About Project IMPACT
Project IMPACT (Inclusion Made Practical for ALL Children and Teachers) was designed to support general and special education teachers to use research-based reading practices and design grade-aligned instruction to improve reading comprehension for students with moderate to severe intellectual disability.
Project Team Members:
A co-principal investigator for Project IMPACT and an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Dr. Saunders’s research primarily focuses on general curriculum access for students with intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder. She has co-authored five mathematics curricula, enjoys writing research articles and book chapters about general curriculum access, and providing […]
A Professor Emeritus of Research at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with over 20 years of experience conducting research on issues pertinent to individuals with moderate-to-severe developmental disability. She teaches Master’s and doctoral level courses on research methods and statistics. She is passionate about encouraging teachers to use action research to evaluate their […]
Research Associate for Project IMPACT and adjunct professor in the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s master’s program. Mr. Cerrato has supported students with intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder in many roles. He has been a paraprofessional, lead teacher Charlotte-Mecklenburg for the extensions program at the elementary and middle school levels. Mr. Cerrato also […]
Professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Dr. Pennington has over 30 years of experience working with individuals with disabilities, their families, and teachers. Most of Dr. Pennington’s work involves behavior analytic communication instruction, expanding students’ repertoire with written expression, and improving educational programs for students with extensive support needs. Dr. Pennington continues […]
A clinical professor in the department of special education and child development at University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Dr. Wakeman worked for 10 years as a classroom teacher, including time in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system. Dr. Wakeman’s research interests are accessing the general curriculum and how that’s enacted for students with significant cognitive disabilities […]
Project IMPACT has partnered with Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools during the 2019-2020 school year to implement the first iteration of the project model. Please check the page frequently for new information, resources, and updates on the project.
Project IMPACT is funded by the US Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Grant Award Number: H326M180005. Materials housed on this page are those of the authors and do not represent views of the OSEP or the U.S. Department of Education.