Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) Podcast Series Communicates Disabilities Research in Plain Language
April 19, 2021
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The Promise of Discovery" is a podcast hosted by the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC)(TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) that highlights research in intellectual and developmental disabilities in plain language, making it accessible to the general public. The podcast launched in 2020, with new episodes each month.
The goals of the podcast are to host conversations about research in plain language and to highlight "real world" implications. The discussions cover why the research matters in the lives of people with disabilities and families, how the research impacts and enhances what we know already and/or raises additional questions in the field, and what implications the research might have for policy.
"We are excited to build upon the communication activities of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center and to bring our research to a broader audience," said VKC director Jeffrey Neul, M.D., Ph.D. "As researchers, we feel a responsibility to reach beyond academia, our peers, and our science journals and to make our work accessible in a way that will increase its impact. As scientists, we need to be able to explain in plain language what we are doing and why it matters. This podcast is an excellent way to raise awareness and understanding of disabilities research."
Each episode runs around 20-30 minutes and features a VKC researcher or group of researchers, who are interviewed by an individual who has a connection to the work being discussed. This might be a research assistant, student, research participant, parent, or self-advocate.
"The Promise of Discovery" episodes currently available include:
- Understanding Critical Issues in Down Syndrome
- Language Growth in Young Children with Disabilities
- Learning How Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Process Sensory Information
- Paul Yoder: A Career in Helping Children Learn to Talk
- Understanding How Brain Mechanisms Interact to Predict Academic Outcomes
- Testing an App to Help Pediatricians Recognize Autism Risk in Young Children
- Understanding How Social Information Is Processed Within the Reward Circuit
- Using Theatre to Improve Social Communication Skills in Individuals on the Autism Spectrum
- Disability Identity: A Model of Psychosocial Identity Development for Individuals with Disabilities
- Effects of Paid Work in High School on the Employment Outcomes of Youth with Disabilities
- Educating Parents of Young Adults with Autism on the Transition to Adult Services
- Examining Pubertal Timing in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Brain Mechanisms Underlying Skilled Reading in Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
The podcast is accessible through the VKC Podcast page, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or Spotify.
