ILRU

What ILRU does

ILRU (Independent Living Research Utilization) is a national center for information, training, research, and technical assistance in the independent living field, established in 1977 and operating as a program of TIRR Memorial Hermann, a nationally recognized medical rehabilitation facility located in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas. The organization serves Centers for Independent Living (CILs), Statewide Independent Living Councils (SILCs), state and federal rehabilitation agencies, consumer organizations, educational institutions, and medical facilities both nationally and internationally. A majority of ILRU staff are people with disabilities, providing lived-experience expertise alongside professional credentials.

ILRU's core offerings are organized as a portfolio of federally funded research and training projects rather than as a unified software product. The portfolio includes the Southwest ADA Center (part of the ADA National Network serving Region VI and nationally), the ADA Participation Action Research Consortium (ADA-PARC), the ENGAGED Medical Rehabilitation Research Resource Center (ENGAGED MR3 Center), the Disability Employment Policy Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (DEP-RRTC), and Disability911. Supporting these research centers are directory services (CIL Directory, SILC Directory, Associations of CILs Directory), technical assistance networks (CIL-NET, SILC-NET, IL-NET), and a publications library including the Disability Law Index and the ADA National Network Disability Law Handbook. Distribution occurs through the ILRU website, conferences, webinars, blogs, and social media channels, with all resources provided free of charge.

ILRU operates as a non-profit entity with no commercial revenue model. Funding comes entirely from federal government grants and cooperative agreements from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) and the Administration for Community Living (ACL) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including grants 90ILTA0002, 90ISTA0002, 90DPAD0010, and 90DP0022. The go-to-market motion is community-led and mission-driven rather than sales-driven: ILRU provides services directly to the independent living network at no cost, with no pricing tiers, no paid customers, and no licensing or product revenue streams.

Name

ILRU

Legal name

ILRU Program

Website

https://ilru.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ILRU (Independent Living Research Utilization) is a federally funded national center that provides information, training, research, and technical assistance in independent living to Centers for Independent Living, SILCs, and disability-related organizations across the United States and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Federal Government Grants and Cooperative Agreements: ILRU is funded by federal government grants and cooperative agreements from NIDILRR (National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research) and ACL (Administration for Community Living) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Specific grants include 90ILTA0002, 90ISTA0002, 90DPAD0010, and 90DP0022.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ILRU is a national center that provides information, training, research, and technical assistance in independent living. Operated as a program of TIRR Memorial Hermann, it maintains national directories of Centers for Independent Living and Statewide Independent Living Councils, manages research centers on ADA, disability employment, and medical rehabilitation, and produces publications on disability law and rights for the independent living network nationwide and internationally.

Product overview

ILRU (Independent Living Research Utilization) is a national center for information, training, research, and technical assistance in independent living, operated as a program of TIRR Memorial Hermann. Rather than a unified software product, ILRU offers a portfolio of interconnected research centers, technical assistance networks, directories, and publications. The core offerings include the Southwest ADA Center, ADA-PARC, ENGAGED MR3 Center, DEP-RRTC, and Disability911, which provide specialized research and training on disability rights and independent living. Supporting these are directory services (CIL Directory, SILC Directory, Associations Directory) and technical assistance networks (CIL-NET, SILC-NET, IL-NET Technical Assistance) that support the independent living network nationwide. The organization also produces publications including the Disability Law Index, ADA National Network Disability Law Handbook, and various practical guides covering ADA implementation, court accessibility, correctional facility access, and service animal issues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Southwest ADA Center: A regional ADA center providing training, technical assistance, and information on the Americans with Disabilities Act
• ADA-PARC
• ENGAGED MR3 Center
• DEP-RRTC
• Disability911

Products and services

• Southwest ADA Center
• ADA Participation Action Research Consortium (ADA-PARC)
• ENGAGED Medical Rehabilitation Research Resource Center (ENGAGED MR3 Center)
• Disability Employment Policy Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (DEP-RRTC)
• Disability911
• Centers for Independent Living (CIL) Directory
• Statewide Independent Living Councils (SILC) Directory
• Associations of Centers for Independent Living Directory
• CIL-NET
• SILC-NET
• IL-NET Technical Assistance
• Disability Law Index
• ADA National Network Disability Law Handbook
• Americans with Disabilities Act Advancing Court Accessibility Comprehensive Guide
• ADA Disability Related Access for Inmates and Visitors Practical Guide
• The Impact of the ADA in American Communities
• Improving Access for Service Animal Users through Stakeholder Deliberative Dialogues

