Digital Commons Network^™

Early Childhood Access To Language Acquisition Services In Arizona, Kendra Benedict, Wendy Steuerwald, Najwa Ghattas, Cheryl Johnson

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

This investigation reviewed existing services and gaps for young children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) in Arizona and explored community-based approaches to improve access to language development resources. The study was conducted in two phases, each focusing on different approaches for language acquisition based on surveys of parents and providers. Phase I, completed in 2024, addressed listening and spoken language (LSL) as a methodology for language acquisition while Phase II, completed in 2025, focused on the use of American Sign Language (ASL). Findings from Phase I surveys found that 63% of parents reported using LSL as the …

Journal Of Early Hearing Detection And Intervention: Volume 11 Issue 1, Pages 1-80

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

No abstract provided.

Implementing Functional Communication Training Through Paraprofessional Preparation In A Self-Contained Elementary Special Education Classroom, Cece Afatasi

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Students with significant cognitive disabilities often experience difficulty communicating their wants, needs, and emotions. When students are unable to communicate effectively, they may rely on challenging behaviors such as aggression or self-injurious behavior to meet their needs. Because paraprofessionals provide much of the daily instructional and behavioral support in self-contained special education classrooms, they play a critical role in implementing evidence-based communication interventions.

The purpose of this professional portfolio was to explore the implementation of Functional Communication Training (FCT) through two related projects. The first focused on preparing paraprofessionals to implement FCT using Behavioral Skills Training (BST), while the second …

Building Capacity And Inspiring Change: The Impact Of Louisiana’S Ucedd Across The Lifespan, Alicia Kowitz, Constance Alphonse, Phil Wilson, Maria Blanco

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

The Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Human Development Center (HDC), as the state’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), serves as a catalyst for inclusive systems change through interdisciplinary training, community engagement, and evidence-based service delivery. This manuscript highlights the breadth and impact of HDC’s initiatives across early childhood, education, transition, and community inclusion. Through programs such as Inclusive Practices in Early Childhood, PAYCheck, and LEND, HDC builds capacity among professionals, empowers individuals with disabilities and their families, and strengthens systems to be more responsive and equitable. The stories and outcomes shared illustrate how intentional, collaborative efforts …

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda April 2, 2026, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - March 5, 2026
• R401 - Program Proposals 
• Semester Course Approval Reviews
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 3:00 pm

Educational Policies Committee Agenda April 2, 2026, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Approval of Minutes - March 5, 2026

Subcommittee Reports

• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee
• Center for Civic Excellence

Other Business 

Adjourn: 4:00 pm

Educational Policies Committee Agenda March 5, 2026, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - February 5, 2026
• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee
• Center for Civic Excellence
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 4:00 pm

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda March 5, 2026, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - February 5, 2026
• R401 - Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Review
• Other Business
• Draft Graduate Certificates Policy
• Adjourn: 3:00 pm

From Policy To Practice In Deaf Education: American Sign Language And Spoken English Outcomes Of Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Children In Kansas, Jena Mcdaniel, Shreyas Teegala, Rebecca Maloney, Angie Walker, Mary S. Dietrich, Matthew L. Hall, Leah C. Geer, Julie Bustos

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Purpose: In the context of the recent expectation for state Early Hearing Detection and Intervention programs to track language milestones of deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children, we examine how to leverage statewide assessment programs for improving language outcomes of DHH children. We present the degree to which DHH children in Kansas are meeting their language milestones for American Sign Language (ASL) and English and the influence of two measurement features.

Method: Performance on the ASL/English Language Milestones for 198 children who were DHH (aged 1 to 8) was analyzed for attainment of age-expected language skills and …

Deaf Parents’ Infant-Directed Touch With Their Hearing And Deaf Babies: Intuitive, Cultural, Or In Need Of Instruction?, Brenda C. Seal Ph.D.

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

No abstract provided.

Optimizing Accessibility Training By Prioritizing Cognitive Needs Of Students With Disabilities, Lio Jones, Kari Goin, Megan Mcfarland

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Despite the significant enrollment of students with disabilities in higher education, research and practice rarely center the voices and leadership of these students, particularly in accessibility training efforts. This paper addresses this gap by presenting an autoethnographic study of a digital accessibility training initiative co-led by a student with multiple disabilities. Using a process that combines participatory research and first-person narrative, this study outlines the development and implementation of faculty training on accessibility that centers the experiences of a student with cognitive disabilities. We propose a new framework for understanding "dynamic disability," a concept that recognizes the complex and evolving …

One Size Doesn’T Fit All: Towards Design And Evaluation Of Developmentally Appropriate Parental Control Tool, Prakriti Dumaru, Mahdi Nasrullah Al-Ameen

Computer Science Student Research

As children progress through developmental stages, they undergo substantial biological, cognitive, and social changes, creating unique needs for online safety across different age groups (e.g., young children, tweens, teens). The existing parental control tools fail to account for these differences, leaving a notable gap in the literature on parental mediation. To this end, we conducted 10 focus group sessions with a total of 20 parents to understand their preferences for age-appropriate design components that promote self-regulation and open communication, followed by an ideation workshop with four UX design experts to translate these preferences into customized features. We then evaluated these …

Grapholinguistics In Graphic Design, Cameron Schumann

Student Research Symposium

Writing systems function as more than linguistic tools; they serve as powerful cultural and aesthetic symbols that influence branding, fashion, and multimedia design. Through an examination of typographic symbolism, foreign scripts evoke themes of mystery, exoticism, brutalism, constructivism, and authoritarianism, shaping consumer perception and artistic narratives.

