One of the core functions of every UCEDD is to engage in the Interdisciplinary Training and Education of self-advocates, family members of individuals with disabilities, students, and providers—including people whose professional and personal identities transcend these categories. As such, CLD faculty work with a number of graduate students each year to prepare them for careers in disability-related research and service provision. We are delighted to announce that two CLD graduate students recently received external funding to support carrying out independent research projects in their areas of interest.
Bridgette Schram, a PhD student and 2nd Century Initiative fellow in the School of Public Health, received a $10,000 grant from the Social Security Administration’s Analyzing Relationships between Disability, Rehabilitation and Work (ARDRAW) program for her project, Exploratory Analysis of Funding, Cost, and Outcome Data for Inclusive Postsecondary Education Programs. Ms. Schram will use an economic evaluation approach to track the funding and expenditures of inclusive postsecondary education programs for students with intellectual disabilities in Georgia, with the ultimate goal of supporting the financial sustainability of these model programs. Dr. Daniel Crimmins serves as the faculty mentor for this project.
Jessica Franks, a DrPH student in the School of Public Health and former GaLEND trainee, received a $4,000 grant from the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder and the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. In her project, Content Analysis of Web-based Communication Strategies used by Public Transit Agencies during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Ms. Franks will systematically assess the websites and social media feeds of 16 major transit agencies in the US. These data will inform the development of best practices to ensure transit agencies’ web-based crisis messaging is effective, accessible, and culturally competent. Dr. Erin Vinoski Thomas serves as the faculty mentor for this project.