Think College awarded $2.5M Stepping Up Technology Implementation Grant (MA UCEDD/LEND)

November 19, 2018

Think College at the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston is excited to announce that it has been awarded a $2.5 million Stepping Up Technology Implementation Grant from the US Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs. The project will fund the development of Future Quest Island - Explorations: Advancing College and Career Awareness for Elementary Students with and without Disability.

Project staff from the ICI-Debra Hart, principal investigator; Meg Grigal, co-principal investigator; and Lori Cooney, project coordinator-will work with partners at FableVision Studios and Education Development Center, Inc. to develop, implement, and evaluate Future Quest Island-Explorations (FQI-E). This online curriculum will use an evidenced-based "Possible Selves" framework to support improved self-concept, social and emotional competence, and early college and career awareness for elementary students with and without disabilities.

FQI-E will be universally designed and responsive to the diverse learning needs of students with a wide arrange of disabilities. It will include key accessibility features (e.g., text-to-speech, graphic organizers, image response) embedded throughout the website to meet needs of learners. The FQI-E curriculum and digital teaching toolkit will prepare elementary students for subsequent self-discovery, and for career and college exploration activities.

For more information about this new project and other activities of Think College, contact Meg Grigal at [email protected] or visit www.thinkcollege.net