Past Research

Inclusive Educational Engagement

Crystal Sieger, Ph. D., Associate Professor and Coordinator of Music Education, University of Wyoming; Lauren Hulit, Music Teacher, Rawlins Elementary K-1 Campus, Carbon County School District No. 1: Dr. Sieger and Ms. Hulit worked together with Rawlins/Carbon County community members to present a series of classes designed to provide a more inclusive music education to students with disabilities. These interactive classes were focused on multi-sensory learning and utilized adaptive music technologies to increase engagement.

Project Overview (PPT)

Wyoming Disability Oral History Project: Archiving De/Institutionalization

Dr. Erin Bush, Associate Professor, University of Wyoming Division of Communication Disorders; Dr. Sandy Leotti, Assistant Professor, UW Division of Social Work; Dr. Michelle Jarman, Associate Professor, UW Disability: Our research project investigated the long history of Wyoming Life Resource Center, from the early decades as a state training school, through deinstitutionalization, to its current incarnation as a healthcare facility for people with significant disabilities and complex support needs. Through documenting the history of the institution as well as its current transformation we aim to bring the history of deinstitutionalization to light through archival research and contemporary oral histories.

Dr. Michelle L. Blakely, Assistant Professor of Social & Administrative Pharmacy, University of Wyoming School of Pharmacy; Deb Anderson, CPHIMS, HIT/QI Consultant, Mountain-Pacific Quality Health: This project utilized qualitative research methods to assess patients with disabilities perspectives of healthcare services in Wyoming. Potential outcomes included patient perspectives regarding what works, what doesn’t work, as well as the identification of areas where improvements can be made. Barriers and facilitators to healthcare interactions between patients with disabilities and healthcare providers were also be explored.

Grow Our Own 307

Darrah Perez-Good Voice Elk, Co-Founder/Executive Director of Wind River Grow Our Own 307; Deneica Barrett, Co-founder of Wind River Grow Our Own 307; Christine Porter, Collaborative Researcher from the University of Wyoming; Melvin Arthur, Collaborative Research Assistant from the University of Wyoming; Dana Hinkle, Grow Our Own Master Gardener; Reno Quiver, Americorps Vista; Conrad Tillman, Americorps Vista: Grow Our Own started on the Wind River Reservation because of Coronavirus. "We were seeing grocery store shelves go bare," Co-Founder Darrah Perez-Good Voice Elk said. "We had to do something," the other Co-Founder Deneica Barrett said. With the grant money the crew provided the Wind River Reservation community with 75 Earth Boxes to give an introduction to gardening. Majority of Wind River's community are first time gardeners.

Wyoming Voices Project

Alyssa Wechsler Duba, Powder River Basin Resource Council, Executive Director; Michele Irwin, Powder River Basin Resource Council, Southwest Wyoming Organizer, Project Coordinator; Dr. Rachael Budowle, University of Wyoming Assistant Professor, Community Resilience and Sustainability:  Wyoming Voices was a collaboration between the non-profit organization Powder River Basin Resource Council and University of Wyoming researchers. The project aims to examine digital storytelling to identify and design community-based participatory research (CBPR) interventions for community wellbeing and health. Wyoming communities are experiencing interrelated wellbeing challenges, including the energy transition, COVID-19 pandemic, and economic crisis. Through digital storytelling, we hope to identify patient- or person-centered outcomes and approaches, specifically those related to the health and wellbeing implications of community-wide job loss, economic and energy transition, or other resilience challenges.

Learn more about the project

View the stories

The Edible Prairie Project is a nonprofit, community-based organization created to support small and mid-scale agricultural and food processing operations within the local community. The Edible Prairie Project supports independent, family-scale agriculture through education, food production, and distribution, improving the affordability of and access to high quality and nutritionally appropriate food for all members of the community. Their project aims to increase food security and fruit and vegetable consumption through the Edible Prairie Veggie Basket program, connecting local farmers and ranchers to SNAP and WIC users. Photo courtesy Elizabeth Dillow Photography.

Read about their results.

Dr. Michelle Blakely is an assistant professor of social and administrative pharmacy in the College of Health Sciences and the principal investigator for a research project to identify barriers and increase the use of assistive technology in healthcare interactions between deaf/hard of hearing patients and Wyoming pharmacists. The research project aims to improve healthcare communication by identifying barriers and facilitating access to assistive technology communication, with a goal of improving medication adherence, health-related outcomes, and patient quality of life.

Read more about Dr. Blakely's research in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association