FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (September 2007)
Contact: Kelsey Johnson, Communications Specialist, 979-862-4990 or kelsey_johnson@tamu.edu
Dr. Zhang Awarded Grant for Brazos Valley Employment Project
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS – Dr. Dalun Zhang, research and evaluation coordinator for the Center on Disability and Development at Texas A&M and associate professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, along with Leena Landmark and Cheryl Grenwelge, two special education doctoral students, were awarded a three-year, $375,000 model demonstration grant from the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities to improve the employability of secondary students with developmental disabilities in the Brazos Valley.
"The goal of Brazos Valley Employment Project is to provide these students with work-based learning, and employment experiences and support that will promote self-determination, job satisfaction and job retention," said Zhang, principal investigator. "With the TCDD funding, we will be able to provide technical assistance and training to facilitate secondary schools in developing relationships with community employers."
Working with Landmark and Grenwelge, co-principal investigators, Zhang will match students and jobs in order to provide meaningful job experiences that are consistent with the student's qualifications and interests.
Through a competitive application process, six secondary schools will become model demonstration sites over the project's three years. The demonstration sites will serve as models to other school districts for engaging in similar valued practices. As a part of this grant, the investigators will sponsor an annual Disability in the Workplace meeting, in which they will provide information to community employers regarding the benefits of hiring individuals with disabilities.
For more information, contact Dr. Dalun Zhang, research and evaluation coordinator for the Center on Disability and Development, at 979-862-6514 or dalun@tamu.edu.
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