Saluting Those Who Served

This week we’ll celebrate Veterans Day here in the US. The holiday dates back to the end of World War I and honors the men and women who have served in our armed forces, in times of war and piece. These celebrations include the more than 2.2 million veterans who have service-connected and age-related disabilities, living in communities across the US. As you prepare for celebrations in your community, we’ve collected some resources you might find helpful:

• See what’s on the horizon: Meet the NIDILRR grantees currently conducting research, development, training, and technical assistance to support veterans with disabilities. These projects are developing new technology, treatments, and interventions to improve employment outcomes, access to housing and transportation, and more.
• Get wonky: Understand trends in disability program participation among vets with this research from the NIDILRR-funded Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC) and Mathematica.
• Explore our collection: We highlighted a collection of research and resources from the NIDILRR community and elsewhere (also in Spanish), with a deep dive into our collection through the REHABDATA database. We also highlighted factsheets on assistive technology, brain injury, spinal cord injury, and burn injury; webinars on research in employment; guides to rights and responsibilities under the ADA; and statistical data on vets with disabilities in the US.
• Review the literature: We also collected research on employment and employment interventions for veterans with disabilities as part of our reSearch series (also available in Spanish), reviewing articles, books, and reports indexed in REHABDATA, PubMed, and other major indexing databases around the world.
• Share stories: Hear stories from men and women who have served recorded as part of the Military Voices project at StoryCorps. If you’re a vet or know one whose story should be heard, see how to make an appointment.
• Celebrate locally: Find an official National Veterans Day Celebration in your community with this list from the Veterans Administration (.doc file) or check with your local public library to see what’s happening in your town.