As we enter August, students with disabilities and their parents may be preparing to head back to school. Students with disabilities may benefit from support throughout their educational journey, whether they’re just starting primary school or headed to college or career training. The same is true for their parents and the educators they meet along the way.
Here are a few of the latest NIDILRR-funded projects that are exploring the experiences of students with disabilities, their parents, and educators, and developing resources to support student success.
Early education
Addressing Reading Ability for Students with Disabilities by Building Background and Vocabulary Knowledge Background is developing an assistive reading intervention technology for students with reading disabilities. The intervention uses generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and natural language processing algorithms to create personalized learning activities intentionally designed to increase content and vocabulary knowledge.
Kids Like Me Bookshelf Improves Self-Determination Skills for Students with a Vision Impairment via Role-Model Stories Cowritten by Generative AI is harnessing a GenAI–assisted Kids Like Me Bookshelf to improve self-determination skills for middle and high school students with visual impairment, and to provide actionable feedback to their instructors so they can deliver more targeted support.
Middle School Social Stories to Improve Social Skills for Students who are Blind or have Low Vision is using Accessible Interactive Fiction to build a system that allows middle school students to master social skills so they can survive and thrive in school.
Understanding and Improving Access to Section 504 Among Students with Disabilities is studying the experiences of students with disabilities and family caregivers in accessing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the barriers they may face and developing an advocacy program to improve outcomes for these students and family caregivers.
High school
The UMass Chan and Temple Collaborative Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Community Living and Participation Among Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions is studying the efficacy of interventions for advancing high school student success and improving social connections among these young people.
Transition Academy for Paraeducators is developing an innovative online training package to provide high-school paraeducators with the knowledge and skills to better support vocational-skill building aligned with Pre-Employment Transition Services for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
College and beyond
Advancing Postsecondary and Wellness Outcomes for Students with Mental Health Conditions Through Supported Education Enhanced by CBT is examining the effectiveness of an enhanced Supported Education program integrated with cognitive behavioral techniques delivered through telehealth among post-secondary students with serious mental health conditions.
From College to Career: Strengthening Employment Outcomes after Postsecondary Education for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) is developing an intervention to help postsecondary education staff understand strategies and challenges in supporting the path from education to employment, improve their programs’ support of the employment process, and ensure all students graduate with a job.
HEELS 2 Participation: Improving Community Participation for Young Adults with Intellectual Disabilities is developing the Higher Education, Employment, and Living Success (HEELS) curriculum into innovative eLearning Modules and a virtual tool kit to improve community participation for young adults with intellectual disabilities.
Learning and Working During the Transition to Adulthood RRTC is testing a new model of career development, enhancing skills of Career and Technical Education (CTE) instructors, embedding services to improve executive functioning of transition-aged youth on college campuses, and designing a new internship model.
My CTE Journey – A Digital Toolkit for Navigating Career and Technical Education is testing a digital CTE toolkit for individuals with severe mental health conditions to help remove barriers to CTE opportunities, enhance employment outcomes, and improve quality of life.
My Risk for Opportunity, Autonomy, and Dignity (My ROAD): Developing an Intervention to Expand Dignity of Risk in Postsecondary Education Programs is empowering postsecondary education programs to evaluate and expand the concept of dignity of risk for students with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.
RRTC on Employment Among People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) is expanding upon a career-focused technology preparation program for youth with IDD with limited access and developing a curriculum and technical assistance model to improve support provided to people with IDD in technical and community colleges.
Temple University RRTC on Community Living and Participation of People with Serious Mental Illnesses is researching the effectiveness of Taking Action, an intervention aimed at advancing college student success.
If you’d like to learn more about these and other NIDILRR-funded projects and the resources they offer, visit our website at naric.com!