AOTA urges Congress to protect OT/rehab research at NIH and NIDILRR

AOTA is working along with the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Coalition (DRRC) to advocate for funding and support for disability/rehab research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as well as reversing executive proposals to eliminate the Administration for Community Living (ACL) which houses the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. AOTA is also supporting DRRC efforts to oppose potential drastic cuts to NIDILRR with reports that elimination of the agency may be included in the President’s budget proposal.

As part of the DRRC coalition, AOTA has participated in meetings with staff for the Senate and House Appropriations Committees which determine levels of federal funding for research including at NIH. Congress has authority over establishing the federal budget, and only it can set funding levels for NIH, NIDILRR and other agencies created by statute. Rehabilitation science at NIH is led by the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research which has a $90 million budget and helps coordinate over $900 million in rehabilitation and disability research across NIH. The NIDILRR annual budget is $119 million.

AOTA and DRRC emphasize the importance of rehabilitation and disability research at both NIH and at NIDILRR which has been instrumental in improving the lives of millions of people. Occupational therapy research is funded through multiple Institutes at NIH and also at NIDILRR which has a focus on independent living and is therefore especially well-suited to support OT research. AOTA emphasizes that OT research is important to identify how best to assist people who are living with spinal cord and brain injuries, stroke, intellectual and developmental disabilities, musculoskeletal and neurological conditions, and chronic conditions affecting body systems, mobility, cognition, and overall function and well-being.

The DRRC is a coalition of 28 national non-profit organizations committed to improving the science of disability, independent living, and rehabilitation. DRRC seeks to maximize the return on the federal investment in disability, independent living, and rehabilitation research and development with the goal of improving the ability of Americans with disabilities to live and function as independently as possible. The coalition plays a leadership role in increasing and leveraging federal resources devoted to disability, independent living, and rehabilitation research. AOTA is one of six members of the DRRC steering committee to ensure there is continued support for this advocacy. AOTA will continue to work with DRRC partners as it engages with Congress and others to defend and support such important research efforts.