Project IMPACT grant supports WOU SPED students

by | Jul 30, 2019 | Uncategorized

Western Oregon University has partnered with Oregon State University on a grant funded project to better prepare students studying education. The project teaches students how to provide high-quality services to children with disabilities, including children with high-intensity needs. The collaboration, called Project IMPACT, offers a motor skills fitness program for children with special needs.

 

IMPACT participant and student scholars at play.

Individualized

Movement and 

Physical 

Activity for 

Children 

Today

 

Funded by the US Department of Education, the grant project “Interdisciplinary Preparation in Adapted Physical Education and Special Education” was awarded to OSU and included a $500,000 sub-award to WOU. The project builds upon a long existing, 35-year collaboration between the two universities that provides training programs to student scholars studying education. This specific project provides student scholars interdisciplinary training to teach physical education and special education to children with disabilities in public schools.

The five-year grant provides WOU $100,000 per year. The funds support summer salary for two WOU faculty members, with the majority of the funding (65%) supporting WOU students. Each WOU student gets $6,500 to use how they prefer. Whether for living expenses, tuition, or books, grants can help students succeed in college. And not just with funding college. These experiences can set students up as they start their professional careers.

WOU student scholars with Project IMPACT participant.

Dr. Maria Peterson-Ahmad is the lead for the WOU portion of the project. Dr. Peterson-Ahmad is the Special Education (SPED) program coordinator. Her research areas are in teacher preparation and technology in education with a particular focus on high incidence disabilities. WOU offers a Master of Science in Special Education in its Division of Education and Leadership. To learn more about the degree program, click here, and here to learn more about the faculty.

WOU Education and Leadership Professor Dr. Katrina Hovey is also funded by the grant. Dr. Hovey’s research areas are also in teacher preparation, for both pre- and in-service teachers. She has a specific interest in mild to moderate disabilities.

When asked what she hopes the results of this project will be, Maria Peterson-Ahmad said,

“One of our biggest hopes for this project is to increase collaboration not only between university faculty at WOU and OSU, but between our students.  In school settings, educators and related service providers have to work with each other to differentiate and individualized educational experiences based on specific student need. This grant partnership is a fantastic opportunity for the WOU special education teacher candidates and the OSU adaptive physical education students to learn from each other and collaborate to create the best experience for the participants involved in the IMPACT program.”

 

The goal of Project IMPACT, is to prepare quality personnel at the master’s degree level. Judging by the many smiles on the faces of the participants, it’s looking like it is off to a great start.

Project IMPACT participant enjoying the activities in the pool.

To see more images of the student scholars and the participants involved in Project IMPACT, check out the flickr site.

The OSU project leads are Megan MacDonald and Heidi Wegis.