Throughout the year, members of the NIDILRR grantee community send us updates about their work, like new articles we can add to our library, awards or achievements based on their NIDILRR-funded research, or cool tools or resources that the community can use. We highlight many of these in our weekly News and Notes from the NIDILRR Community and Beyond (not a subscriber? Sign up here!). Others we might share in topical posts around observances or recent events. For our first post of the new year, here are a few updates we received recently that spotlight how NIDILRR-funded research and development continue to support community participation across the spectrum of disability:

• Project BJUST (Brain Injury & Juvenile Services Training) recently published training competencies for people who work with youth with brain injuries who are transitioning from the justice system back into the community. BJUST offers correctional staff training on evidence-based practices that can successfully improve life and transition outcomes for these young people.
  
• Brandon Biggs at the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute led the Cross-Sensory Digital Map Project. This work led to the development of Audiom, a cross-sensory map to address how most digital maps are not accessible to people with visual impairments. Audiom allows these users to hear the map through text. Many organizations have already used this tool to create their first fully accessible digital maps, as discussed in this interview: PhD Student Making Digital Maps That Blind People Can Hear. Users can try out Audiom for personal use on this demo site.
  
• The Boston-Harvard Burn Injury Model System created a mobile version of the Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation (LIBRE) Profile which is available free for IOs and Android. This tool will help people with burn injuries and their care teams measure and track engagement in everyday social situations. They are working with partners around the world to translate the LIBRE Profile and adapt it to apply internationally recognized quality standards that ensure cultural relevance and accuracy.
  
• The UMass Chan and Temple Collaborative Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Community Living and Participation Among Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions (SMHC) published the Civic Advocacy Workshop Series: Manual for Facilitators. This manual provides guidance for implementing the civic advocacy workshop series which supports young adults as they develop the skills and knowledge to advocate for issues that are important to them. The manual is available on request.

These are just a few examples of some of the exciting things happening as a result of NIDILRR-funded research and development. Subscribe to our News and Notes newsletter and join us on social media to stay up-to-date on news, events, resources, and opportunities to participate in research! If you are a NIDILRR grantee, learn how you can share your news for an upcoming issue!