Current & Completed Projects

ARDRAW Small Grant Program Current Projects

Cohort	Name	College/University	Degree	Program	Project Title
2019	Allaire, Ted	Eastern Michigan University	PhD	Clinical Psychology	Depression and Anxiety during Acute, Inpatient Rehabilitation as Possible Predictors of Eventual Return to Work, Post-Spinal-Cord-Injury (SCI)
2019	Beneteau, Erin	University of Washington	PhD	Information Sciences	Alternative Work Opportunities for Adults Who Have Degenerative Conditions and Implications for Social Security Disability Policy
2019	Carolan, Kelsi	Boston University	PhD	Social Work	Working with Parkinson’s Disease: Examining the Effects of Key Influences, Resources and Supports on Work Related Decision-Making and Outcomes
2019	Edmonds, Amy	University of Washington	PhD	Public Health	Non-Standard Employment: Health and Financial Implications for Workers Living with Permanent Partial Disability
2019	Hurley, Katherine	George Washington University	PhD	Counseling	Do Early Mentorship and Work-Exposure Predict Type of Employment and Longevity in the Workforce for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder Eligible for Social Security Benefits
2019	Hyland, Megan	Cornell University	PhD	Policy Analysis and Management	Making it Work: Transitions From Physically Demanding Employment in Advanced Age
2019	McCauley, Erin	Cornell University	PhD	Policy Analysis & Sociology	How does enrollment in a work-study program between 8th and 12th grade moderate the relationship between disability and employment?
2019	Murray, Jessica	Graduate Center, CUNY	PhD	Developmental Psychology	Self-Determination in Transportation: The Route to Social Inclusion for People with Disabilities
2019	Sadler, Tonie	The University of Chicago	PhD	Social Service Administration	From High school to Precarity in Chicago: How disability policies shape the experience of transition to early adulthood for low income young adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities
2019	Sandh, Simon	New York University	PhD	Public Health - Epidemiology	Comparisons of drug use, workplace drug policy, and utilization of drug rehabilitation services among construction workers and their non-construction work counterparts
2019	Savin, Katie	University of California, Berkeley	PhD	Social Welfare	How SSI and SSDI Beneficiaries Work and Current Labor Incentive Programs
2019	Sullivan, John	University of Texas at Austin	PhD	Social Work	Workforce Participation and Healthcare Access among Working-Age Adults in the U.S. with Chronic Kidney Disease

