The Lurie Institute for Disability Policy is excited to announce that we have been awarded a three-year grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, part of the Administration for Community Living. The $1.5 million grant was awarded under the Disability 
and Rehabilitation Research Projects Program and will help us operate and expand the new National Center for Disability and Pregnancy Research (NCDPR) at the Lurie Institute. This generous grant will support Lurie’s cross-disability initiative to address gaps in knowledge about pregnancy and disability, enhance the experience of pregnancy among disabled people, and promote optimal pregnancy-related outcomes for pregnant people with disabilities. The research will be led by co-investigators, Dr. Monika Mitra of the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy and Willi Horner-Johnson of Oregon Health & Science University, along with co-investigators Drs. Slaughter-Acey, Ayers, Harris, McKee, Ernst, Brown, Akobirshoev, and Powell and Mrs. Valentine, MPH.
Read a two-page overview of the NCDPR here.
The National Center for Disability and Pregnancy Research has three main goals:
- Address gaps in knowledge about pregnancy and disability utilizing existing and new data sources in order to more fully examine perinatal care, complications, and outcomes—particularly disabled people of color;
- Develop and test evidence-based interventions and supports to enhance the experience of pregnancy in people with disabilities;
- Promote optimal pregnancy-related outcomes, health, and well-being for all pregnant people with disabilities through the active communication of findings, along with targeted training, offered to those in the disability community as well as healthcare providers.
You may read more about the NIDILRR award.
We are thrilled that NIDILRR has recognized the contributions of the Lurie Institute research team in improving the lives of disabled people through research, education, and policy development. We are especially pleased to note NIDILRR’s recognition of and commitment to focused research on disability and pregnancy.