IDRPP in the Media

LOGAN - It wasn’t quite 50 years ago that Karl White began his work as a researcher and Division Director at IDRPP. Later, on a sabbatical in Washington, D.C. in 1984, his work led to the establishment of the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Man...

LOGAN - The National Center on Accessible Digital Educational Materials & Instruction — or NCADEMI — is known as “n-cademy.” Its mission is to ensure that students with disabilities nationwide can access and engage with technology at the same time, and wi...

“When you look at resilience and mental health, the number one factor in whether someone is able to rebound and manage the stresses in their lives is whether they have healthy relationships,” said Matthew Wappett, IDRPP executive director and one of the t...

The Public and School Partnership is now led by Program Director Roseline Hill. She comes to Utah State University via South Africa, where she gained more than 20 years’ experience in nonprofit work in human rights and rights for women.

The Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice offers two mindfulness courses for anyone who wishes to improve their life balance and reduce anxiety. The signup deadline is Sept. 8.

LOGAN - Because Utah lags behind all other states in the early identification of autism, Utah State University's Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice will offer a new ECHO professional development project focused on autism.

For years, advocacy groups have tried to alert state officials that Utah was funneling people with disabilities into segregated settings. In March 2021, federal investigators began examining the state’s program. This article quotes IDRPP Executive Directo...

Laughter actually may be the best medicine as a chortle, chuckle, guffaw, giggle, howl, roar or hoot is better for your health than you know. Featuring IDRPP Executive Director Matthew Wappett. Watch the videos!

A new center coming to Utah State University this fall will provide accessible digital materials to students with disabilities. The facility will address the "longstanding and historical issues" around access to educational materials for students with dis...

Families that have received services say they are grateful for the help with their little ones. But Utah providers struggle to provide quality services on funding that has remained stagnant since 2017.  

Starting this fall, a new Utah State University program will help education agencies across the nation improve the accessibility of school materials like textbooks, lectures, and websites.

Utah State University’s long-term commitment to digital accessibility for individuals with disabilities is at the heart of this week’s announcement that in October USU will open a $7.2 million center focused on providing accessible materials to students w...

Courtney and Dillan Schweinler of Utah County are remembering the early days of their son Theo’s life. He was born three months early. The brain bleeds started soon after that, and the family’s journey with early intervention began in the hospital.

The new program called the National Center on Accessible Digital Educational Materials and Instruction, or N-Academy, will be conducted at USU's Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice.

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal is celebrating its inclusion in the Directory of Open Access Journals, a globally recognized service that maintains a list of peer-reviewed open access journals. The journal’s inclusion in DOAJ underscores a comm...

Dr. Audrey Juhasz, researcher at the Institute for Disability Research Policy and Practice at Utah State University, discusses findings from their disability data analysis research.

Yesterday was Global Accessibility Awareness Day, and I cannot think of a better guest to have on the show today than Jared Smith. Jared is the director of WebAIM or Web Accessibility in Mind.

LOGAN - WebAIM (web accessibility in mind) is part of Utah State University’s Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice. ... And for the sixth year the WebAIM Million report, released this month, details accessibility to the world’s top 1 mill...

The latest WebAIM Million report is out — and so are some key facts about web accessibility, in higher education and out in the wild.

One hour isn’t enough to experience what life is like in a wheelchair, said Heiner. “The purpose for this wheelchair exercise is to make you aware of the barriers that people in wheelchairs face so that you can do something about them."

Brian Phillips and Tim Riesen of USU have a $5.4 million contract to create a website that will help youth with disabilities transition from school to careers.

In this episode, host Jeff Skibitsky and esteemed guest Dr. Matthew Wappett discuss reimagining the future of education to be more inclusive for individuals with disabilities. With a focus on autism, they critically discuss the current challenges and poss...

A new effort from Utah State University to deal with substance abuse begins this week with the first of 12 free monthly Zoom sessions.

