ARDRAW Small Grant Program Current Projects – Cohort VI

Cohort	Name	College/University	Degree	Program	Project Title
2022-23	Allaire, Ted	Eastern Michigan University	PhD	Clinical Psychology	Longitudinal Trajectories of Employment after Burn Injury
2022-23	Curd, Jessica	Indiana University	PhD	Social Work	Employment, SSA benefits, and childcare options for disabled caregivers of autistic children in rural areas during the Covid-19 pandemic: A mixed method study
2022-23	Daniels, Elad	Brandeis University	PhD	Social Policy	Psychopharmacological Treatment and Long-Term Care among People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
2022-23	Dvir-Djerassi, Asher	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	PhD	Sociology and Public Policy	The Role of Additional Economic Resources on Employment Among the Disabled: The Effect of Financial Assets on Employment among SSDI Beneficiaries via the Construction of Population Level Panel Data on Wealth and Income
2022-23	Giannopoulos, Christina	University of New Hampshire	PhD	Occupational Therapy	Development and preliminary validation of an ecologically valid and performance-based assessment of work task performance skills
2022-23	Gilbert, Lauren	Rutgers University	PhD	Industrial Relations & Human Resources	Vocational Rehabilitation Funding and Employment Outcomes for PWDs and SSA Beneficiaries
2022-23	Goodman, Natalie	University of Florida	PhD	English	Autism Rhetoric and its Material Effects, 1990-Present
2022-23	Gu, Angela	University of California, San Diego	PhD	Economics	Employment, SSA benefits, and childcare options for disabled caregivers of autistic children in rural areas during the Covid-19 pandemic: A mixed method study
2022-23	Judson, Adrienne	Georgetown University	PhD	Economics	Disability Insurance Take-up in Dual-income Households
2022-23	LeFevre-Levy, Rose	The University of Georgia	PhD	Industrial & Organizational Psychology	Understanding Behavioral Reactions to Neuroatypical Employees in the Workplace through the Stereotype Content Model
2022-23	Lorenzini, Sloan	Florida International University	PhD	Social Welfare	Improving Utilization of the Plan to Achieve Self Support (PASS) of Emerging Adults with Neurodevelopmental Disorders
2022-23	Moura, Ian	Brandeis University	PhD	Social Policy	Identifying Autistic Perspectives on Support for Employment Success: Analyzing Data From the Autism & Employment Experiences Survey
2022-23	Parsons, Cristina	Colorado State University	PhD	Occupational & Rehabilitation Science	Navigating SSA Employment Supports: The Experiences of Young Adults with Intellectual Disabilities Who Want to Work
2022-23	Pinks, Miranda	Colorado State University	PhD	Human Development & Family Studies	Training Services and Individual Characteristics that Predict Successful Employment Outcomes for Adults with Intellectual Disability
2022-23	Ruppel, Emily	University of California, Berkeley	PhD	Sociology	Geographic Predictors of Section 14C Certificate Use
2022-23	Taylor, Tiffany	University of California at Berkeley and San Francisco	PhD	Medical Anthropology	Additional Support Necessary to Overcome Systemic and Programmatic Barriers to Return to Work and Rehabilitation in California
2022-23	Vasquez, Michelle	University of the Incarnate Word	PhD	Adult Education, Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship	Parents of Children with Autism Sharing Stories for Program Equity

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ARDRAW Small Grant Program Funded Projects – Cohorts I-V

