Welcome

The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Workplace Accommodations identifies, develops and promotes new assistive and universally designed technologies that maximize independence and participation of people with disabilities in the workplace. A primary focus of the Workplace RERC is the use of universal design concepts -- the design of products and environments to be usable by all workers, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.

Accommodation in Action

Man with a lower limb amputation operating the controls in an airplane cockpit.

Work RERC News

• Workplace Accommodations R&D Digest - January/February 2010
  Periodic electronic update on project activities and useful resources.
  To subscribe, send e-mail to sympa@lists.gatech.edu with a SUBJECT of "subscribe workrerc-news".
  
• National Engineering Design Challenge Winners Announced
  Finalists have been announced for the National Engineering Design Challenge (NEDC), a national contest for high school engineering students who were challenged to design and build a workplace accommodation to help a person with a disability from their community. This year, the Work RERC is sponsoring an additional award for "Best Application of Universal Design Principles."
• Visit the AT Wiki
  Learn more about specific workplace accommodations on the AT Wiki and share your own tips or feedback about accommodations. The numerous articles include information about workstations, computer access, funding of AT, etc.
  
• Download our new Grocery Checkstand Design Guidelines (PDF)
  Learn how grocery checkstands can be made more accessible for both employees and customers.
  

Upcoming Events

• Continuing Education Courses
  CATEA will be offering several professional education courses this Winter / Spring. These courses can be taken for CEUs, and they cover topics related to assessment, workplace accommodations, home modifications, aging in place, computer access and web accessibility.
• What Topics Would You Like Covered in Upcoming Webcasts?
  Workplace accommodation practitioners are asked to tell us what training topics that they would like to see included in the Work RERC's webcast series on workplace accommodations.
  

Participate in our Research

• Join the CATEA Consumer Network (CCN)
  Provide feedback and participate in studies, such as the Work RERC's research on workplace accommodations. If you are interested in being part of the CCN, please take a moment to tell us about yourself in the sign-up survey. Membership is free, and some studies may provide payments for participation. Click Here to Join the CCN!
• Participation in the Workplace
  We are looking for office workers without a disability to complete some emailed surveys about their participation in the workplace. Contact Claire Yang for more information.
  
• Survey of Accommodation Use
  The Work RERC will be launching an online survey in early March to address the question "what accommodations work well, for whom, and in what settings?". The survey encompasses all individuals who are employed in any capacity. Please help us spread the word and get people involved!