ICI at Research & Innovation Day
ICI's Jennifer Hall-Lande (wearing a maroon jacket) and Andrea Castillo (wearing a white jacket) ask MNLEND fellows about their poster during CEHD Research & Innovation Day in March 2026.
Researchers at the Institute on Community Integration shared poster presentations at CEHD Research & Innovation Day on March 26 at McNamara Alumni Center. More than 200 people attended the annual event, which highlights how college research affects individual lives.
Posters highlighted research projects being conducted through ICI’s Minnesota Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (MNLEND) program, its long-running Autism Spectrum Disorder prevalence study, a project evaluating the effectiveness and outcomes of Special Olympics programs in schools, and another evaluating programs serving students with disabilities who are transitioning out of high school, among other projects.
“This work reflects our shared commitment to research that matters, research that supports families, strengthens systems, and helps communities thrive,” ICI’s Jennifer Hall-Lande said. “This day is a reminder that our role is not only to conduct research, but to mentor and support the next generation of leaders. Seeing students and trainees share their work and passion for improving lives is one of the most rewarding parts of our work.”
ICI’s evidence-based student engagement intervention program, Check & Connect, also presented its work to promote school completion and support positive educational outcomes.
“This program continues to show that we can adapt to new conditions students are dealing with and stop disengagement before it starts,” said Marius Massie, a national trainer with Check & Connect.
Lalinne Suon Bell, a current MNLEND fellow and former special education teacher, presented her work in restoring cultural memory through education.
Her project, Culturally Restorative Pedagogy—Resistance, Reparation, Reclamation, creates a framework informed in part by her own experiences as a Cambodian-born genocide survivor who grew up in Saint Paul. Pairing her personal experiences going back to Cambodia with the established literature base, she is creating a framework to help students reject deficit-model framing and embrace cultural and other differences, including disability.
“If every student is able to be their whole selves, their potential is so much greater,” Bell said. “In special education, we too often measure students by their deficits. That’s not a way to build them up, so we want to support all students by helping them claim who they are.”
ICI’s Andrea Castillo presented data collected for the TeleOutreach Center’s Autism FIRST study, including caregiver stress levels in Hispanic/Latino households during diagnosis and how they affect family quality of life.
Other highlights included work on diagnostic accuracy and systems coordination, and disparities in autism identification in Minnesota.