The Consortium for Assistive Technology Outcomes Research (CATOR) was established in 2001 as a project designed to advance the field of assistive technology (AT) outcomes measurement (OM). Funded by the United States Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), research and development is dedicated to improving measurement science for AT, reducing barriers to the use of AT outcome measures, and understanding the processes for AT adoption and abandonment. These goals will be met through an outstanding array of leading contributors – associations, agencies, industry, organizations, and other institutions – in the AT measurement and outcomes research field.

CATOR’s overall mission is to conduct multiple research projects on AT outcomes and impacts to determine the effectiveness and usefulness of AT and the implications for use/discontinuance of AT devices.

CATOR activities are designed to directly benefit:

• Consumers (device users) - by learning to better understand how consumers use their devices so that their unmet needs can be identified and addressed through meaningful measurement.
• AT service providers - by developing recommendations for reliable, valid, and practical ways of measuring outcomes, as well as for systems for managing outcomes information and communicating it effectively.
  
• Decision-makers - who want to know that they are basing their decisions on the best available scientific evidence. Decision-makers may be consumers who want to advocate effectively for AT services, service providers wanting to improve their professional practice, service managers who need to allocate scarce resources, funders who want to competently evaluate the programs they fund, or government agencies who need to analyze policy relating to AT.
  
• Researchers - who are in a position to use their skills and training to advance the AT field by pushing the frontiers of theory and methodology.