ACL Awards Switzer Research Fellowships

October 3, 2024

ACL's National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) is announcing 14 awards under the Switzer Research Fellowships Program for 2024, including seven Switzer Research Fellowship awards and seven Switzer Research Fellowship for Doctoral Dissertation Research awards. The Switzer Research Fellowship awards are for one year and have an estimated funding amount of $80,000 (Merit Fellowship) or $90,000 (Distinguished Fellowship). The Switzer Research Fellowship for Doctoral Dissertation Research awards are for one year and have an estimated funding amount of $45,000.

This program's purpose is to build research capacity by providing support to highly qualified individuals, including those with disabilities, to research the rehabilitation of individuals with disabilities. Fellows must conduct original research in an area authorized by section 204 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and that aligns with NIDILRR's mission. This year, NIDILRR offered a new Switzer Research Fellowship grant opportunity specifically for doctoral candidates to conduct dissertation research focused on the experiences and outcomes among individuals with disabilities.

Switzer Research Fellowship Grant Recipients

• Candace Osborne: Exploring the Feasibility of a Remote Group-Based Problem-Solving Intervention for Care Partners of Individuals With Traumatic Brain Injury and Stroke.
• Cristina Alison Sarmiento: An Ounce of Prevention: Primary and Preventive Care Gaps, Barriers, and Potential Solutions for Adults With Cerebral Palsy.
• Dora Madeline Raymaker: The Future of the Neurodivergent Workforce: Systems Thinking and Participatory Research To Identify Pathways To Skilled Employment.
• Grace Lucille Francis: Examining the Effect of Bioecological Factors on Expectations for Community Living and Participation: An Exploratory Multi-Method Investigation.
• James Dalton Stevens, Jr.: U.S. Disability Mortality Trends Across Disability Status, Type, Sex, and Race-Ethnicity, 2017-2021.
• Waifong Cheung: Effectiveness of a Structured Motor Program on the Motor, Social, and Adaptive Behavior Skills of Young Children With Autism.
• Winston Kennedy: Barriers to and Facilitators of Physical Activity Engagement.

NIDILRR funded the four highest-ranked Switzer Research Fellowship applications in rank order. NIDILRR funded an additional three Switzer Research Fellowship grants out of rank order from among the high-scoring applicants. These applicants present unique opportunities to advance knowledge to improve the lives of individual with disabilities, per 45 CFR 1330.25 (b)(1).

Switzer Research Fellowship for Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant Recipients

• Elad Daniels: Psychotropic Utilization in Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services for People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
• Ian Moura: Examining the Impact of Algorithmic Decision-Making Tools on the Disability Community.
• Kelly Poretti: Using Virtual Reality To Reduce Mobility-Related Anxiety in Lower-Limb Prosthesis Users.
• Marcus Durya Weathers, Jr.: Exploring the Reentry Experiences of Black Returning Citizens With Disabilities: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.
• Satria Ardianuari: Influence of Socket Adduction on Joint Loading for Individuals With Transfemoral Amputation.
• Sin Young Park: Fostering Disability Pride To Promote Self-Advocacy and Career Adaptability in Young Adults With Autism: Randomized Control Trial of Internet-Based Intervention.
• Tessa Christine Johnson: Validating Digital Health Tools for Assessing Upper Extremity Activity in Cervical Spinal Cord Injury: A Multimodal Analysis.

Contact [email protected] at NIDILRR if you have questions about the Switzer Research Fellowships Program.

See Notice of Funding Opportunity: HHS-2024-ACL-NIDILRR-SFGE-0071, "Switzer Research Fellowships Program," posted December 1, 2023, and HHS-2024-ACL-NIDILRR-SFGE-0072, "Merit Switzer Research Fellowships for Doctoral Dissertation Research," posted April 29, 2024.

To stay current on NIDILRR grant opportunities, please visit grants.gov and search: NIDILRR or 93.433.

NIDILRR, part of ACL, generates new knowledge and promotes its effective use so that people with disabilities can perform activities of their choice in the community. NIDILRR also works to expand society's capacity to provide full opportunities and accommodations for people with disabilities.