Specialists from the Institute for Disability have received nearly $500,000 from Utah’s Department of Workforce Services to bolster customized employment for people severely impacted by disability in Utah.

Since 2014, federal policy has focused on competitive, integrated employment for people with intellectual disabilities. New research shows that after nearly a decade, there is a lot of room for improvement.

Utah State University’s Institute for Disability, Research, Policy & Practice (IDRPP) has launched its 5th ECHO training project.

The goal of USU’s Utah Assistive Technology Program is to put assistive technology into the hands of people who need it. Student journalist Anna Johnson recently featured this work.

The Seeking Mental Health Services as an Adult with a Disability exhibition is now on display at the Lyndsley Wilkerson Gallery in the Sorenson Center for Clinical Excellence at Utah State University.

The free "Time to Act ECHO: Mental Health Across the Lifespan" is a statewide training initiative intended to build capacity and confidence among service providers from across disciplines.

Thanks to a digital class, and a web accessibility evaluation tool from its Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice (IDRPP) Utah State University is more accessible to students with disabilities.

Utah State University is more accessible to students with disabilities, thanks to resources from the Institute for Disability. It’s also thanks to the efforts of USU’s Digital Accessibility Services Group, and to people from every corner of every USU camp...

Over the last three years, content from the DDNJ has been downloaded 13,000 times in 70 countries. The journal has included content from people with disabilities from many different backgrounds in alignment with its mission to include people with disabili...

The Institute's Kimberly Hutter was interviewed in this article about the shortage of Braille teachers nationwide--and what IDRPP's Center for Technical Assistance for Excellence in Special Education is doing to ease it.

The Star Tribune (Minneapolis) reports on a rise in ADA-based lawsuits aimed at company websites. Features an interview with Jared Smith of IDRPP's WebAIM.

People with disabilities can visit UATP and ask for specific, custom-made devices to help them when the needed devices don’t exist.

UATP has created several tools that will help individuals through their day-to-day lives, with everything from liftware eating utensils and vehicle adaptions.    

Bollywood icons Bobby Deol and Kajol joined a panel discussion on Customized Employment for People with Disabilities at The Gateway School in Mumbai. The discussion delved into the crucial issue of employment opportunities for PWDs and was graced by Bolly...

The Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice’s Service Division is growing, with new projects coming on board and existing ones poised to grow. To manage the changes, IDRPP has brought in two Service Division associate directors.

Alison Layton used to love to go on hikes. But after she was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, it became impossible to keep going for long. “I’d be so exhausted,” says the teen from Kaysville, Utah. “I’d get to the point where I couldn’t do an...

Curtis Phillips is the new service division director at the Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice at Utah State University. He comes to the job at a busy time.

The Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice kicked off its 50th anniversary celebration with fine art. The Institute featured two artists in Logan’s Gallery Walk, offering a glimpse into different styles, cultures and ways of thinking about c...

In 1972, the Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice opened at Utah State University. This year, the Institute celebrates its 50th anniversary and five decades of growth in the disability field.

The Utah State University Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice is celebrating its 50th anniversary this fall. As part of the celebration, IDRPP will feature artists in the Logan Gallery Walk Friday, Sept. 23. Kelie Hess is one of those art...

A study published in the Journal of Inclusive Postsecondary Education offers a list of skills that parents of college students with intellectual disabilities said would help students as they prepare to go to an inclusive college program. The parents surve...

COVID-19 upended the planet. Suddenly everything happened on-screen and in cars. But for those with disabilities, the rush online made some things hard and other things impossible: learning, working, buying food, signing up for a vaccine appointment.

Sue Olsen is the recipient of the Strong Human Services Award from Utah State University’s Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services. She is the Services Division Director for the Institute for Disability Research, Policy and Practice (IDR...

Currently the average wage for a disability staff member is $12.75 an hour. With wages so low, it’s not only driving staff to poverty but causing a huge labor shortage in the system.

With wages so low for disability workers, long-term care centers are unable to provide enough care for the disabled. This staffing crisis is leading to overworked caretakers and often neglected clients. Parents with disabled children are speaking out.