ARDRAW Small Grant Program Completed Projects

Cohort	Name	College/University	Degree	Program	Project Title
2019	Amorim, Mari	Cornell University	PhD	Policy Analysis & Management	The Labor Force Outcomes of Mothers with Disabilities
2019	Beneteau, Erin	University of Washington	PhD	Information School	Work Accommodations and Opportunities for Adults Who Have Developed Severe Physical and/or Communication Impairments and Use Assistive Technologies
2019	Carolan, Kelsi	Boston University	PhD	Social Work	Factors Promoting and Inhibiting Work in the Context of Neurodegenerative Disease: Preliminary Findings on the Employment Experiences of People with Parkinson’s Disease
2019	Cox, Katie	University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law	JD	Law	Understanding the Relationship and Fit between Workers’ Needs as Reflected in SSI and SSDI Beneficiary Data and Court Decisions, Settlement Data, and EEOC Data with Regard to Reasonable Accommodations Across Industries
2019	Glendening, Zach	Vanderbilt University	PhD	Community Research & Action	The Role of Housing Assistance in Promoting Work for Families with Disabilities
2019	Hurley, Katherine	George Washington University	PhD	Counseling	Agriculture and Agriculture-based Employment for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Exploring Benefits and Barriers through Community-based Participatory Research
2019	Kellogg, Max	University of Chicago	PhD	Economics	Disability Insurance in the United States and Multiple-Earner Households
2019	McCauley, Erin	Cornell University	PhD	Sociology, Program Analysis	The Effect of Medicaid Expansion on Healthcare Coverage, Labor Market Activity, and Government Assistance among Those with Disabilities
2019	Murray, Jessica	The Graduate Center, CUNY	PhD	Psychology	Understanding Transportation Challenges for People with Disabilities Returning to Work
2019	Rogers, Emily	New York University	PhD	American Studies	“Being a Patient’s a Full Time Job”: Perspectives of People with ME/CFS Towards Work Incentives
2019	Sajadi, Shahrzad	University of Massachusetts, Boston	PhD	Inclusion & Social Development	The ‘Olympic Hurdles’ of Obtaining Federal Benefits for Incarcerated Individuals with Disabilities: A Study at two Massachusetts County Jails
2019	Savin, Katie	University of California, Berkeley	PhD	Social Work	“Being on SSI is a Full-Time Job:” How SSI and SSDI Beneficiaries Work Around and Within Current Labor Incentive Programs
2019	Woodford-Martin, Michelle	Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health	PhD	Population Health Sciences	Variation in Supplemental Security Income Takeup Among Qualifying Low Birthweight Infants: Evidence from Two States
2018	Anderson, Kristy	Drexel University	PhD	Social Welfare	The impact of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefit receipt on youth engagement with early work; Findings from a national sample of transition age youth with autism.
2018	Cox, Katie	University of Utah, Quinney College of Law	JD	Law	Understanding the Relationship and Fit between Workers’ Needs as Reflected in SSI and SSDI Claims and EEOC Charge Data and Court Decisions with Regard to Reasonable Accommodations
2018	Dembo, Robert	Brandeis University	PhD	Social Policy	Unemployed People with Disabilities: Have the Barriers to Work Changed?
2018	Jamison, Ashley	Clemson University	MPA	Non-Profit Management	Access to Healthcare & Employment
2018	Jenks, Andrew	University of Delaware	PhD	Political Science and International Relations	Understanding the Possible Impact of Ticket to Work and Other Programs Among Individuals Who Are Blind and Visually Impaired: A Case Study of Delaware
2018	Lauderdale, Mitzi	Kansas State University	PhD	Personal Financial Planning	Work Transitions among SSI and SSDI Recipients Nearing Retirement: Employer Accommodations, Private Insurance, and Individuals with Mental Health Disability
2018	McCauley, Erin	Cornell University	PhD	Policy Analysis and Management	How Disability Shapes Labor Force Participation and Employment Differentially by Educational Attainment & Disability Type
2018	O'Neill, Elizabeth	University of Kansas	PhD	Social Work	Healthcare, Employment, and Disability for Individuals with Co-Occurring Severe Mental Illness and Chronic Physical Health Conditions
2018	Penick, Amy	St. Louis University	PhD	Higher Education Administration	Disability Identity Development, Disclosure, and Accommodation Seeking Spanning the Educational Pipeline: A Mixed Methods Study Using a Social Justice Lens
2018	Suedmeyer, Eric	University of Memphis	PhD	Counseling Psychology	Career Resilience Scale for Adults with Disabilities Development Study
2018	Trant, Jeffrey	University at Albany, State University of New York	PhD	Social Work	Examining the Relationship Among Opioid Misuse, Disability, and Employment

