Autism Campus Inclusion

See below for information on the 2019 Autism Campus Inclusion (ACI) Leadership Academy, which is now accepting applications. The application deadline is Sunday, February 24th, 2019. 

“ACI helps Autistic students learn to make their college campuses better for people with disabilities. ACI participants learn about making student groups, understanding disability policy, and talking to people in power. During ACI, all participants go to the U.S. Capitol to talk to their Senators and Representatives about policies important to the disability community.  After the Academy, students get help from ASAN to meet their advocacy goals at their college.” – via the Autistic Self Advocacy Network 

Click here to learn more 

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service

Some of our students spent last Monday at Ohio State’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. They joined over 1,000 other Buckeyes to serve the greater Columbus community. Great work!

 

Research Study Opportunity

See below for information about a study looking for participants.
Hello,
We are looking for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, which may include diagnoses such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, Down syndrome, and many others and parents of individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities to participate in focus groups for a research study!
 
The adolescent group will consist of one individual assessment and a focus group that will run once for approximately two hours. Additionally, they can participate with you in a parent-child group, which runs for approximately one hour. And lastly, parents can participate in one 30-minute interview over the phone, Skype or in-person. These focus groups and interviews will be a safe, confidential environment where you will be asked to share open and honestly about sexual health education and any barriers with accessing effective sexual health education. All focus groups will be recorded using video technology and all interviews will be audio recorded. All recordings will be stored on secure approved Ohio State University computers until themes are identified and analyses are completed. Once analyses are completed the recordings will be destroyed. Your personal information will never be associated with the recordings.
 
FAQ’s:
  1. Can I participate even if my parent or child does not? Yes, please!
  2. Can I participate directly with my parent or child? Yes, we have an opportunity for parent/child dyad’s to engage in this opportunity together!
  3. What if I am uncomfortable answering a question? You are not required to answer every question and you can leave the group at any time if you become uncomfortable and no longer want to participate!
 
All participants will be provided with a $20 gift card for participating.
 
Interested or know someone who may be interested? Please email me Schmidt.1072@osu.edu or call me at 513-492-2908.
 
Thank you,
Liz Schmidt

Share your Perspective on Being a Sibling-in-Law of an Individual with IDD

See below for information about a study looking for participants.

Dear Prospective Participants,

My name is Kirsten Zemke and I am a Master’s student studying Special Education at Vanderbilt University. I am looking for individuals (18 years or older) married to an adult who has a brother or sister with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). I would love to learn more about your feelings, thoughts, and experiences as a sibling-in-law. This group is extremely important, but to date has been neglected in disability research.

For this study, we have created an anonymous survey that will take approximately 30 minutes. The survey consists of five main sections. The first two sections ask you to provide background information about you, your spouse, your in-laws, and the adult with disabilities (i.e., your brother or sister-in-law) as well as your initial thoughts about being a sibling-in-law. The third and fourth sections explores your experiences of being a sibling-in-law, involvement in disability advocacy, and the degree to which you and your spouse care for your brother-sister-in-law. Finally, section five includes open ended questions about your overall perceptions about this relationship.

If you are interested, please click on this link and complete the online survey: https://redcap.vanderbilt.edu/surveys/?s=M9CXW8CKL3

Thank you in advance for your consideration to participate in this study.

Best,

Kirsten Zemke

M.Ed Severe Disabilities Vanderbilt University 2019
kirsten.e.zemke@vanderbilt.edu

Click here to download flyer