Advocates for the disabled in Utah, and disability assistance workers, say a lack of state funding is badly impacting people in need. Specifically, they say that pay for disability workers is so low, long-term care centers can’t find enough people to fil...

Thank you to Kim Beckstead and the Utah Assistive Technology (AT) Act Program (UATP) for this wonderful window into learning to live differently with AT.

The idea of medical mask exemptions became intertwined with the anti-mask movement. But medical conditions can affect mask-wearing, largely for members of the disabled community.

Fox News interviews Ph.D student Erica Ficklin regarding her research on disability and mental health perceptions among Utah natives. Her work began at IDRPP and the Association of University Centers on Disabilities.

Kelie Hess joins in a conversation about disability, visibility and accessibility on Utah Public Radio's Access Utah.

On October 5, the US Attorney’s Office in eastern New York announced agreements to improve accessibility of COVID-19 vaccination websites. IDRPP's WebAIM provided information on accessibility across these entities’ websites.

When it comes to working with visually impaired infants and their parents, perhaps nobody on the planet is as experienced, skillful and knowledgeable as Elizabeth Dennison of IDRPP's SKI-HI Institute.

A program from IDRPP will help train Utah's youth to identify and respond to mental health issues.

IDRPP Executive Director Matthew Wappett, School to Work Coordinator Kelie Hess, and Utah Developmental Disabilities Council member Eric Stoker discuss disability in Utah and why full participation in the community matters.

As of July 1, Utah State University’s Center for Persons With Disabilities will be known as the Institute for Disability Research, Policy and Practice.

The pandemic has brought the added stress of job and income loss for many. But for Isabel Allende, the first and biggest hurdle was acknowledging the need.

Blind Americans are finding that these new registration sites suffer from low-contrast coloring, minimal text options, screen reader incompatibility and supplemental electronic forms that must be filled out.

While Utah ramps up efforts to vaccinate every adult in the state, advocates are increasingly concerned that the websites used for scheduling appointments are less accessible to people who are sight-impaired.

Many COVID vaccination registration and information websites at the federal, state and local levels violate disability rights laws, hindering the ability of blind people to sign up for a potentially lifesaving vaccine.

The class is “Career Exploration 2,” but some days, it could just as well be called “How to Handle Life.”

Today we’ll feature how seniors and people with disabilities are using technology during the pandemic, f rom getting hooked up to the internet for the first time, to building community virtually to the hurdles and expanded opportunities of remote work.

After 20 years at Utah State University’s Center for Persons With Disabilities — most recently as Policy Director — Sachin Pavithran will leave soon for Washington, D.C. to become Executive Director of the U.S. Access Board.

Until recently at Utah State University’s Center for Persons With Disabilities there was a program known as the “Developmental Skills Laboratory.” Drake Rasmussen, the lab’s program coordinator, said its name was changed recently.

USU’s Center for Persons With Disabilities is offering a national training initiative to help early childhood educators and others support the children and families affected by these conditions.

Utah State University Extension has received $200,000 to invest in new mental health awareness programs for farmers, ranchers and other Utahns in rural parts of the state.

Alice Sheppard, the director of the Bridgerland Literacy program, tells the story of a beautiful Simolean lady trying to pass her GED. Sheppard said they taught her a basic thing she needed to know to be successful, and she was.

Utah State University Libraries, in collaboration with the Center for Persons with Disabilities, published the first issue of a new open access scholarly journal focused on disability issues in the United States.

Women do the lion’s share of unpaid care work in Utah, with women in their 40s and 50s often spending time doing both child and elder care. It makes for some stressful moments and the pandemic adds some new challenges.

Today’s episode is about hate crimes with Dr. Sachin Pavithran, who discussed his personal experiences. Please note there will be discussions on hate, hate crimes, racism, racial profiling, police brutality, xenophobia, and violence.

