In support of treatment for people with disabilities, the Foundation endowed a chair in 1986 at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC). Dr. Kristi Kirschner, the current chair holder, is also the Director of the Program in Disability Ethics. The Institute has created the Center for the Study of Disability Ethics dedicated to fostering an intellectual environment for critical analysis and debut of the practical moral questions arising around issues of disability in medical care. The program brings together an interdisciplinary group to study, research and educate healthcare professionals and the public about the moral issues concerning healthcare and disability. The Center catalogues educational resource materials, offers disability ethics tutorials, and conducts meetings with the Feinberg School of Medicine Humanities and Bioethics and various hospital groups.

In 2004, the Coleman Foundation established a Center for the Restoration of Hand Function in Stroke at RIC with $1.5 million grant award. The Center conducts research in hand rehabilitation focusing on why and how the hand is impaired after stroke. At the center, scientist and engineers are developing advanced computer models to help understand the complexities of hand movement, and design and building robotic devices for hand rehabilitation. Funding supports Dr. Derek Kamper’s directorship, program engineers and underwrites graduate and postgraduate  positions.