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• TIRR Memorial HermanncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerILRU is a program of TIRR Memorial Hermann, a nationally recognized medical rehabilitation facility for persons with disabilities located in the Texas Medical Center. TIRR Memorial Hermann provides institutional affiliation and operational support for ILRU's national center activities.
• Southwest ADA CenterflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerA major ILRU project providing information, training, and technical assistance on the Americans with Disabilities Act. Part of the ADA National Network serving Region VI (Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma) and nationally.
• ADA Participation Action Research Consortium (ADA-PARC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerILRU project focused on ADA participation action research to gauge the ADA's impact on individuals with disabilities and the broader disability community.
• ENGAGED Medical Rehabilitation Research Resource Center (ENGAGED MR3 Center)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerILRU project providing medical rehabilitation research resources to advance best practices in the field.
• Disability Employment Policy Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (DEP-RRTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerILRU project focused on disability employment policy research and training to improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities.
• Disability911coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerILRU project providing resources and information on disability-related topics for the independent living community.
• ADA National NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network of ADA Centers collectively producing resources that CILs can utilize. ILRU's Southwest ADA Center is part of this network serving Region VI.
• IL-NET (Independent Living Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIL-NET provides technical assistance for CILs and SILCs through a blog and resources exploring Independent Living through questions from the field. Collaborative effort between ILRU and independent living networks.
• Centers for Independent Living (CILs) NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerILRU serves the national network of Centers for Independent Living through directories, training, technical assistance, and resources. CILs are consumer-controlled, community-based organizations providing services to people with disabilities.
• Statewide Independent Living Councils (SILCs) NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerILRU serves the SILC network through the SILC-NET, providing technical assistance, resources on State Plan for Independent Living (SPIL), and the SILC Connection Facebook page for current information.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• National Disability Rights Network (NDRN): Nonprofit membership organization for the Protection and Advocacy (P&A) and Client Assistance Programs. Partial overlap with ILRU's independent living and disability rights mission, though its focus leans more toward legal advocacy than technical assistance.

Direct peers

• World Institute on Disability (WID): Founded in 1983 by disability rights leaders, WID is a Berkeley-based nonprofit research, training, and policy center. Highly comparable to ILRU in mission, disability-led staffing model, and independent living focus.
• National Council on Disability (NCD): Independent federal agency advising the President and Congress on disability policy. Comparable in independent-living research and policy advisory function; ILRU Director Lex Frieden previously served as NCD Chairperson.
• Center for Independent Living (Berkeley): One of the original Centers for Independent Living that ILRU serves and supports through its directory and technical assistance networks. A pioneering CIL providing direct independent living services to people with disabilities.
• Pacific ADA Center: Regional ADA Center serving the Western U.S. Direct peer in the ADA National Network, offering the same training, publications, and technical assistance model as ILRU.
• Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF): Berkeley-based national disability rights law and policy center. Comparable to ILRU in producing disability law resources, ADA training, and policy research for the independent living community.
• Great Lakes ADA Center: Regional ADA Center in the ADA National Network, hosted at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Operates under the same NIDILRR/ACL funding structure as ILRU's Southwest ADA Center.
• Southeast ADA Center: Another of the 10 regional ADA Centers, based at the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University. Sibling to ILRU in the NIDILRR-funded ADA Network, providing identical technical assistance and training services in its region.
• Northeast ADA Center: One of the 10 regional ADA Centers in the ADA National Network, hosted at Cornell University. Directly comparable to ILRU's Southwest ADA Center in mission, federal funding model, and ADA training/technical assistance delivery to CILs and SILCs.

Broad incumbents

• Administration for Community Living (ACL): Federal agency within HHS that funds ILRU through NIDILRR. Operates the broader disability and aging services infrastructure including the Independent Living Programs that fund CILs and SILCs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SILCConnection
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ilru-il-net-training-and-technical-assistance-center-for-cils-and-silcs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ILRU