Parents are their children’s first teachers—and in the crucial early years, developmentally supportive parenting behaviors can make all the difference. What are these behaviors, and what do they look like?

This isn’t breaking news, but every one of us is feeling some tension, a lot of uncertainty. And if you are, so are your kids or, sometimes, grandkids, in the case of Vonda Jump Norman, an assistant professor of Social Work.

Medical grade face shields are rolling off small volunteer assembly lines in Cache Valley, in an effort that is pairing the College of Engineering and the Center for Persons with Disabilities at Utah State University with many in the community.

As the need for personal protective equipment increases nationwide and statewide, the Utah Assistive Technology Program at USU is coordinating with the College of Engineering to produce face shields for health care workers.

The College of Engineering and the Center for Persons with Disabilities are collaborating to provide medical grade personal protective equipment to health care workers. Now they are asking businesses and individuals to join them.

Two bills improving services to people with mental illness were signed into Utah law this week, allocating $24 million for the first year and $17 million in ongoing funds.

During this global pandemic, many medical decisions are having to be made about who can receive what kind of care. Disability rights activists, like Storee Powell, said many of the current policies are discriminatory.

This moment in our history is, without doubt, difficult and uncertain. It’s also, says social worker Vonda Jump-Norman, an “unprecedented opportunity that we may never have again.” Appreciate the relationships in your life, she said. Be of service.

WebAIM is offering complimentary registrations to its Online Document Accessibility Training course to all faculty and staff at USU. The goal is to help USU personnel ensure that the materials they share online are accessible.

The process to become a U.S. citizen can be complicated and hard to understand, but local experts met with the public last Thursday evening at Mount Logan Middle School in an effort to pull back the curtain on immigration policy.

A national leadership institute at Utah State University will bring together professionals who work in mental health and/or in serving those with developmental disabilities. It aims to inspire them as they work in their own communities.

The Utah Legislature is now in full swing at the State Capitol. Last week, many people with disabilities and their families went there with the mission of learning how to tell lawmakers the ways policies affect their lives.

It is imperative that state public colleges and universities increase and maintain accessibility for students to earn a postsecondary credential. But accessibility means more than just making college available so students get into college.

In November, Sachin Pavithran, policy director of the Center for Persons with Disabilities at Utah State University, assumed his new role as president of the Association of University Centers on Disability.

Utah State University’s Cyndi Rowland was celebrated in November for her work in advancing educational opportunities for people with disabilities.

It was Day One of orientation for the 15 students in Utah State University’s program for students with intellectual disabilities, and the group was playing a game of Get-to-Know-You Bingo.

In May, a 5-year-old girl, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Shelley, went missing in Logan. Many in the community got involved in the search.

Jonny Peay says he has made a lot of friends during his first year at Utah State University. Now, the 24-year-old from Orem said some of those friends and others may be left behind because they can’t afford to go to school.

Dan O’Crowley said his interest in engineering began while in high school when he designed and helped build his parents’ home and building an antique wooden refrigerator in shop class.

Bridgerland Literacy has joined Utah State University’s Center for Persons With Disabilities (CPD). Bridgerland Literacy’s Program Director Alice Shepherd explained the mission of Bridgerland Literacy.

A new relationship between Bridgerland Literacy and the Center for Persons with Disabilities at Utah State University will help the literacy program continue to offer services to members of the community.

Now imagine that your child has chronic health care needs. And that she is unable to tell the doctor what is wrong, or where it hurts, or when it started. That is the situation Tina Persels faced in 2017.

Matthew Wangeman, a disability advocate and the focus of an award winning short film, answered questions at Utah State University on Friday.

It’s spring and a fresh crop of graduates will soon enter the adult world. Some will get jobs, some will go on to more education, some will start their careers. And some may wonder if independence will ever come.

Marla Nef and Janel Preston have teamed up to bring better professional development to early intervention workers all over the state by helping to revive the Utah chapter of the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division of Early Childhood.

