About Us

TBI Research scientist

About Us

With the support of our donors, Kessler Foundation drives positive change for people with disabilities. We conduct groundbreaking rehabilitation and disability employment research and fund innovative initiatives to provide access to job opportunities. The Foundation bears the name of Henry H. Kessler, MD, PhD, who founded Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation to help people with disabilities regain function and achieve maximum independence. Today, Dr. Kessler’s vision is reflected in the institutions that bear his name.

Our Dedicated Research Centers

 

Male researcher with participant

Our Research Helps People Live Better Lives

Kessler Foundation, a major nonprofit organization in the field of disability, is a global leader in rehabilitation research. Our scientists seek to improve cognition, mobility, and long-term outcomes, including employment, for adults and children with neurological and developmental disabilities of the brain and spinal cord including traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, stroke, MS, and autism. We help people regain independence to lead full and productive lives.

Participants in a room full of laptop computers

What We Fund

Kessler Foundation leads the nation in funding innovative programs that expand opportunities for employment for people with disabilities. Our grantmaking is grounded in the belief that all people with disabilities have a right to pursue competitive, integrated employment and live with dignity within our communities. Inclusion in the workplace is the primary focus of our grant funding, which helps people with disabilities find meaningful work and gain independence.

participant is independent after he is able to drive again after a stroke

The Impact

With the support of our donors, Kessler Foundation maximizes recovery, independence, and inclusion for people with disabilities. The impact is profound. People with paralysis take their first steps. Young adults with autism improve awareness of their personal strengths and their ability to self-advocate. Stroke survivors regain independence. Individuals with multiple sclerosis and traumatic brain injury improve thinking, learning, and memory. Jobseekers and veterans with disabilities find satisfying employment and become self-sufficient.

Multimedia

  • Audio Description

    PODCAST: REBUILDING FUTURES FOR OUR NATION’S HEROES: Innovations in Research and Employment for Veterans - Moderator: Steve Adubato, PhD and our distinguished panel: Joe Bongon, Gail Forrest, PhDDenise Fyffe, PhDElaine Katz, MS, Christopher Scrufari, Glenn Wylie, DPhil.

  • Audio Description

    PODCAST: CarolAnn Murphy, PA talked with Kessler’s experts in the field exploring optimal ways to treat the most common breast cancer symptoms – fatigue and weakness. This team is studying new approaches to the problem of cancer-related weakness in women who have been treated for breast cancer. Panelist include: 
    Dr. Michael Stubblefield, Dr. Ashish Khanna, Tiffany Kendig, PT, Guang Yue, PhD, Didier Allexandre, PhD, Chaya Estin-Lebovic, Angela Smith

  • VIDEO: Changing the Lives of People with Disabilities through research in stroke, brain injury, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injury, and by funding innovative programs that promote employment for people with disabilities Mission video.

  • VIDEO: Meet Michele Pignatello, Vice President and Chief Development Officer at Kessler Foundation

Mission statement

The mission of Kessler Foundation is to improve quality of life for people with disabilities through discovery, innovation, demonstration, application, and dissemination.

 

Vision statement

Kessler Foundation leads the way in linking science and grantsmanship so that people living with disabilities can lead more productive, independent, and fulfilling lives.