DETROIT – The Michigan Developmental Disabilities Institute (MI-DDI) has launched a research initiative in honor of former Director Barbara W. LeRoy, Ph.D. This initiative will offer up to $15,000 every three years to support pilot research projects that address the following:
- Focus: Community inclusion across the lifespan (e.g., day care, school, sports, employment, living, religion, etc.).
- Population: Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
- Inclusion: The research must include people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (or their families, if minors are the focus) in its design, implementation and evaluation.
Applicants must be based in Michigan and can include university junior faculty/researchers, graduate students and community organizations. Partnerships between universities and surrounding community organizations are strongly encouraged; national and international partners are also allowed. The award is currently accepting one application per lead researcher.
“We are delighted to launch this important initiative to recognize Dr. LeRoy’s contributions to MI-DDI and the disability field,” said MI-DDI Director Sharon Milberger, Sc.D.
LeRoy led MI-DDI from 1993 to 2015 and has had a profound and prolific research career, having notably designed and launched Michigan’s Home and Community Based Services Rule Compliance Assessment. As an OECD Thomas J. Alexander Fellow, she examined the educational access and performance of 15-year-old students with special educational needs across the world. LeRoy also collected and analyzed 160 oral histories from women with intellectual disabilities in 18 countries, looking at their experiences as they aged. This work led to the publication of her book, Women with Disabilities Aging Well: A Global View.
LeRoy has been recognized with a variety of awards including St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s Distinguished Alumni Award, Wayne State University’s President’s Exceptional Service Award, Michigan Rehabilitation Association’s Tina Award, the AUCD International Service Award, and the TASH Positive Images in the Media Award for her creation of MI-DDI’s Possibilities video series.
The deadline to apply for the Barbara W. LeRoy Research Initiative is April 1. Those interested may visit the application page here.
About MI-DDI:
MI-DDI’s mission is to contribute to the development of inclusive communities and quality of life for people with disabilities and their families through a culturally sensitive statewide program of training and education, community support and services, research, and information development and sharing.