“Synchronized Parenting Is Like Mixing Oil And Water”: Reimagining Parental Control For Co-Parenting In The Divorced Households, Prakriti Dumaru, Audrey Flood, Mahdi Nasrullah Al-Ameen

Computer Science Student Research

Children from divorced households are granted access to devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets), helping them to maintain meaningful contact with both parents. However, regulating their device usage across two households presents unique co-parenting challenges, which are little studied in the existing literature on parental mediation. As we begin to address this gap, we used low-fidelity prototype designs, guided by the principles of fostering open communication and instilling self-regulation. We evaluated those designs (presented in the form of storyboards) through semi-structured interviews with 23 divorced parents, whose children are active Internet users and aged 13 years or below. Based on our analysis, …

2. Leveraging Open Pedagogy To Create An Authentic And Renewable Curriculum, Erin Mckenney, Sam Winemiller, Hillary Fox, David Tully, Will Cross

Open Educational Resources For and As Assessment

The high cost of course materials is a barrier for many students, and traditional assessments often fail to inspire engagement. To address these challenges, NC State University Libraries promotes open course materials and open-enabled practices. Since 2014, the Alt-Textbook Project has helped faculty incorporate Open Educational Resources (OER) into their syllabi, reducing textbook costs and supporting innovative educational approaches. This effort was enhanced with the Open Pedagogy Incubator, a multi- semester program bringing together librarians and interdisciplinary faculty to redesign courses around open- pedagogical practices. Dr. McKenney, an incubator participant, redesigned her advanced undergraduate course on Applied Ecology (AEC 400) …

A New Generation Of Collecting Priorities: Case Studies From The Northwest, Jodi Allison-Bunnell, Linda Long, Trevor J. Bond, Chloe Nielsen, Amy Valentine

Journal of Western Archives

The last twenty-five years have brought lively, important, and difficult discussions around heritage collections. We are called to broaden our collecting activities to be more inclusive of (among many things) all races, classes, and experiences. We have begun to move away from the troubled legacy of taking collections away from creators and toward empowering those same creators to steward their heritage. We confront a vast universe of current holdings and possible collections and have few models for assessing the opportunities. We also operate with some firm limitations on our budgets, personnel, and space that we have outdistanced with our collecting. …

"I Feel Like He's Looking In The Computer World To Be Social, But I Can't Trust His Judgement": Reimagining Parental Control For Children With Asd, Prakriti Dumaru, Bryson D. Hackler, Audrey Flood, Mahdi Nasrullah Al-Ameen

Computer Science Faculty and Staff Publications

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often seek comfort from devices (e.g., smartphones) to deal with social overstimulation. However, such reliance exposes them to inappropriate digital content and increases susceptibility to mimicry and social vulnerability. Thus, parents having children with ASD encounter unique challenges in regulating their device usage, which are little addressed in the existing literature on parental mediation. As we begin to address this gap, we designed low-fidelity prototypes centered around open communication and self-regulation, which we refined based on the feedback from six ASD experts in two focus groups. We evaluated updated designs (presented in the form …

Visualizing Rhetorical Awareness: Building Critical Digital Literacies Practices With Visual Rhetoric In First-Year College Composition, Amanda J. Plaizier

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Visual rhetoric assignments allow students a space to practice rhetorical design with a specific audience in mind. When used in concordance with traditional writing assignments, these visual multimedia projects (such as flyers and infographics) can be a useful way for college writing teachers to build rhetorical awareness, which is one of the objectives of first-year college composition courses.

