The Administration for Community Living (ACL) supports the needs of the aging and disability populations, and improves access health care and long-term services.
The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERC) program is focused on advancing engineering research and developing innovative technologies to address specific rehabilitation problems or remove environmental barriers. This grant program supports the improvement of services under the Rehabilitation Act by promoting technological solutions that facilitate the inclusion and living standards of people with disabilities. Specifically, this RERC grant aims at enhancing technologies and services for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. It encompasses research and development aimed at understanding and optimizing the use of technologies by this population. The grant program emphasizes the demonstration and evaluation of new technologies, advocating for system changes in service delivery, encouraging the commercial production and distribution of these technologies, and facilitating related training programs. HHS plans to award one RERC grant for a 60-month period, structured into five 12-month budget periods.