Disability Determination Process (DDP) Small Grant Program Completed Projects*

Cohort	Name	College/University	Degree	Program	Project Title
2017	Barro, Karina	Fairleigh Dickinson University	PsyD	Psychology	Disability Determination Process for Supplemental Security Income Assistance in Children and School Professionals’ Knowledge
2017	Berkowitz, Lindsay	University of California, Berkeley	PhD	Sociology	Assessment of Evaluation of Chronic Pain Phase II: Investigating Institutional Interaction between Legal, State, and Medical Institutions
2017	Butler, Maggie	University of Iowa	PhD	Rehabilitation Counseling	Social Security Income Eligibility at the Intersection of Disability, Advanced Age, Homelessness, and the Labor Market
2017	Fixler, Alex	Tulane University	MSW	Social Work	Considering Early Intervention Programming for Major Depressive Disorder: A Proposal
2017	Lowder, Evan	North Carolina State University	PhD	Psychology	Implementing the SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) Model with Justice-Involved Populations: A Survey of Practitioners
2017	Glendening, Zachary & McCauley, Erin	Vanderbilt University Cornell University	PhD PhD	Community Development and Action	Prevalence and influence of disability status and SSI/SSDI benefit receipt among families experiencing homelessness
2017	Sonik, Rajan	Brandeis University	PhD	Health Services Research	Predicting Entry into the Supplemental Security Income Program: Evidence from the Survey of Income and Program Participation
2017	Zeko-Underwood, Elda	Northeastern University	PhD	Counseling Psychology	Equivalence of SSA Documentation: Phenomenological study of Some Translated Material as Comprehended by Foreign-Born Applicants
2016	Aquino, Katherine	Seton Hall University	PhD	Higher Education Management & Policy	Higher Education and the Disability Determination Process: Accessing SSI/SSDI in Postsecondary Education
2016	Bagnall-Munson, Adrianna	Columbia University	PhD	Sociology	SSI in Transition; Benefits Application and Transition Planning for Youth in Special Education
2016	Berkowitz, Lindsay	University of California, Berkeley	PhD	Sociology	An Exploratory Study to Assess the Evaluation of Chronic Pain in the SSA Disability Determination Process
2016	Lowder, Evan	North Carolina State University	PhD	Psychology	Application-level and State level Predictors of SSI/SSDI Outcomes in a National Sample of Adults at Risk of Homelessness
2016	McCauley, Erin Samples, Leah	Vanderbilt University	PhD	Community Development & Action	Qualitative and Quantitative Study of SOAR in the CJ Setting
2016	Morris, Zachary	University of California, Berkeley	PhD	Social Welfare	How to Intervene Early with SSDI Applicants; Lessons From a New Return To Work Program in Denmark
2016	Prenovitz, Sarah	Cornell University	PhD	Economics	Effects of DI on Health and Financial Well-Being
2016	Stanley, Megan	Northwestern University	PhD	Public Policy	Fresh Perspectives: How Claimants Understand the Adult Disability and Function Reports
2016	Zeko-Underwood, Elda	Northeastern University	PhD	Counseling Psychology	Emerging Challenges on Access: Phenomenological Study of non-US Citizens experience during SSI Application Process
2015	Dezieck, Mackenzie	Assumption College	MS	Rehabilitation Counseling	Enhanced Claiment Participation for Veterans with Mental Health Disabilites in Evaluating Functional Limitations & Severity
2015	Lowder, Evan	North Carolina State University	PhD	Psychology	The Role of the SOAR Model in Successful Community Reintegration
2015	Olzenak, Dana	University of Rochester	PhD	Epidemiology	Adding Motor Assessment to the Disability Determination Process in School-Aged Children with ASD: Implications for Participation
2015	Sechrist, Sarina	University of Pittsburgh	MS	Rehabilitation Counseling	A Conceptual Harmonization between the SSA Disability Determination Process and ICF and DOT Frameworks: A Guide to Assessing the Mental Residual Functional Capacity of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders"
2015	Skenzich, Ann	University of Minnesota	PhD	Health and Rehabilitation Sciences	A Full Research Study Formally Analyzing an Objective, Functional Measurement of Pain with the use of a Validated Visual Analog Scale for Chronic Pain Patients for the Purposes of a Disability Determination Program
2014	Arthur, Paul	University of Florida	PhD	Rehabilitation Science	Empirical Approach to Linking the ICF to the Dictionary of Occupational Titles
2014	Burke, Shanna	Simmons College	PhD	Social Work	A Systematic Review of Idiopathic Basal Ganglia Calcification for Possible Inclusion in the Social Security Administration’s Compassionate Allowances Program
2014	Johnson, Anna	DePaul University	MSW	Social Work	Homelessness and SSI: Comparing SSI Applications for Individuals Accepted and Denied Disability Income
2014	Keesler, John	University at Buffalo	PhD	Social Welfare	The Application Process for Supplemental Security Income for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A National Survey of Service Coordinator and Family Experiences
