OSU Center for Developmental Disabilities Annual Report 2024

FY 24

ANNUAL REPORT

A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTORS Fiscal Year 24 (FY24) was a year marked by tremendous growth for the Oklahoma State University Center for Developmental Disabilities (OSUCDD)! As you will read in the following pages, the work of OSUCDD continues to further the mission of our land grant university and contribute to a campus community that values and respects individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities as full members of the Cowboy family.

The dreams of many past and future Cowboys were realized on May 11, 2024 when the first cohort of Opportunity Orange Scholars students walked across the stage to receive their certificates at OSU’s Spring 2024 commencement ceremony. As we celebrate the graduation of the inaugural cohort of OOS students we are excited to see our vision for a more accessible, inclusive, and diverse OSU continue to take shape.

We are grateful for our growing team of dedicated and passionate students, staff, and faculty who ensure the success of ongoing and new research projects, academic programs, and community engagement. Our collaboration with colleagues across the OSU campus and the support of numerous local, state, and national partners provides a strong and stable foundation and enables us to continually advance our work alongside individuals, families, and communities.

Preparing the OSUCDD annual report always provides us the opportunity to pause and reflect on our work – where we’ve been and where we are headed. We hope as you review the report you will be encouraged by your contribution to our work and inspired to join us in continuing to pursue our OSUCDD vision – to live in a world that supports everyone to pursue and experience their best life.

Sincerely,

Jennifer L. Jones, Ph.D., FAAIDD Director

Kami L. Gallus, Ph.D., LMFT Associate Director

MISSION, VISION, & VALUES MISSION The Center for Developmental Disabilities (OSUCDD) elevates the land grant mission by learning from and working alongside individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families and supporters to enhance the quality of life for all.

VISION Live in a world that supports everyone to pursue and experience their best life.

VALUES OSUCDD upholds the following values: Centering the voice of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities is a RESPONSIBILITY embedded in our work to empower persons with disabilities and assure accessible and inclusive processes and outcomes.

Modeling acceptance, dignity, and respect through our work leads to BELONGING AND COMMUNITY. Creating equitable opportunities and support for individuals to experience their best life is a passion and purpose that drives our DETERMINATION. Working alongside individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities creates opportunities for lifelong GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT for all.

Achieving EXCELLENCE can only be accomplished through our teamwork and collaboration.

OBJECTIVES Provide education and training to students, professionals, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and family members.

Promote social and community inclusion by increasing opportunities for mutually beneficial relationships between individuals with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Contribute to the growing body of knowledge regarding the inherent value, complexities, and diversity of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their family members.

WE ARE LAND-GRANT CREATING THE IDEAL GRADUATE In addition to providing instruction to OOS students, OSUCDD provides internship and research practicum opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to gain real world experience and knowledge under the direct supervision of OSUCDD leadership.

In alignment with OSU’s Ideal Graduate competencies, OSUCDD trained 27 student employees and 8 OOS students across FY24 in best practices for inclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

5 Graduate Teaching Assistants/Associates 3 Graduate Research Assistants/Associates 9 Undergraduate Opportunity Orange Partners 4 Undergraduate Interns 6 Undergraduate Research Assistants 8 Opportunity Orange Scholars Students

TRANSLATION & EDUCATION OSUCDD embodies the land-grant mission by educating our communities, actively engaging in public policy, and sharing our experience and knowledge from working alongside individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

In FY24, OSUCDD team members were invited to: Share the powerful impact of inclusive post-secondary education at an interim study with Oklahoma legislators Participate in the development of the National Goals on Health Equity for individuals with intellectual and developmental disability Serve on city, state, and national working groups advocating for equity in health care and improved quality of life for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities Educate practitioners and professionals on best-practices in the field

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OSU UNIFIED Established in Fall 2022, OSU Unified was the first Special Olympics Unified program at an Oklahoma college. OSU Unified provides weekly opportunities for adult Special Olympic Athletes to compete alongside Unified Partners who are OSU students, staff, and faculty in sporting events hosted by OSU Intramurals. OSU Unified is a collaboration between OSUCDD, OSU Unified Sports Club, and OSU Department of Wellness.

In FY24, OSU Unified experienced record attendance with more than 85 Athletes and Partners competing in cornhole, bowling, and bocce tournaments as well as flag football, basketball, and kickball leagues.

Our All-Star flag football team also competed in the 2023 NIRSA Flag Football National Championship playing against other Unified college teams from across the country including Purdue, Toledo, Nebraska, Georgetown and Florida.

Our OSU Unified athletes, partners, and coaches also braved the water for the 3rd annual Chilly Cowboy. We appreciate the funds we receive from Special Olympics Oklahoma and Chilly Cowboy that help support OSU Unified’s growth and success.

SELF-DETERMINATION TRAINING

BOOK CLUBS

OSUCDD provides training for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to learn the skills needed to enhance selfawareness and self-determination.

Facilitators lead participants through a series of lessons designed to develop the skills necessary to set and achieve their personal goals. In FY24, 8 adults with intellectual disability participated in group trainings either virtually or in-person on the OSU campus.