A collaboration between Utah State University’s Center for Persons with Disabilities and its counterparts in Alaska and Kentucky will offer training to provide quality mental health services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Individuals with disabilities are subject to different labor laws than able-bodied people. “If you’re going to pay somebody to work and you value them as a human being, they should be paid a fair wage."

Everette Bacon, president of the National Federation of the Blind in Utah, has a vision he hopes to share with the blind, their families and their service providers during an upcoming convention in Salt Lake City.

The unemployment rate for people with disabilities was 8 percent in 2018: more than twice the rate for the general population. And getting a job is only the first step: staying employed is also a challenge.

In the 21st century, navigating a school's website is an essential part of education. But a new study from BYU and Utah State University says certain web issues are alienating the U.S. disabled community.

HB 101, a bill allowing fully-autonomous vehicles to operate in Utah, has advanced through the House and Senate and now waits Governor Herbert’s signature.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, just under 19 percent of people with disabilities are employed, compared with 66 percent of people without disabilities. Policymakers and educators want to change that.

The new President-elect of the AUCD — the Association of University Centers on Disabilities — is Dr. Sachin Pavithran, Director of Policy at Utah State University’s Center for Persons with Disabilities (CPD).

Now imagine that your child has chronic health care needs. And that she is unable to tell the doctor what is wrong, or where it hurts, or when it started. That is the situation Tina Persels faced in 2017.

A new grant from the state of Utah will provide more small-group and one-on-one mentoring to ASL interpreters, who work in isolation, a situation that is not good for the interpreter or the classroom.

The Association on University Centers on Disabilities has a new president-elect: one whose vision is to keep it moving on a path where younger, more diverse voices are included in its mission.

With advancements in Internet technology, it’s easy to think the difficulties people with disabilities have with getting from place to place can be solved by the Internet.

Imagine a world where you cannot drive. Where trains don’t travel and busses don’t run. How might that impact your ability to access quality healthcare? That’s the world where many Utahns with disabilities and their families live right now.

In 2017, the unemployment rate in the United States fell across the board. But fewer than 19 percent of people with disabilities were employed, compared with more than 65 percent of the general population.

Amy Henningsen is an occupational therapist at Utah State University’s Center for Person’s With Disabilities. Last month, the Utah Down Syndrome Foundation recognized her for the work she has done with many families.

Amy Henningsen was recognized in September by the Utah Down Syndrome Foundation for the work she has done with so many families in Northern Utah.

“With stroke, we have a very short time window when we’re able to treat people,” said Dr. Marilyn McKasson , telestroke medical director for Intermountain Healthcare.

During a recent installment of the UPR original series Diagnosed, we discussed the Utah Medical Cannabis Act.

“I hit the wheelchair almost five and a half years ago,” said Mindy Mair. When she says she “hit the wheelchair,” she means that is when she needed technology to get around Vernal, where she lives.

Utah State University’s Assistive Technology Program is in the business of helping people with disabilities. If someone has a problem with a wheelchair, or any other piece of equipment, the people at the AT Lab try to repair, adapt or replace it.

Over a dozen volunteers gathered in Logan this week to build a porch for the widow of a U.S. Army veteran.”

Utah State University’s Center for Person’s With Disabilities has appointed longtime staff member Sachin Pavithran as its policy director.

Like many college students, Jonny Peay, of Orem, was elated when his acceptance letter to Utah State University landed in his mailbox. “I felt so happy,” Jonny said.

The Assistive Technology Program at USU serves individuals with disabilities of all ages in Utah. They do remarkable things in providing assisted technology devices and services.

With an understanding of how people with disabilities use the web and how frustrated they feel when they can’t access it, Utah State University’s Center for Persons With Disabilities in 1999 set about finding answers.

Cyndi Rowland, an employee with Utah State University’s Center for Persons with Disabilities, was at a conference in the mid-1990s when she realized that some people had a harder time viewing the internet than she did.

WebAIM has long set the standard for web accessibility, and its WAVE tool has made it possible for people everywhere to find out whether a web page is usable for people with disabilities.