Kellar Institute for Human DisAbilities (KIHd) - College of Education and Human Development - George Mason University
About KIHd
About Us

The Kellar Institute for Human DisAbilities (KIHd) is an interdisciplinary campus-based organization focusing on improving the lives and productivity of children and adults with disabilities. KIHd combines the resources of the university with local, state, regional, national, public, and private sector agencies and organizations to develop products, services, and programs for persons with disabilities.

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Student using assistive technology keyboard
Licensure, Certificates & Training Grants

The Kellar Institute for Human DisAbilities (KIHd) collaborates with a consortium of Virginia universities to offer training/licensure options for teachers of students with visual impairments and severe disabilities. Distance education makes the programs more accessible and maximizes the number of individuals who can receive the training.

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students, parents, professionals attending state of the art conference
VDOE Grants

With the support from Virgina Department of Education KIHd serves teachers, parents, therapists, and community service providers by providing a variety of continuing learning experiences via annual workshops, conferences, and project activities. In many cases, KIHd uses distance education to provide teacher training and professional development across the state.

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Project We Got It
Research

The Kellar Institute for Human DisAbilities (KIHd) continues to build and support numerous educational research projects that vary across disciplines spearheaded by the Mason faculty members. Our goal is to increase evidence based instructional and behavioral strategies to improve academic outcomes for all students with disabilities.

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Leadership Grants
DOCTORAL AND MASTERS STUDENTS

The Kellar Institute for Human DisAbilities (KIHd) doctoral and masters students conduct cutting edge research at George Mason University that is aimed to serve persons with disabilities and their families.

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History/Major Purpose

History/Major Purpose

The Helen A. Kellar Institute for Human disAbilities (KIHd) was chartered by GMU in 1988 to provide an infrastructure for externally funded projects related to disabilities to enhance the ability of GMU faculty to obtain and manage such projects. The projects of the KIHd fall within five areas:

  1. Research and Development
  2. Technical Assistance
  3. Model Program Development
  4. Training at the Graduate and Undergraduate Levels
  5. Policy Analysis related to local, state, regional, and national needs

Since 1988, the KIHd has secured external funding of slightly more than $8.75 million from federal, state, local, and private sponsors with projects sponsored in all five of the thrust areas. The KIHd has done this with virtually no ledger 1 state support for personnel and equipment, including management of the KIHd. In the mid 1990s, the Center's management determined that the KIHd had become too reliant upon federal and state funding sources and began to diversify into training and service programs that generated revenues on a fee for service basis that were not available elsewhere in the university or community. Current annual revenues of approximately $1.2 million are evenly divided between federal, state, and fee for services, providing stability for the Center. Currently housed in approximately 4,500 square feet in Krug Hall, the KIHd has been in five locations, mostly off campus. The move back to campus in 1996 has enabled the KIHd to work more effectively with faculty and programs within the GMU community.

The KIHd employs a multi-disciplinary staff, which includes professionals specializing in fields such as Special Education, Vision, Deaf-Blind, Multicultural Special Education, Speech & Language, Behavior, Social Work, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy. The KIHd strives to employ staff who have direct knowledge of the populations that they serve not only via their professional work and training, but through their cultural background and/or personal experiences with disabilites.

Major Purposes

The Kellar Center is an interdisciplinary campus-based organization that focuses on our mission statement, "improving the lives and productivity of children and adults with disabilities." The KIHd combines the resources of George Mason University with local, state, regional, national, public, and private sector agencies and organizations to develop products, services, and programs for persons with disabilities.

The customers of the KIHd include: persons with disabilities and their families; service providers; service organizations; employers of persons with disabilities and commercial public access organizations; GMU faculty; and graduate and undergraduate students at GMU.