![\"Students](\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Session-meeting-with-student-pic.png\")
<\/a>This year, IHD personnel developed and implemented Supporting Inclusive Practices in Colleges (SIP-C), the collaborative pilot project that worked with school districts, community colleges, four-year universities and various agencies within Arizona\u2019s Department of Economic Security to ensure positive outcomes for students. The project, funded by Arizona\u2019s Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (ADDPC), supported four students with I\/DD at Coconino Community College.<\/p>\n\u201cInclusion on college campuses means that all students are supported, those with disabilities and those without,\u201d said Kelly Roberts<\/strong>, principal investigator and IHD executive director. \u201cEveryone benefits from students with disabilities learning in the same classroom as the rest of the community.\u201d<\/p>\n The funding will go toward expanding SIP-C\u2019s reach by implementing a comprehensive, multi-component support network for students that includes professional development for postsecondary education staff as well as dedicated educational coaches and student peer mentors for students with I\/DD.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the tenets of our program is that we want students to \u2018use the front door first\u2019 whenever possible, which means that students will be coached to access existing resources first before requesting extra supports from the academic institution they attend,\u201d said Sak\u00e9nya McDonald<\/strong>, project coordinator with IHD. \u201cAt its core, the project uses person-centered planning, ensuring that each student is supported as they pursue their own self-determined goals. Students with I\/DD should be in the center of their circle of support, always present and leading the way.\u201d<\/p>\n Receiving the grant demonstrates the importance of successful pilot projects for securing increased funding. Including committed matched funds, more than $3.3 million will go toward supporting youth with I\/DD attending colleges in northern Arizona over a period of five years.<\/p>\n \u201cADDPC\u2019s pilot funding permitted IHD to leverage our success with a small group of students into a huge opportunity that will touch so many lives,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n The CARE Project and vocational rehabilitation practices on Indian Country<\/strong><\/p>\n The National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research awarded a $600,000 grant to IHD to conduct a community-based participatory research (CBPR) project about American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services (AIVRS), programs that support integrated, high-quality employment for tribal members with disabilities living on or near recognized tribal service areas.<\/p>\n Although academics have extensively studied state-based vocational rehabilitation, there is little research on vocational rehabilitation in Indian Country. The Culturally Appropriate Research in American Indian Employment (CARE) project is designed to address this gap in academic research utilizing a CBPR model, which ensures that members of the communities being studied are involved in the project design and data collection.<\/p>\n \u201cCBPR is ideal for the exploratory nature of this project because it means that historically-marginalized Native American stakeholders will have joint ownership and leadership in this work,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cThis research demands respecting and honoring the immense wisdom and community strengths of sovereign tribal communities.\u201d<\/p>\n The CARE project functions as an extension of the work already in place at IHD, which houses a training and technical assistance center for AIVRS programs. IHD researchers know first-hand that quality academic research on AIVRS practices will improve employment outcomes for Native Americans with disabilities.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough implementation, many AIVRS sites already know what works and what doesn\u2019t,\u201d said Winona Reid<\/strong>, vocational rehabilitation specialist with IHD. \u201cWe want to work together to demonstrate that this knowledge is rooted in evidence-based practices.\u201d<\/p>\n About the Institute for Human Development<\/strong><\/p>\n The Institute for Human Development is home to a wide range of interdisciplinary programs, efforts that support its mission of facilitating ongoing improvements in access, attitude and inclusion for people with disabilities. IHD, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2017, is one of the nation\u2019s premier centers focused on promoting full inclusion by advancing attitudes that value persons with disabilities and enhancing access to all aspects of the human experience. IHD is a dynamic, multi-faceted environment staffed with faculty and professionals representing a range of human service disciplines and offering a broad spectrum of resources and programs for both NAU students and members of the community.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/a>