College students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are transitioning to more autonomous college settings in recent years. Intimacy education has been identified as a potential need; yet, there are factors that could facilitate or inhibit access to education, experiences, and support efforts in this area. The Continuum of…

Schoolwide peer-mediated programs have long been advocated as an avenue for promoting inclusion, friendship, and learning for students with autism and other developmental disabilities. Such interactive programs faced complexities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. We surveyed representatives of 91 elementary and secondary schools implementing a…

Although self-determination has received increased attention as a critical component in quality education programs, there is limited current research about how and in what way students are displaying self-determined behaviors. To that end, a 29-item questionnaire was developed and 118 school system personnel reported how a sample of students with…

Peers have a prominent place within peer-mediated interventions (PMI). Understanding how they might benefit from their experiences supporting students with disabilities is an emerging area of much-needed research. This qualitative study was designed to identify the breadth of ways peers report being affected by their diverse experiences. We held…

Alongside ongoing efforts to increase postschool outcomes of racially minoritized young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), little is known about their parents' experiences in preparing for and navigating the transition planning process. We conducted a transition survey with 362 racially minorized parents of children…

A nuanced understanding of disparities impacting racialized people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) requires scholars employ research methods that make visible the structural factors that influence outcomes. Following the work of Tukufu Zuberi and Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, we explore race-based methodological considerations for…

Navigating campus and the surrounding community may pose barriers to matriculation, engagement, and quality of life for students with disabilities. This intervention uses the student's smartphone device and a university map application to guide students as they navigate to specific destinations around campus (e.g., library, classroom buildings,…

Technology is integral to the lives of youth who, as digital citizens, use technology to participate in social and civic action to improve their communities. Using a digital citizenship framework and "National Longitudinal Transition Study of 2012" data, we explored technology access and use between youth with and without intellectual…

Calls to support inclusive educational experiences for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have been longstanding. General education STEM classes may provide a rich context for promoting the inclusion of these students within a relevant curricular area. To assess inclusive class participation, we directly observed 15…

Parent involvement in the development of an individualized education program (IEP) is a foundational tenet of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Unfortunately, mothers, the parent most likely to attend the IEP meeting, often report negative perceptions and even feelings of disillusion with the IEP process. Including mothers as…

Technology use is a key form of social inclusion and a means to engage in community participation. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) experience a digital divide with less technology access as compared to their peers. We used data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study of 2012 to study technology use and access…

Family-school partnerships between family members and school personnel can be successful as well as unproductive for parents who have children and youth with developmental disabilities (DD). This qualitative study sought to capture parents' identities as they negotiated family-school partnerships when making inclusive education decisions and…

Recent literature has shown the positive impact of supporting writing instruction with technology for students who struggle with writing, including those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Based on a yearlong study involving general and special education teachers serving students in inclusive classrooms, we identified specific…

Communication skills are critical for young children with developmental disabilities or delays (DD) to increase their inclusion in school and community settings. Thus, many early intervention (EI) services focus on improving children's communication skills. The involvement of the caregivers, the natural change agents, in EI sessions could…

In 2015, the AAIDD National Goals panel recommended the inclusion of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework in services designed to support the needs of learners with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). As a framework that can be implemented district/schoolwide, little is known about the implementation process and…