Cohort	Name	College/University	Degree	Program	Project Title
2022	Allaire, Ted	Eastern Michigan University	PhD	Clinical Psychology	Longitudinal Trajectories of Employment Among Adults with Moderate-to-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
2022	Bleach, Kelly	Antioch University	PhD	Leadership and Change	How Text-based Communications Affect the Experiences of People who are Blind or Visually Impaired in the Context of Telework
2022	Borus, Matthew	University of Chicago	PhD	Sociology and Social Work	Navigating Policy from Below: Managing on SSI and SSDI in Greater Chicago
2022	Davidson, Amber	Temple University	PhD	Social and Behavioral Science	Covid-19 and Mobility Impacts on Employment of Adult Social Security Beneficiaries with Autism Spectrum Disorder
2022	Downey, Angelica	Florida Atlantic University	PhD	Special Education	Effects of Remote Audio Coaching During Workplace Conversations for College Students with Intellectual Disability
2022	Dvir-Djerassi, Asher	University of Michigan	PhD	Sociology and Public Policy	Wealth Among SSI and SSDI Recipients
2022	Glendening, Zach	Vanderbilt University	PhD	Community Research & Action	Stigmatizing Built Environments and Mobility-Disabled People’s Labor Integration
2022	Hurley, Katherine	George Washington University	PhD	Counseling	Exploring Employment and Quality of Life Metrics for Adults who Qualify for Social Security Benefits and have Autism and/or are LGBQ+
2022	Parsons, Cristina	Colorado State University	PhD	Occupation and Rehabilitation Science	The Impact of COVID-19 on Vocational Rehabilitation Services of Social Security Beneficiaries. An Analysis of RSA-911 Data
2022	Presnell, Jade	Indiana University	PhD	Social Work	From Exclusion to Inclusion and Gainful Employment – Understanding the Perspectives of Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) as they Support People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
2022	Ruppel, Emily	University of California, Berkeley	PhD	Sociology	Strengths and Limitations of Emergent Employment Models for People with Mental Illnesses: The Changing Role of Section 14(c)
2022	Schram, Bridgette	Georgia State University	Doctorate	Public Health	Examining Pathways of Economic Stability among VR applicants with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Mediation Analysis of Education, Employment, and Social Security Benefits
2022	Tang Yan, Catalina	Boston University	PhD	Social Work	Exploring Structural Barriers and Promoting Factors of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families in the Transition Planning through Community-Based Participatory Research
2022	Vasquez, Michelle	University of the Incarnate Word	PhD	Adult Education, Social Innovation, and Entrepreneurship	Discovering Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Benefits, Social Services and Support for Children with Autism: Phase II Planning and Taking Action
2021	Allaire, Ted	Eastern Michigan University	PhD	Clinical Psychology	Longitudinal Analysis of the Associations between Depression and Employment after Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury
2021	Baker, Abigail	University of New Hampshire	MS	Occupational Therapy	Hallowing vs. Hollowing of Job Skills: The Intersection of Technology, Disability, and Work
2021	Char, Chandra	Oregon State University	PhD	Public Health- Health Promotion & Health Behavior	Learning to Listen: Perceived Health Care Discrimination for deaf and hard of hearing, English using Adults prior to and during the time of COVID-19.
2021	Donahue, Meghan	University at Buffalo	PhD	Philosophy, Industrial and Systems Engineering - Human Factors	Vocational Rehabilitation Program Outcome for SSA Benefit Recipients
2021	Hurley, Katherine	George Washington University	PhD	Counseling	Workplace and Job Search Disclosure Strategies for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Analysis of Applicant and Employee Experiences
2021	Ortiz, Kasim	University of New Mexico	PhD	Sociology & Criminology	Disability, Sexual Orientation & Substance Use
2021	Parsons, Cristina	Colorado State University	PhD	Occupation and Rehabilitation Science	Employment Support Services as a Function of Transition-Age Social Security Beneficiaries with Intellectual Disability
2021	Sadler, Tonie	The University of Chicago	PhD	Social Service Administration	Waiting after the Cliff: Access to vocational, residential, and day services and programs following high school for students with disabilities
2021	Schram, Bridgette	Georgia State University	PhD	Public Health	An Exploratory Analysis of Funding, Cost, and Outcome Data for Inclusive Post-Secondary Education Programs
2021	Schwartz, Ariel	Boston University	Postdoc	Rehabilitation Sciences	Disclosure and workplace accommodations for young adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities and co-occurring mental health conditions
2021	Vasquez, Michelle	University of the Incarnate Word	MA	Administration and Communications	Discovering SSI Benefits, Social Services and Support for Children with Disabilities: An Action Research Approach,
2021	Schram, Bridgette	Georgia State University	PhD	Public Health	An Exploratory Analysis of Funding, Cost, and Outcome Data for Inclusive Post-Secondary Education Programs
2021	Agarwal, Rumi	Florida International University	PhD	Public Health	Financial Planning and Utilization among Parents of Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: An Exploratory Study
2021	Deming, Sarah	Washington State University	PhD	Sociology	“My Hands are Really Tied in so Many Ways”: How Children Both Constrain and Motivate the Labor Force Participation of Mothers with Disabilities
2021	Dvir-Djerassi, Asher	The University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	PhD	Sociology and Public Policy	Can an unconditional cash transfer decrease poverty without decreasing labor supply for SSI and SSDI recipients? Evidence from the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend, 1988-2019
2021	Stevens, James Dalton	Syracuse University	PhD	Sociology	How young adults with disabilities develop axes of independence by rebalancing self-reliance, family-reliance, and state-reliance: A qualitative analysis of life history interviews.
2021	McCauley, Erin	Cornell University	PhD	Policy Analysis and Management, Sociology	How do academic and career services affect employment and SSI/SSDI receipt in the transition to adulthood for youth with disabilities who have aged out of foster care?
2020	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)
2020	Beneteau, Erin	University of Washington	PhD	Information Sciences	Alternative Work Opportunities for Adults Who Have Degenerative Conditions and Implications for Social Security Disability Policy
2020	Carolan, Kelsi	Boston University	PhD	Social Work	Working with Parkinson’s Disease: Key Influences, Resources and Supports for Work Related Decision-Making and Outcomes
2020	Edmonds, Amy	University of Washington	PhD	Public Health	Non-Standard Employment: Health and Financial Implications for Workers Living with Permanent Partial Disability
2020	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
2020	Hyland, Megan	Cornell University	PhD	Policy Analysis and Management	Making it Work: Transitions From Physically Demanding Employment in Advanced Age
2020	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?
2020	Murray, Jessica	Graduate Center, CUNY	PhD	Developmental Psychology	Self-Determination in Transportation for People with Disabilities
2020	Sadler, Tonie	The University of Chicago	PhD	Social Service Administration	From High School to the Cliff: Disability policies experienced by transition work stakeholders in Chicago
2020	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
2020	Savin, Katie	University of California, Berkeley	PhD	Social Welfare	“It’s Not a Luxury, it’s a Need:” Exploring the Extra Costs of Vision Loss
2020	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
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

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Disability Determination Process (DDP) Small Grant Program Funded 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
2016	Davis, Amber	Howard University	PhD	Social Work	Systematic Review of the Age-18 Redetermination Process Impacting the Transition of Youth to Adulthood: Recommendations for Social Security Administration
2016	Sonik, Rajan	Brandeis University	PhD	Health Services Research	Review of Sickle Cell Disease, as Experienced by Children and Adults, for Possible Inclusion in the Social Security Administration’s List of Compassionate Allowances
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
2015	Arthur, Paul	University of Florida	PhD	Rehabilitation Science	ICF-AM/O*NET System: A Web-Based Application Linking Claimant Ability to Employment Possibility
2015	Bagnall, Adrianna	Columbia University	PhD	Sociology	Don’t Step in the Cracks: Individuals with Autism and Their Parents in the Disability Determination Process
2015	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	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.