Current Studies

Attitudes on Accessibility in Vermont's Natural Outdoor Spaces

We wanted to know:

"What kind of accessibility features are most important to people when they visit Vermont's outdoor natural spaces?"

And in a survey of 23 people, we found that the most important accessibility feature was accessible trip planning materials, shortly followed by having benches along the trail, and making the trail fully accessible.

As the organizations that manage Vermont's natural outdoor spaces think about accessibility, we need to know specifically how to make them accessible. We need to know what's important to the people who visit -- or want to visit -- those spaces. But the more people tell those organizations about accessibility being Extremely Important, the more accessibility will be prioritized.

And without studies like these, organizations might guess about how to make spaces more accessible -- and they might guess wrong.

Learn more about Attitudes on Accessibility in Vermont's Natural Outdoor Spaces

 

return to top

 

 

Accessibility: It's a Work in Progress

In most organizations, accessibility is an after-thought. It's seen as an add-on, something to try to remember to do after creating a flyer, webpage, document, presentation, or video. At the same time, research shows us that building in accessibility from the beginning of any digital publication saves time and money. 

So how do we change attitudes toward accessibility? How do we make accessibility a "must-have"?

Over the course of the 2022-2023 academic year, the CDCI tried to change attitudes toward accessibility in our own organization by providing a series of seven entry-level, free, accessible online workshops for our staff. 

We began in May 2022 by collecting qualitative and quantitative data about attitudes about accessibility among our staff. As of May 2023, we are collecting data to see whether or how those attitudes have changed, and will share out our results in summer 2023.

Learn more about our accessibility program

 

return to top

 

Child Welfare Training Partnership

The Child Welfare Training Partnership works in conjunction with DCF-Family Services Division to provide training and technical assistance to two populations in Vermont. One population is DCF-Family Services Division employees. Another population is Kin, Foster, and Adoptive families in Vermont.

As a member of the CWTP evaluation team, CDCI Research Coordinator Valerie Wood works with the CWTP Workforce Team to evaluate the trainings that are offered to all DCF-FSD employees. The activities Dr. Wood does for the project:

  • Collect data from the training evaluation survey for each training
  • Summarize the qualitative and quantitative results
  • Share those results with the coordinator who presented the training.

The information is then used by the Training Coordinator to make improvements to future trainings. These training reports form one of the continuous quality improvement cycles of the Child Welfare Training Partnership. By using data to make data informed decisions, the Training Coordinators are better able to support the state's child welfare agency.

Kinship Navigation Project

The Kinship Navigation Project is a collaborative effort between Vermont Kin as Parents, DCF-Family Services Division, and CDCI.

Together, along with teams in Maine, South Dakota, and Wyoming, we have created a model for providing supports and services to families caring for a relative's child. These families are also known as kinship care families. Research has found that children placed with kinship families benefit from the opportunity to remain connected to their extended family, friends, and community. 

Learn more about the Kinship Navigation Project

Show Me The Disability Data

Representation in data is a disability equity issue.

 

Learn more about the Show Me study

Tier 3 Wraparound

 

This Institute of Education Sciences (IES) funded project creates and studies Wraparound models at the Tier 3 support level in schools for students with serious emotional and behavioral challenges.

This project is funded from July 2020-June 2024.

Learn more about Tier 3 Wraparound

The Vermonter Poll

Each year, the UVM Center for Rural Studies sends out a statewide poll for Vermonters, called The Vermonter Poll. In 2021, the CDCI, Vermont Developmental Disabilities Council, Disability Rights Vermont, and the Disability Law Project worked together on adding questions about disability to the Vermonter Poll.

We wanted to know to what extent Vermonters agree with the following statements:

  • People with disabilities have the same quality of life as people without disabilities.
  • People with disabilities can contribute to Vermont’s labor force the same as people without disabilities.
  • Students with disabilities benefit from being in the same classrooms as students without disabilities.
  • Students without disabilities benefit from being in the same classrooms as students with disabilities.

Learn more about The Vermonter Poll

 

return to top