Ann Arbor CIL

Institute for Community-Based Research

Sharing Knowledge to
Increase Quality of Life for All

The Institute for Community Based Research (I-CBR) is a new initiative of the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living, whose overall objective is to make available to communities the vast knowledge generated by universities and by community members, in order to increase the quality of life for persons with disabilities, our families, and the communities in which we live.

Very often, the knowledge accumulated by universities and members of our communities that has the potential to contribute to increased quality of life remains as exactly that—mere potential.  The consequence of this is that our individual lives and our collective communities are less than they could be, or should be.

We intend to make university-based research and community-based knowledge more accessible and therefore more valuable to our citizens by actively connecting this knowledge with our community in order to mobilize its potential.

Prior research has shown the credibility of the messenger is often a determining factor in the long-term success as to whether new knowledge is actually utilized by its intended audience. According to the National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research (NCDDR), it is important that knowledge disseminators “work through intermediaries who already have established relationships because users tend to accept ideas, information and knowledge from sources they already know.” ⁽¹⁾

The Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living, through the Institute for Community-Based Research, intends to fulfill its role as a trusted messenger to persons with disabilities and our community-at-large. By doing so, we will take the lead in disseminating and also helping to apply the potential of this valuable knowledge, in order to enhance quality of life for all.

⁽¹⁾ National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research (NCDDR), “Improving the Usefulness of Disability Research: A Toolbox of Dissemination Strategies,” Guide Number Two.

What Initiatives are Underway at the Institute for Community Based Research?

While the Institute for Community Based Research is in its infancy, we are working on several interesting projects that have the potential for larger impact. Among these are:

1. Ann Arbor CIL Program Research & Development
2. Ann Arbor CIL-UM Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Collaboration
3. Program for Investment in Micro-Entrepreneurs (PRIME) Research Project
4. UM UROP Program
5. Zero-to-K12 Initiative