Thanks to a team of dedicated community volunteers, OSUCDD continues to organize and host Next Chapter Book Clubs for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and community members. In FY24, book clubs met online once a week to read, learn, and develop relationships with other club members.

OPPORTUNITY ORANGE SCHOLARS OPPORTUNITY ORANGE SCHOLARS Opportunity Orange Scholars (OOS) is a full-time, on-campus certificate program for students with intellectual disability. Building on the land-grant mission to make college education more accessible and inclusive, this academic program provides learning opportunities and individualized supports across four program cornerstones: 1) academic coursework, 2) interdependent living, 3) community engagement and belonging, and 4) career exploration and preparation. Graduates of the program earn an OSU certificate in Career and Community Studies.

FY24 marked many new milestones for OOS: The inaugural cohort of 3 OOS students graduated on May 11th. Graduates participated in the OSU College of Education and Human Sciences commencement ceremony. All 3 graduates have been offered a competitive job and live in their communities.

Students in the second OOS cohort successfully completed their first year of the program and all 5 students will return in the fall.

We are excited to welcome 5 new students for the incoming fall 2024 OOS cohort.

Incoming students participated in OSU New Student Orientation and attended Camp Cowboy this summer.

Over the fall 2023 and spring 2024 semesters, OOS partnered with the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce to develop mutually beneficial work-based learning opportunities for OOS students and the Stillwater business community. OOS students job shadowed at eight different businesses and completed internships at three Stillwater businesses.

RESEARCH OKLAHOMA NATIONAL CORE INDICATORS Since 2013, OSUCDD has contracted with Oklahoma Human Services Developmental Disabilities Services to collect the National Core Indicators®-Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (NCI®-IDD) data for the state. NCI®-IDD represents a national effort to measure and improve the performance of state developmental disabilities service systems. Each year, a team of OSUCDD faculty, staff, and trained undergraduate and graduate research assistants gather standard performance and outcome measures across three surveys: The In-Person Survey is an interview-based survey of adults (age 18 and over) with intellectual and developmental disabilities receiving Home and Community-Based Waiver Services. Data collected from this survey showcase the voices of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and inform needed changes in supports and services in Oklahoma and nationwide. In FY24, a team of 6 undergraduate and graduate research assistants traveled to across the state to conduct NCI In-Person Survey interviews alongside a representative, random sample of 400 Oklahomans with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The Adult Family Survey is a mailed survey for family members who have an adult family member (age 18 and over) with intellectual disability who receives Home and Community-Based Waiver Services and lives in the family’s home. This survey helps us better understand how families feel about their experience with state services and supports. In FY24, OSUCDD collected and entered Adult Family Survey data from 409 family members.

The State of the Workforce Survey is an online-survey completed by provider agencies across the state. This survey provides important information on the wages, benefits and turnover of the direct care professional workforce supporting individuals receiving HCBS services in Oklahoma. In FY24, OSUCDD collected State of the Workforce Survey data from 43 of 111 agencies across the state.

RESEARCH WEARABLES FOR WELLNESS OSUCDD is leading participant recruitment and data collection for a two-year pilot study of the feasibility and outcomes associated with implementation of wearable health technology (e.g., fitness trackers, blood pressure monitor, biosensors) among adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. In collaboration with Oklahoma Human Services - Developmental Disabilities Services, Developmental Disabilities Council of Oklahoma, Oklahoma ABLE Tech, and Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities, data from the study will be analyzed to determine the accessibility of wearable health technology data for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and to establish utilization and implementation standards for future use of wearable technology among this population.

In FY24, OSUCDD faculty and staff led the development of ethical and culturallysensitive research protocols for participant recruitment and engagement that were approved by OSU Institutional Review Board and recruited more than 133 potential participants interested in the project. OSUCDD research team members engaged and assisted 63 (with consent, 56 have followed through with goal setting) consenting participants to set a personal health goal. Personal health goals will be tracked over the next year as participants are matched with and trained on using a wearable health tech device that supports them in achieving their health goals.

FINANCIALS GRANTS, CONTRACTS, AND PARTNERSHIPS OSUCDD community engagement, inclusive postsecondary education, and research is made possible through funding from and collaboration alongside our valued community partners and donors.

FY24 Funding: $892,567 OOS

26.4%

Research

57.5% Community Engagement

16.1%

TO SUPPORT THE WORK OF OSUCDD

MEET THE TEAM

LET’S STAY CONNECTED CONTACT US

032 Nancy Randolph Davis 405-744-3991 http://osucdd.okstate.edu

http://oos.okstate.edu

http://osu-unified.okstate.edu

@okstate.oos

@osuunified

Opportunity Orange Scholars

OSU Unified

All programs and projects within the Center for Developmental Disabilities are united by a common theme - fostering families and communities where individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities experience true belonging.

Built on the core belief that disability is a natural part of human diversity and everyone benefits from inclusion and belonging, the Center for Developmental Disabilities equips students and professionals to become agents of change alongside individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.