It seems like podcasting has exploded in popularity, especially as a way for researchers to share their work with a wide audience. Podcasts can be produced and distributed inexpensively on many different platforms that reach listeners and viewers (for video) around the world. In July 2021, we noted that many members of the NIDILRR grantee community are part of the podcast stream, discussing the Americans with Disabilities Act, participatory action research, knowledge translation and technology transfer, serious mental illness, and urinary tract health. Since then, even more projects have added their voices to the mix:

Wellness Matters for Direct Support is made by and for direct support professionals from the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Community Living and Participation, with discussions focusing on self-care and avoiding burnout.

S.T.A.Y. Tuned: Supporting Transition-Age Youth Podcast is for young adults, made by young adults, with mental health conditions. Hosts share useful information from the Learning and Working During the Transition to Adulthood RRTC research team and their studies of transition-age youth/young adults navigating school or work.

INside the OUTcomes: A Rehabilitation Research Podcast is hosted by the RRTC on Home and Community-Based Services Person-Centered Outcomes and Measurement. Episodes focus on rehabilitation research and how we measure and discuss outcomes.

Finding Strength podcast is from the Boston-Harvard Burn Injury Model System Center, Spaulding Harvard Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Model System Center, and Spaulding New England Regional Spinal Cord (SCI) Injury Model System Center. The podcast brings people with lived experience in SCI, TBI, and burn injury together with researchers and clinicians to discuss groundbreaking research and how it applies to everyday life.

Employment Insights Podcast is hosted by the RRTC on Employment of People who are Blind or Have Low Vision. This podcast spotlights the experiences of people who are blind or have low vision who are in the workforce.

Let’s Get to Work: Reimagining Disability-Inclusive Employment Policy is from the RRTC on Employment Policy: Center for Disability-Inclusive Employment Policy Research. Episodes feature guests with unique knowledge and insights who share their perspective on public policies in employment that are moving the momentum forward or holding progress back.

PAR in Action Podcast is hosted by the RRTC on Health and Function of People with Psychiatric Disabilities. The podcast features youth and adults in mental health recovery reflecting on the roles they play in Center research, along with their suggestions of strategies to promote inclusion in all stages of research.

Section 504 at 50 is a limited podcast series from the Southeast ADA Regional Center created in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Each episode features interviews with leaders in the Disability Rights Movement, who advance the cause of equal rights through their tireless work.

NARIC Spotlight is hosted by us! We discuss how we support people with disabilities, researchers, and professions in connecting with the information they need, from peer-reviewed research to community-level resources. Available in English and Spanish.

Looking for more? Here are some of the most recent podcast episodes from the wider disability and rehabilitation community that featured NIDILRR grantees discussing their work:

• Michelle McDonnall, PhD, from the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment of People Who are Blind or Have Low Vision, was on A Sense of Texas discussing the center’s research in barriers and facilitators to employment, including the important period of transition for young people who are blind or who have low vision.
• Gretchen Carrougher, RN, MN, from the Northwest Regional Burn Model System Center, and Diana Tenney, from the Boston Harvard Burn Injury Model System Center, joined the Journal of Burn Care and Research podcast discussing their research on Living Well and Suicidality After Burn Injuries.
• Linda Ehrlich-Jones, RN, PhD, from Disability and Rehabilitation Research Project on Knowledge Translation to Promote Patient-Centered Care Through the Use of Standardized Assessments, was on the Healthcare Professional YouTube Series with Nurse Linda, hosted by the Reeve Foundation discussing the center’s Rehab Measures Database.
• Sheryl Katta-Charles, MD, from the Indiana TBI Model System (TBIMS) Center, joined RehabCast hosted by the American Congress of Rehabilitation medicine to discuss TBIMS research LGBTQI+ Sexuality in Chronic Disease + Suicidality in TBI,
• Brad Dicianno, MD, from the project Assessment and Investigation of New Coverage Policies for Complex Rehabilitation Technology (CRT) Within a Contemporary Accountable Care Environment, was on another episode the RehabCast podcast discussing the results of the project’s study of the effect of assistive technology professionals on the provision of mobility assistive equipment such as wheelchairs and the future research to standardize processes and improve healthcare policy to get people with disabilities the equipment they need to remain independent.
• Mark Schmeler, PhD, also from the project Assessment and Investigation of New Coverage Policies for Complex Rehabilitation Technology (CRT) Within a Contemporary Accountable Care Environment, was on Talk Rehab discussing the project’s literature review on coverage for wheeled mobility, research on repair data and the life cycle of mobility equipment, and how this research may impact coverage for this essential equipment.
• Steve Sutter, principal investigator for more than 25 NIDILRR-funded Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) projects, was on the AT Update podcast, discussing the development of the TREAT app, which helps people with traumatic brain injury improve their emotional awareness and understanding. He also discussed how the NIDILRR-funded App Factory supported the TREAT app development.
• Jonathan Pearlman, PhD, from the Initiative to Mobilize Partnerships for successful Assistive teChnology Transfer (IMPACT), was interviewed for Healthy Home Lab with Paulina Villacreces and Dr. John Pearlman of the University of Pittsburgh discussing the background and development of the Healthy Home Lab project and how it will be used to study and test technology for successful aging in place for people with disabilities.
• Dan Davies, principal investigator for more than 25 NIDILRR-funded SBIR projects, was on the Changing Lives with Smart Technologies episode of the ABCs of Disability Planning podcast discussing their history of research and development in assistive technology and how current and emerging technologies can support the independence of people with cognitive disabilities.

Do you have a favorite podcast that keeps you up to date on what’s happening in your community? Share it in the comments!