This project examines the use of visual rhetoric assignments within a concurrent enrollment college writing course. Students in the course created a community-based proposal, including flyers, infographics, and a final essay. By examining these assignments for evidence of critical digital literacies (decoding, …

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda October 5, 2023, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - September 7, 2023
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 3:00 pm

Educational Policies Committee Agenda October 5, 2023, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - September, 2023
• Subcommittee Reports - Curriculum Subcommittee, Academic Standards Subcommittee, General Education Subcommittee
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 4:00 pm

Educational Policies Committee Agenda September 7, 2023, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Subcommittee Reports

• Curriculum Subcommittee (Chad Simon)

• Academic Standards Subcommittee (Renee Galliher)

• General Education Subcommittee (Matt Sanders)

• Other Business

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda September 7, 2023, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - April 6, 2023
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews
• Other Business - New baccalaureate programs template and cross/dual listed info for the EPC handbook
• Adjourn: 3:00 pm

Towards Improving The Efficacy Of Windows Security Notifier For Apps From Unknown Publishers: The Role Of Rhetoric, Ankit Shrestha, Rizu Paudel, Prakriti Dumaru, Mahdi Nasrullah Al-Ameen

Computer Science Student Research

With over 1.4 billion users of Windows 10, it is the most widely used operating system in the world. In Windows, applications from unknown publishers are popular due to mass availability and ease of access. Installing such applications can lead to malware infection, including viruses and ransomware. Therefore, we explored the design of interventions to prevent the users from installing applications from unknown publishers. To this end, we conducted a lab study with nine participants to understand the perceptions and behavior of users toward the designed interventions. Then, we conducted an online study with 256 participants to evaluate the impact …

The Signed Linguistic Input Of Hearing Mothers To Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Aleah S. Brock

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

This study investigated the distribution of ten facilitative language techniques (FLTs) in the linguistic input of hearing, signing mothers to their children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). Four hearing mothers and their DHH children under the age of three participated in six, ten-minute caregiver-child interaction sessions via Zoom. The recorded sessions were coded for mother FLTs and child utterances. Results indicated that the mothers tended to use more initiative than responsive types of FLTs, consistent with findings of previous studies that examined the input of mothers who were using spoken-only language with their children who are DHH. …

Adverse Childhood Experiences In Mothers And Their Children With Hearing Loss, Elizabeth A. Rosenzweig

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

This study examined the relationship between maternal and child ACEs in children with hearing loss ages 3-12. One hundred twenty-four mother-child dyads completed assessments of mother and child ACEs. Adverse cChildhood eExperiences (ACEs) were measured using the Center for Youth Wellness Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (CYW ACE-Q; Burke Harris & Renschler, 2015).

Both maternal and child participants in this study reported higher levels of ACE exposure than previously reported in studies of the general population. Maternal and child ACEs were significantly correlated. White/Caucasian mothers experienced significantly fewer ACEs than mothers of other races/ethnicities. Children living in adoptive, foster, or guardianship …

Journal Of Early Hearing Detection And Intervention: Volume 8 Issue 1, Pages 1-68

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

No abstract provided.

Guiding The Future Of The Cache County Fairgrounds, Logan Hall

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The County fairgrounds have been a fixture in Cache Valley, Utah for over 100 years. They provide a valuable resource to the community. Effective planning can ensure the appropriate use of this public asset and prevent underutilization. Modern design guidelines have been developed for other fairgrounds in the Intermountain West, but not the Cache County fairgrounds. This research is focused on developing a contemporary visioning plan to guide the growth and future of the County fairgrounds, create design guidelines for future development, and maximize the fairground’s economic potential. The methodology used to develop this plan involved an extensive review of …

Trauma-Informed Design, Annie Canfield

Student Research Symposium

Cache Refugee and Immigrant Connection is a non-profit organization in Cache valley that serves refugees and immigrants from over 36 countries. The mission of CRIC is to, “promote integration, economic self-sufficiency, and positive connections among refugees, immigrants, and the wider community through two-way education, improved access to existing services, and development of new services.” To help them best serve their clients, this project is an exploration of how the 6 PRINCIPLES OF TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE can reach beyond human communication into the physical built environment.

Neon In Nevada: A Case Study In Statewide Collaboration, Amy J. Hunsaker, Cory Lampert, Teresa Auch Schultz

Journal of Western Archives

Neon signs in Nevada capture the spirit of glitzy gambling meccas, boom and bust towns, and frontier settlements that dot the vast geography of this unique state. However, many iconic and hidden signs are in constant danger of disappearing as populations shift and the elements naturally break down the physical aspects of the signs. In addition, neon signs in Reno and remote, Northern Nevada locales have remained relatively undiscovered. UNLV has had a long history of documenting the art of neon and has partnered with the Neon Museum in Las Vegas to preserve this rapidly disappearing cultural heritage. Digital Humanities …

Sea-Level Rise Practitioner Workshop Report: Leading Practices And Current Challenges, Ray Boyle, Daniella Hirschfeld, David Behar

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Faculty Publications

Seas are rising, and so is action in coastal communities to prepare. The uncertain timing of rising seas, difficulties evaluating long-term rise while facing more immediate causes of flooding such as typhoons and fluvial flooding, and simply the threat of permanent inundation of coastal zones settled for hundreds or thousands of years presents unprecedented challenges. As in all sectors impacted by anthropogenic climate change, working with others facing novel challenges to share progress and difficulties, collaborate regionally, and build competence and confidence in finding solutions can be invaluable.