Past Research Projects

Identifying Mediating and Moderating Mechanisms to Address Outcomes Associated with Poverty among Adolescents with Disabilities
Co-Principal Investigators:
John Seeley, Ph.D., Christopher Murray, Ph.D.
Project Period:
July 2012 to June 2014
Funding Agency:
Institute of Educational Sciences, U.S. Department of Education

This secondary analysis of the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 was designed to explore (a) the effects of poverty and disability on long-term outcomes, and (b) factors and processes that either moderated or mediated these effects.

Research and Instruction in Special Education (RISE)
Project Period:
October 2011 to October 2016
Funding Agency:
Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. Leadership Training
Project Preparation in Secondary Special Education and Transition (Prep-SSET)
Co-Principal Investigators:
Cynthia M. Herr, Ph.D., Christopher Murray, Ph.D.
Project Period:
September 2010 to September 2014
Funding Agency:
Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. Personnel Preparation

This OSEP funded personnel preparation projected provided support to master’s students pursuing licensure in special education. All students participating in the project had specialized training focused on the relationship between poverty and disability with a specific focus on the needs of adolescents with disabilities.

Accelerated Career Counseling and Employment Support Services (ACCESS)
Project Period:
October 2007 to October 2013
Funding Agency:
Funded by U.S. Department of Education (OSERS) Model Demonstration Project

This project implemented and evaluated an inter-agency model to support adolescents with disabilities during their transition between high school and adulthood. Specific features of the model included the integration of Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors into 5 Oregon high schools to improve the coordination between the transition needs of youth with disabilities, the role of schools in that process, and the role of VR.

Expanding Cultural Awareness of Exceptional Learners: A Culture Change Model of Faculty Development (Project ExCEL-UO)
Project Period:
September 2008 to September 2012
Funding Agency:
Office of Postsecondary Education

This projected implemented an innovative training model for university faculty pertaining to the needs of college students with disabilities. Over the four-year funding period, 120 university faculty representing all departments within the UO participated in a one-week summer training experience where they developed a better understanding about disability, the needs of college students with disabilities, and strategies to support college students with disabilities.

GoSTEM! Technology-Rich Service Learning
Principal Investigator:
Chris Knowles, PhD.
Project Period:
Funding Agency:

In July of 2019, students from South Eugene Robotics Team (SERT) participated in a camp to teach middle schoolers how to create modified ride-on cars (ROCs) for young children with limited mobility. The modification of the cars is part of the Go Baby Go program, a national, community-based research, design, and outreach program that provides modified ROCs to families free of charge. Dr. Cole Galloway from the University of Delaware created the Go Baby Go program in 2012. The Center on Human Development is currently researching the impact modifying the ROCs has on youth’s interest in STEM and robotics and whether modifying the ROCs encourages the youth to feel a sense of service to help their community. Dr. Chris Knowles and Jeff Gau are leading the GoSTEM! Project. Other collaborators include Dr. Sam Logan (Oregon State University) and Dr. Bethany Sloane (Oregon Health and Sciences University). The University of Oregon Holden Center provided the funding for the five jeeps and other materials needed to modify the ROCs.