Principal Investigator: Hala Annabi, Ph.D., Associate Professor, UW Information School
Co-Principal Investigator: Jill Locke, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor, UW Speech and Hearing Sciences
Co-Investigator: Gary Stobbe, M.D., UW School of Medicine
Research Coordinator: Himanshu Arora, MSIM Student, UW Information School
Undergraduate Student: Julia Bobrovskiy, Informatics Student, UW Information School
This initiative aims to design, deploy, and assess a workforce preparation program to empower post-secondary education autistic students at the University of Washington pursuing information technology (IT) careers to secure, persist, and advance in employment in the IT workplace. The program will use an individual, strength-based approach for career planning and skill development that emphasizes community and collaboration with IT professionals. Over the course of their participation, students will engage in a series of workshops, mentoring engagements, shadowing experiences, company visits, and coaching. Our program will improve health outcomes and social and economic equity for this underserved group of talented autistic young adults. The project will produce an evidence-based curriculum model and materials transferrable to other post-secondary education settings to prepare autistic students for the IT workplace nationwide.
Active Grant:
Annabi, H. (Principal), Locke, J. (Co-Principal), Stobbe, G. (Co-Principal), “Prepare for the IT Workplace Program (PREP for IT),” Sponsored by UW Global Health Initiative, $50,000. (October 1, 2017- September 30, 2018).
Pending Grant:
Annabi, H. (Principal), Locke, J. (Co-Principal), Stobbe, G. (Co-Principal), “Prepare for the It Workplace,” Sponsored by Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, $224,957. (January 1, 2019 – December 31, 2021). 2018.