Georgia Enhanced Assessment Grant

This project involves the evaluation of the feasibility and effectiveness of states’ developing and researching diverse options to statewide assessments in Hawaii, Georgia, and Kentucky. The focus of the developed options is those struggling students who do not meet the criteria for the alternate assessment but who perform poorly on statewide assessments. Each state used a distinctive option developed to meet the needs of its struggling learners and support their access to the general curriculum and statewide assessment.  

Kentucky Business Leadership Network (KYBLN)

The KYBLN is an organization that assists employers in hiring and retaining individuals with disabilities. Among its members are worldwide companies like CitiCorp, Chase Bank, Holiday Inn, and Toyota Manufacturing. This was a one-year evaluation.

Kentucky State Personnel Development Grant

The KY SPDG is a five year project that aims to improve professional development opportunities for Kentucky educators, including teachers, administrators, paraeducators, pre-service teachers, and support staff in areas such as instructional climate, secondary transition, and Universal Design for Learning.

Migrant Farmworkers with Disabilities Employment Partnership

Over a five-year period, this pilot project seeks to build permanent capacity in the Kentucky Office of Vocational rehabilitation and its project partners to provide services to migrant farmworkers with disabilities in the state of Kentucky. The goal of Migrant farmworkers with Disabilities Employment Project (MDEP) is to develop and implement an innovative continuum-of-service system for the identification, assessment and job placement of migrant and seasonal farmworkers with disabilities and their family members using the existing services and networks of the KY Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, the University of Kentucky’s North Central Area Health Education Center, AgrAbility, Kentucky Business Leadership Network, and Toyota Manufacturing of Kentucky. The HDI Evaluation Unit is providing technical assistance to aid in process evaluation, documenting lessons learned, and providing overall evaluation regarding the effectiveness and implementation of this pilot project.

Mid-South Regional Resource Center (MSRRC)

MSRRC is one of the six Regional Resource Centers (RRCs) funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education programs. MSRRC provides technical assistance to state early intervention lead agencies, departments of education and other related state agencies in Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

New Hampshire Enhanced Assessment Grant

This project addressed the challenges of providing documentation of the technical adequacy of the state’s alternate assessment and enhancing the knowledge of what the results of good teaching and learning look like for students with significant disabilities.

Northern Kentucky Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC)

The ADRC was a pilot project aimed to improve the awareness of and access to needed services for the aging and people with disabilities populations. This was a three year evaluation project.

Pre-Service Training for Medical Practitioners on Persons with Developmental Disabilities

The HDI Evaluation Team is evaluating the quality and impact of pre-service training delivered to medical students, nurses, nurse practitioners, and doctors regarding procedures for working with persons with developmental disabilities and the unique ihealth issues often exhibited by members of this population. Cultural sensitivity is also a part of the training and thus, the evaluation.

Project Dream, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Louisville, KY

Project Dream is affiliated with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization in Louisville, Kentucky. The program matches children in the community with developmental disabilities to volunteer mentors from the community. The program holds several types of events and activities at local schools which the Little Brothers/Little Sisters and their mentors attend. These mentor relationships strive to foster meaningful relationships, positive development, and the acquisition of new knowledge and skills for both the Little Brothers/Little Sisters and the mentors. The goals of the program align with HDI’s mission statement of increased independence, productivity, and inclusion of individuals with disabilities.

Support Providing Employees Association of Kentucky (SPEAK)

The SPEAK project focused on improving the retention of Direct Support Providers through the provision of various resources, supports, and incentives. This was a two year evaluation project.

The Knight Foundation: Evaluating the Great Schools Initiative

The Great Schools Initiative is a collaborative effort between a major university, school district, a low performing, high minority school, and the community within which the school is located. The goal was to improve the psycho-social and educational outcomes of the students within this school. The Knight Foundation providing funding to evaluate the effectiveness of this collaboration over a three year period.

The Tennessee State Improvement Grant

This project focused on supporting children with special needs and their families in the development of requisite language, communication, pre-literacy and literacy skills to achieve academic achievement and successful transitions.

The West Virginia State Improvement Grant

This was a state-wide initiative aimed at improving educational outcomes for students, particularly students with disabilities, through the provision of professional development for teachers and school staff. This was a three year, federally funded project.

United Way of the Bluegrass, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

This is a locally administered project through a partnership between the United Way of the Bluegrass and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The partnership provides children one age appropriate book every month through the mail from birth to their fifth birthday at no cost to the child’s family. The project currently serves over 3,300 children across nine counties in Kentucky and continues to grow. HDI is currently evaluating the impact of this program on reading motivation and engagement, shared reading experiences between children and caretakers as well as the acquisition of early literacy skills.