2014	Morris, Zachary	University of California-Berkley	PhD	Social Welfare	Measuring Capabilities and Requiring Work: Comparing the Work Capability Assessment in Great Britain with the United States Disability Process
2014	Pulcini, Christian	Tufts University School of Medicine	MD	Medicine	Identifying and Explaining Co-morbid Conditions among Children and Adolescents Qualifying for SSI under the Mental Health Impairment Category
2014	Sechrist, Sarina	University of Pittsburgh	MS	Rehabilitation Counseling	Incorporating ICF and Employment Concepts and Terminology in Residual Mental Functional Capacity Ratings: A Proposed Modification for Autism Spectrum Disorder
2014	Skenzich, Anne	University of Minnesota	PhD	Health Policy and Research	A Proposal to Measure Chronic Pain: From subjective or non-measurement to Objective and Scientific Measurement of Chronic Pain for Purposes of Disability Evaluation
2014	Stone, Mary Ellen	Case Western Reserve University	PhD	Sociology	Making the Transition: Influence of Self-Reported Work Disability on Labor Force Careers
2014	VanDerwerken, Angela	University at Albany	PhD	Economics	Effect of New Psychotropic Pharmaceuticals on Disability Insurance Applications: Evidence from Matched SIPP/Administrative Data
2014	Vella, Lea	University of California-San Diego	PhD	Clinical Psychology	Cognitive Impairment and Disability Determination in the Sheltered Homeless
2013	Burke, Shanna	Simmons College	PhD	Social Work	A Systematic Review of Three Conditions for Possible Inclusion in the Social Security Administration’s Compassionate Allowances Program
2013	Hooyer, Katinka	Univ. of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	PhD	Medical Anthropology	The “Trauma Pitch”: How Stigma Emerges for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans in the PTSD Disability Claims Process
2013	Jung, Sharon	Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP)	PsyD	Clinical Psychology	Ecological Validity of Neuropsychological Tests: Role of Memory and Executive Skills in Predicting Functional Ability in a Clinical Population
2013	Keesler, John	University at Buffalo	MSW	Social Welfare	A Pilot Study of Service Coordinator and Family Experiences in Applying for Supplemental Security Income for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Identifying Strengths, Obstacles and Recommendations for Improvement
2013	Lanza, Allyssa	Antioch University New England	PsyD	Clinical Psychology	The WISC-IV and Children and Adolescents with Intellectual Disability: Evaluating for Hidden Floor Effects in the US Version
2013	McIntyre Reece, Katie	University of West Georgia	PhD	Sociology	Defined as a Disability: An Institutional Ethnography on Disability Determination for People with HIV/AIDS
2013	Nevill, Rose	The Ohio State University	PsyD	Psychology	Improving Knowledge Transfer to Families of People with Disabilities on the SSI Application Process
2013	Peace, Tamara	University of Pennsylvania	PhD	Reading, Writing, Literacy	Refining the QDD Process to Assist Adolescents with Mental Health Disorders in Applying for SSI in Philadelphia: A Preliminary Study
2013	Pulcini, Christian	Tufts University School of Medicine	MD	Medicine	Explaining Growth of Mental Impairments among Children and Adolescents receiving SSI
2013	Wu, Kathy	Northeastern University	PhD	Counseling Psychology	The “Lived Experiences” of a Chronically Homeless, Urban Population: Systemic Challenges to Achieving Their Vocational and Rehabilitation Dreams
2012	Bocanegra, Joseph	University at Albany	PhD	Economics	A Forecasting Model for Disability Enrollment
2012	Brown, Kate	Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences	MBS	Bioscience	Disability Determination Process: Compassionate Allowance List
2012	Chiarantona, Kathleen	Columbia University School of Social Work	MSW	Social Work Policy	Providing for Our Heroes: Understanding Social Security Disability Benefits for Wounded Warriors
2012	Jung, Sharon	Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP)	PsyD	Clinical Psychology	The Impact of the DSM-5’s Dimensional Classification System on SSDI and SSI Rolls
2012	MacGregor, Casey	University of California, Los Angeles	PhD	Social Welfare	Case Study of a Program to Help Clients of a Homeless Shelter and Supportive Housing Residence with SSI/SSDI Applications
2012	Sogar, Christina	University of California, Berkeley	PhD	Social Welfare	The TANF-SSI Transition
2012	Stone, Mary Ellen	Case Western Reserve University	PhD	Sociology	The Rising Visibility of the Work-Disabled Population: Influence of Self-Reported Work Disability in Applying for SSDI
2012	Telford, Robin	University of South Florida	PhD	Public Health	Justice-Involved Adults with Serious Mental Illness and the Disability Determination Process

*The Disability Determination Process (DDP) Small Grant Program was the predecessor program to ARDRAW. DDP operated from 2012-2017. To view the Final Report on the DDP click here.

Policy Research, Inc.

Analyzing Relationships between Disability, Rehabilitation and Work Small Grant Program

Application period closed March 1, 2019

ARDRAW Small Grant Program Current Projects

ARDRAW Small Grant Program Completed Projects

Disability Determination Process (DDP) Small Grant Program Completed Projects*