{"id":5659,"date":"2025-07-07T15:15:46","date_gmt":"2025-07-07T22:15:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nau.edu\/ihd\/?p=5659"},"modified":"2025-07-09T08:30:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T15:30:12","slug":"vital-projects-fund","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/institute-human-development\/vital-projects-fund\/","title":{"rendered":"Fueling Growth: Vital Projects Fund Supports IHD\u2019s Minor in Disability Studies"},"content":{"rendered":"

John Schaffer and Kyle W. Beam<\/em><\/p>\n

Support from the Vital Projects Fund has played a pivotal role in expanding the reach and impact of the Minor in Disability Studies (DS) program at Northern Arizona University\u2019s Institute for Human Development (NAU-IHD). Now in its third year, this funding has advanced IHD\u2019s mission to promote full inclusion by reshaping public attitudes toward disability, fostering authentic representation, and providing students with meaningful opportunities for community engagement.<\/p>\n

\n

NAU\u2019s DS minor program is one of the few of its kind in the nation, placing it at the forefront of academic and cultural change around disability. While the minor has been offered by the university since 2008, the initiatives made possible by the Vital Projects Fund have significantly deepened its influence across campus and in the broader community.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Inclusive Teaching and Leadership<\/h3>\n

\"2One of the most visible impacts of the fund has been the formal hiring of Justice Armfield, a young man with Down syndrome, as a co-instructor for DIS 201: Introduction to Disability Studies. Armfield, who joined IHD as a guest teacher through a high school transition program, now co-teaches the course alongside longtime faculty. His participation embodies the core principle of disability studies, \u201cNothing about us without us.\u201d NAU is one of the only universities in the country to employ a person with Down syndrome in a teaching role, offering students a powerful model of lived experience and inclusion.<\/p>\n

Public Programming and Cultural Events<\/h3>\n

The Vital Projects Fund has also supported a variety of public events that continue to grow in popularity and impact. The annual “Not-Inspiration P*rn Disability Film Festival,” now preparing for its fourth installment in Fall 2025, features award-winning short films from around the world alongside local productions. Over 100 people attended the 2024 screening, with expectations for even greater participation in 2025.<\/p>\n

Scholarships and Student Support<\/strong><\/h3>\n

To encourage enrollment and recognize student achievement, the fund supports book scholarships for students enrolled in the DS minor. Three $500 scholarships are awarded annually, with funding secured for five years. The fund also covers conference attendance and participation for students at IHD\u2019s Evidence for Success Disability Conference.<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

Educational Media and Film Production<\/strong><\/h3>\n

With assistance from the Vital Projects Fund, IHD has produced a number of short films that support the DS minor and promote disability representation. Recent titles include Matthew, Part 2<\/em>, a follow-up to the award-winning My Dad Matthew<\/em><\/a>; both films provide insight into the life of Matthew Wangeman, an IHD professor with a disability involved in the DS minor program since its founding.<\/p>\n

Additional Supported Activities<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Other initiatives supported by the fund in the past year include honorariums for guest speakers in senior-level DS courses, a graduation reception for DS minor seniors, and support for the creation of a sensory room at IHD.<\/p>\n

Looking Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As the DS minor continues to grow in enrollment and influence, support from the Vital Projects Fund ensures that its reach extends beyond the classroom to shape public perception and build a more inclusive and informed community. Plans for the coming year include expanded media production, public events, and continued investment in student engagement and leadership.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

John Schaffer and Kyle W. Beam Support from the Vital Projects Fund has played a pivotal role in expanding the reach and impact of the Minor in Disability Studies (DS) program at Northern Arizona University\u2019s Institute for Human Development (NAU-IHD). Now in its third year, this funding has advanced IHD\u2019s mission to promote full inclusion […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":771,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/institute-human-development\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/institute-human-development\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/institute-human-development\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/institute-human-development\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/771"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/institute-human-development\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5659"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/institute-human-development\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5659\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5710,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/institute-human-development\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5659\/revisions\/5710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/institute-human-development\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/institute-human-development\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/institute-human-development\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}