and the needs of rural areas and small businesses.

• Ten regional centers - $11,074,444
• University of Washington - $850,000: a Knowledge Translation Center that will coordinate national resources and improve how the network measures results

Developing Technology and Building the Evidence Base

• 13 Small Business Innovation Research awards - $2,277,134: these support feasibility studies and further development of innovations, including a motorized hand exoskeleton, a bionic arm prosthesis, accessible medication dose markings, and online diabetes prevention
• University of Central Florida - $975,000: a Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on AI for people with limb differences
• 16 Field-Initiated Projects - $3,991,978: topics range from accessible social media to stroke rehabilitation and loneliness
• 3 Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training awards - $749,917
• SCI and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Model Systems data centers - $1,599,999 combined
• Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center - $850,000: will turn research into resources for individuals, families, and professionals

Summary of 68 New Awards for FY2026

Amounts are recorded FY2026 obligations verified on October 6, 2026. Separate funding continues existing multiyear projects. For award details, visit USAspending.govand HHS TAGGS.

About NIDILRR

The National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), part of the Administration for Community Living at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, funds research and development that helps people with disabilities improve their health and function, employment, and participation in community life.

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