UWM Graduate School i-SPARC Program
2026-27 Project: Community partner, Vision Forward
Challenge: How can Vision Forward effectively deliver high-quality vision rehabilitation services to individuals who live far from service centers, while maintaining service quality, client outcomes, and financial sustainability?
Project 1. Expanding Access to Vision Rehabilitation Services: Using data to understand and support needs for individuals ages 0-18 years with vision disability in Rural and Underserved Areas
Vision Forward worked with another University previously for big data reports on visual services needs in Wisconsin residents ages 18-64 years and 65 years+. Some databases exist with data for the pediatric population, but these data have not been accessed, analyzed, and interpreted by or for Vision Forward. They are interested in a pediatric report to address this gap in age-related data, for subsequent use to support programming decisions. They are also interested in marketing strategies and materials to serve their expansion initiative to meet the needs of rural Wisconsin’s youth with vision disabilities. Join this team and be part of completing a lifespan database and creating marketing to build awareness and access to vision services in rural Wisconsin communities.
[Student team may include but is not limited to individuals with: (a) lived experience in rural communities, (b) lived experience or family member with visual disability, (c) professional/academic skills and expertise related but not limited to population data analysis, healthcare informatics, statistics, tech/tech-driven solutions, communicating data to communities, community planning, graphic arts, or marketing]
Project 2. Expanding Access to Vision Rehabilitation Services: Understanding barriers, identifying resources, and growing and leveraging partnerships in Rural and Underserved Areas
Vision Forward has identified a need for community-based strategies that start with understanding barriers and gaps to accessing vision services, to meet goals of increasing service utilization, strengthening and sustaining community partnerships, and expanding awareness of Vision Forward’s services to meet the vision needs of rural and underserved communities. The demographic of rural Wisconsin includes populations with educational disparities, reduced health literacy, and lower SES who may not know how or where to access services for low vision and vision loss or who may encounter barriers related to travel, language, or technical access to services. Vision forward is looking for a student team to identify culturally-sensitive pathways that have not yet been tapped to build and expand access to services for all in rural Wisconsin. Join this team and be part of creating pathways to vision in rural Wisconsin communities.
[Student team may include but is not limited to individuals with: (a) lived experience in rural communities, (b) lived experience or family member with visual disability, (c) professional/academic skills and expertise related but not limited to entrepreneurship, nonprofit work, community planning, transportation, accessibility, tech/tech-driven solutions, public health, anthropology, history, sociology, social work, occupational therapy, healthcare administration, education, communications, or marketing]