Cultivating Community Partnerships to Support Students With Low-Incidence Disabilities (Poster 9)

• In Event: Centering Equity in Research-Practice Partnerships

Abstract

After decades of exclusion from academic instruction, research and practice indicate movement toward increased standards and improved practices for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (Browder et al., 2006; Lindström & Lemons, 2021). To continue increasing rigor and use of evidence-based practices in academic instruction for this population, strong partnerships between researchers, schools, and other community partners are needed. However, recruitment of students with IDD and their teachers for research projects can sometimes be challenging, due to a variety of factors including low incidence of specific disabilities or genetic disorders, burnout from involvement in other research projects, and balancing competing demands due to scheduling related services or other constraints. This poster presentation focuses on building mutually beneficial research-practice partnerships to meet shared goals of stakeholders regarding academic needs of students with low-incidence disabilities, while centering equity and systemic issues that affect this population.

In this session, we will present our approach to connecting with both districts and Intermediate Units, defined as local education agencies overseeing services for students with the most comprehensive needs. The presentation highlights these efforts in the context of Project RISE, an IES-funded Exploration Study focused on special education teachers’ knowledge and practices in reading instruction for elementary students with IDD. We will describe our strategy to initiate collaborative relationships prior to conducting research, with the goal of informing research processes to be more rigorous, socially valid, and equitable. We describe the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders (schools, districts, researchers) to work collaboratively toward shared goals and unique ones. We will share strategies for better understanding stakeholder priorities prior to and during research activities, and means of determining appropriate and socially valid supports for community partners, such as professional development or sharing resources.

Finally, we will discuss the research logistics (e.g., forming a research team), methodologies (e.g., mixed methods), and communication tools that can promote more meaningful and effective partnerships with practitioners and inform crucial questions about implementation of evidence-based practices and systemic issues related to academic instruction for students with IDD, including implications for students with IDD and other intersecting, marginalized identities. We intend for this poster to initiate dialogue and resource sharing with attendees about strategies and tools for building and maintaining successful research-practice partnerships that center equity and prioritize community voices.

Author

• Esther Lindström, Lehigh University
  Presenting Author