Firah was founded in 2009 and recognised as a public interest entity in 2011. The Foundation is entirely focused on applied research on disabilities. The Foundation’s current chairman is Patrick Gohet.
Firah’s overarching goal is to improve the quality of life and social participation of people with disabilities by making the findings of applied research available to stakeholders in the field. The term stakeholders includes, but is not limited to, people with disabilities, their family and friends, the professionals who work with or provide support to persons with disabilities, and not-for-profit organisations.
The Foundation seeks to bridge the gap between the world of research and the field.
This aim is accomplished by working to develop research that corresponds to the needs identified by stakeholders, by supporting collaborative and innovative applied research, and by ensuring that research findings are disseminated in ways that enable stakeholders to truly appropriate them. FIRAH encourages closer ties and exchanges between researchers and stakeholders in the field.
Today, the Foundation’s activities are focused on three areas:
- Supporting applied research projects on disabilities,
- Promoting the practical application of research findings by stakeholders in the field, and
- Encouraging and increasing the dissemination of the knowledge acquired through applied research throughout the world.