Utah Disability Today

National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management Comes Home to IDRPP

The National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM) joined the Institute for Disability Research, Policy and Practice at Utah State University in November. It’s another step on NCHAM’s journey to help identify hearing loss in infants and young children nationwide.

It’s also a homecoming of sorts; NCHAM founder Karl White, Ph.D, began his work at Utah State University in 1978 as a researcher and Division Director at IDRPP (then called the Exceptional Child Center). Read more about NCHAM and its history on our blog.

Healthy Relationships and Consent

If there is a disability-related topic that needs discussion, it’s healthy relationships. And if there’s a topic that is hard to discuss, it’s healthy relationships for adults with disabilities. “Without understanding consent, boundaries, and the power to say no, it is harder to prevent abuse,” said Alex Schiwal, Ph.D and IDRPP researcher. 

To better understand that need, Schiwal conducted a 2024 survey in partnership with the Utah Parent Center and the Utah Developmental Disabilities Council. You can find out more about the results on our website.

IDRPP Throwback Thursdays

In November, we walked through some pivotal events in IDRPP's history. We revisited the Agent Orange Family Assistance Program for Veteran's Day, remembered special education's beginnings in Utah, and welcomed the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management back to its roots (see our lead story). Do you have a moment in Utah's disability history you'd like us to remember? Send it to JoLynne!

Using Severity Ratings to Prioritize Web Accessibility Remediation

So, you’ve found your website’s accessibility issues using wave or other testing tools, and by completing manual testing using a keyboard, a screen reader, and zooming the browser window. Now what? When it comes to prioritizing web accessibility fixes, ranking the severity of each issue is an effective way to prioritize and make impactful improvements. ... In this article, we’ll go over these severity ratings for accessibility and the types of issues that typically fall under these categories.

Read the full article on the WebAIM website.

These 10-minute guided meditations are offered freely and those interested can sign up here. The dates and times can be found through the sign up link.

From all of us at IDRPP: Enjoy the holidays!

News From Around IDRPP

Hats off to all those who represented us at the Association of University Centers on Disability Conference in Washington, D.C. last month. Thanks for sharing our work with the world!

And congratulations to our National Resource Center for Paraeducators, Resource Providers and Interveners! The NRCP held its fourth webinar for the 2024-25 Saturday Mornings series, “Strategies for Paraeducators working in Secondary Settings.” Over 650 participants are registered for the recording or live attendance from 18 states.