UH Manoa Center on Disability Studies awarded two federal grants totaling $1.9 million

Grants will support indigenous students in Hawaii and on the mainland

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Helen Au, (808) 956-4949
College of Education
Posted: Aug 8, 2006

HONOLULU — The Center on Disability Studies (CDS) in the College of Education at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa recently received two new grants totaling $1.9 million from offices within the U.S. Department of Education. The funding will benefit indigenous students with disabilities, including those who have been identified as learning disabled, both in the State of Hawaiʻi and nationally.

"The awarding of these two research grants to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa will support researchers to seek evidence-based improvements which will have an impact on the quality of special education services and reading instruction for Native Hawaiian students with disabilities within the State of Hawaiʻi," said Dr. Robert Stodden, director of CDS and principal investigator of the two grants. "It is expected that findings from both studies will generalize to indigenous students with disabilities nationally."

The Institute for Education Sciences awarded CDS with a three-year grant of $1.5 million to support research to improve the content and process of Individualized Education Plans (IEP) for students with disabilities from indigenous cultures. The study will evaluate the effectiveness of two interventions designed to equip educators, administrators and parents with necessary tools to support these students. High schools in Hawaiʻi, Alaska and Utah were identified for their high concentrations of indigenous students with disabilities, and will serve as the target group for this study.

The Office of Special Education Programs also awarded CDS a two-year Steppingstones of Technology Innovation for Children with Disabilities grant for $400,000 to investigate use of text-to-speech software for students with learning disabilities. The effectiveness of the software will be evaluated as a tool for improving reading comprehension and skills that will result in improved academic performance and school behavior. Studies will be implemented at two high schools in Hawaiʻi that rank among the lowest in the state in student reading test scores, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The target group consists of 9th and 10th grade students who have been identified as learning disabled and as non-readers.

About the Center on Disability Studies
The Center on Disability Studies (CDS) in the College of Education at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is a University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents recognized center focused upon development and conduct of interdisciplinary education/training, research/demonstration and evaluation, and university and community service. For more information, contact CDS at 808-956-2653 or visit http://www.cds.hawaii.edu

For more information, visit: http://www.cds.hawaii.edu