Policy Power Lunch, Rethinking Research: Autism in Indigenous Communities: Generating Community-Engaged Research and Policy
December 4 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Join the policy Impact Project for our Policy Power Lunch Series Rethinking Research: Autism in Indigenous Communities– Bridging Gaps in Autism Research and Policy.
We aim to spotlight unique issues affecting autistic people from Indigenous communities in the United States. We hope to empower researchers, stakeholders, policy experts, and advocates who actively engage with Indigenous and Actually Autistic communities. The focus will be on the needs of the communities the panelists serve or conduct research with, special considerations around the conduct of research and use of data that represents Indigenous people, and thoughts on how to support the needs of Indigenous people by better informing the policies that affect them.
Register Here
Joshua Drywater
Director of Native Initiatives
Virginia Commonwealth University’s Rehabilitation Research and Training Center
Joshua Drywater is a Training and Technical Assistance Associate at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Rehabilitation Research and Training Center, focusing on Indigenous inclusivity and Native Initiatives. Previously, he managed Native Initiatives at the University of Arizona’s Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities, supporting individuals facing employment barriers. He holds an MBA in Native American Leadership from Southeastern Oklahoma State University and is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute. As a Cherokee Nation citizen and Army combat veteran, Joshua has extensive experience managing tribal economic and workforce development programs, including CAREER, ER, TET, and DEI grants, and overseeing ARPA and Public Law 102-477 funds.
Olivia Lindly, PhD, MPH (She/Her/Hers)
Assistant Professor
Department of Health Sciences, Northern Arizona University
Candi Running Bear, PhD (She/Her/Hers)
Assistant Professor
Early Childhood Department, Western New Mexico University
Dr. Candi Running Bear is a citizen of the Navajo Nation from St. Michaels, AZ. She is of the
Hashk’ąąn Hadzohí (Yucca fruit hung on a string) clan and born for the Ma’ii Deeshgiizhinii
(Coyote pass/Jemez) clan. She was a special education early childhood classroom teacher for more than a decade. Her academic degrees include a BS in psychology, an MA in special education, and a PhD in curriculum and instruction with a focus on culturally and linguistically diverse exceptional children. Dr. Running Bear is an assistant professor at Western New Mexico University in the Early Childhood Department. She has conducted research regarding literacy for Diné preschoolers and parent training for Diné families of a child/children with autism. Presently, she is working with a team to sustain and spread the use of the adapted parents training program, Parents Taking Action, for Diné families of children with autism. With another team she is working on a project that aims to develop recommendations to ensure that autism assessment practices and the context in which assessments occur are culturally responsive for Diné families who have a child with autism. Her future research interests are to use a community engaged approach to analyze existing large data sets that include information about young American Indian/Alaska Native children with disabilities which can benefit indigenous children, families, and their communities.