Research Areas
Disability
Heller faculty members were pioneers in the field of disability. Gunnar Dybwad assisted in the litigation that resulted in laws requiring schools to educate all children, regardless of their disabilities. Jack Shonkoff and Marty Krauss designed and implemented studies examining the development of children with disabilities and the adaptation of their families. The Starr Center and the Lurie Institute continue this important work.
Completed and ongoing projects in the disability field include:
- The Early Intervention Collaborative Study (EICS) - EICS is a longitudinal investigation of children and families who participated in early intervention services because of a child's special needs identified before 24 months of age. The current phase of the study focuses on sample members at age 23, with an emphasis on how they have made the transition from the public school system into adult services in the areas of employment, housing, and health care (funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau)
- The Partners for Success Evaluation - Partners for Success is a federal Department of Education funded program designed to increase the capacity of elementary schools in the urban community of Worcester, Massachusetts, to support the school system's priority of ensuring that all students, including those with severe and chronic emotional and behavioral challenges, achieve high levels of success in learning. A Heller Senior Scientist is conducting the evaluation of the Partners for Success project using a mixed method approach to address process and implementation questions and assess outcomes.
- Preparation of material for the CVS All Kids Count program - Heller faculty and students wrote several reports and briefs on topics of interest to the All Kids Count program, including a study of childhood disability trends from 1995 to 2005 and a study of physical activity among children with disabilities (funded by the CVS Foundation).