Disability Inclusion in Nursing Grants Program is a multi-year funding initiative from the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, in collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, providing $50,000 to $75,000 annually over three years to nonprofit institutions in the United States with nursing programs.

The program funds demonstration projects that advance equity, inclusion, and access for students with disabilities in nursing schools and their affiliated clinical sites. Projects must be co-created with learners and people with disabilities and focus on innovative, systems-level approaches to nursing education and practice. Eligible applicants are U.S. nonprofits operating accredited nursing programs.

The Macy Foundation - Disability Inclusion in Nursing Disability Inclusion in Nursing Webinar Series: Exploring the Barriers to Inclusion for Nurses with Disabilities Watch the Informational Webinar Meet Our Advisory Committee Disability Inclusion in Nursing: A Grants Program to Advance Innovation and Systems Approaches for Nursing Education and Practice Thank you for your interest in the disability inclusion in Nursing RFA.

The application cycle is now closed. Please read about our awardees at the bottom of this page. The Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, in collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is pleased to announce a special initiative to fund demonstration projects that enhance equity, inclusion, and access for students with disabilities in schools of nursing and their affiliated clinical sites.

This grants program has been developed to support the rights of persons with disabilities to participate in an inclusive education system for the full development of human potential and sense of dignity and self-worth .

This program builds on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Future of Nursing 2020-2030 report, including recommendations that nurse educators must be prepared to provide education that promotes nurse wellness and belonging.

Disability Inclusion in Nursing: A Grants Program to Advance Innovation and Systems Approaches for Nursing Education and Practice will provide support for projects, ideally centered in the clinical learning environment, that dismantle ableism in nursing education and practice.

Proposals selected for support through this initiative will describe, implement, and evaluate innovative strategies to foster usable, accessible, and inclusive learning and working environments in nursing, with the goals of creating lasting institutional change and providing innovative models and exemplars that other institutions can draw upon to ensure inclusive and equitable learning and working environments.

Each of the projects will be funded for three years with annual costs of $50K – $75K, depending on the scope of the project. Further, as a demonstration of institutional commitment, letters of support will be required from either or both the nursing school and its affiliated health system leadership along with required in-kind support, preferably at no less than 50% of the direct costs.

Support for this grants program was provided in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. You can learn more about the grants program from our informational webinar featuring Macy President Dr. Holly J. Humphrey alongside Advisory Committee members Brigit M.

Carter, PhD, RN, FAAN, Lauren Clark, RN, PhD, FAAN, Brandy Jackson, MSN, MBA, RN, and Bonnielin K.

Swenor, PhD, MPH: Word Document Outline including Alt Text Disability Inclusion in Nursing: A Grants Program to Advance Innovation and Systems Approaches for Nursing Education and Practice An Experience-Based Co-Design Project with Nursing Students, Faculty, and Student Disability Services Staff to Increase Access for Students with Disabilities Johns Hopkins School of Nursing The number of students with disabilities in nursing programs is rising, prioritizing the need for strategies to improve accessibility, equity, and inclusion.

Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (JHSON) and Student Disability Services (SDS) are addressing this need through a participatory action research approach called experience-based co-design (EBCD). This project will focus on creating an interactive, multimedia toolkit aimed at increasing awareness and identifying and removing barriers to access and inclusion for nursing students with disabilities.

The toolkit will serve as a central resource for guidance in academic and clinical settings, with the flexibility to be adapted for use in other schools and disciplines. Central to this effort are the lived experiences of disabled students, which will take a lead role in shaping the project’s outcomes.

PIs: Rebecca Wright, PhD, RN, Assistant Professor; Janiece Taylor, PhD, MSN, RN, Assistant Professor Enhancing Inclusivity in Nursing Programs for Students with Disabilities By addressing systemic barriers and promoting a culture of accessibility, the College of Health Professions at Pace University intends to serve as a model for change within the nursing profession by eliminating barriers that prevent students with physical disabilities from being admitted to and successfully completing nursing programs.

Starting at Pace’s home campus in Pleasantville, New York, the project aims to reimagine the role of the nurse and foster an inclusive environment for nursing students with disabilities. It will identify and remove barriers that prevent students with physical disabilities from applying to nursing programs, successfully completing the curriculum, passing the NCLEX, and entering the nursing workforce.

The project aims to establish dialogue and partnerships with clinical agencies to ensure robust, equitable learning environments and improved opportunities for nursing students with disabilities.

PIs: Michele Lopez, DHEd, MA, RN, Assistant Professor of Nursing; Elizabeth Berro, PhD, RN, Assistant Professor of Nursing Building Capacity for Disability Justice in Nursing University of Massachusetts-Amherst Nurses are serious about the work that goes into taking care of people.

While this is one of nursing's most important strengths, such a singular focus can also contribute to a narrow perspective on the ideas, norms, and expectations that shape professionalized nursing in clinical and educational settings. This project will employ a collaborative and transdisciplinary approach to transform nursing teaching practices, curriculum, and clinical settings for a more just, equitable future.

The overarching goal is to foster greater capacity for and dismantle barriers to disability justice in the nursing workforce, building this capacity through professional development curriculum and a toolkit for healthcare educators working in clinical and classroom spaces.

PIs: Jess Dillard-Wright, PhD, MA, RN, Associate Dean of Equity & Inclusion and Associate Professor of Nursing; Celeste Surreira, DNP, MS, Director of Undergraduate Nursing Programs and Clinical Assistant Professor of Nursing Enhancing Clinical Education Accessibility for Nursing Students with Disabilities University of Nevada, Las Vegas Nursing students with disabilities face such barriers as the absence of proper accommodations, inadequate faculty training, and deep-seated biases, all of which impede student success and career progression.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) School of Nursing will work with the Disability Resource Center, and University Medical Center to develop a pilot faculty and staff training program aimed at fostering a more inclusive and supportive atmosphere for nursing students with disabilities, ensuring they receive necessary accommodations while promoting diversity and equity in both nursing education and healthcare.

The team hopes to create a replicable training toolkit and advocate for policy reforms, setting new standards for accessible clinical education.

PIs: Kayla Sullivan, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, Assistant Professor of Nursing, Direct-Entry MSN Program Director; Angela Silvestri-Elmore, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, Associate Professor of Nursing Project DNA: a Blueprint and Reference guide inspiring DIVERSITY in NURSING education toward ADOPTING inclusive technical standards University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Ameliorating the persistent national nursing shortage requires fresh approaches to recruitment and retention.

One such approach is improving recruitment and retention of people with disabilities. Although the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability, in reality, prospective nursing students with disabilities are often systematically excluded from nursing education, and therefore the nursing workforce. In 2020, inclusive technical standards for nursing were published.

However, adoption of these technical standards has been extremely limited due to nursing faculty and clinical partner resistance related to concerns about safety and the ability to meet program accreditation standards, learning objectives, and clinical requirements.

This project, housed at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, will bring together faculty from multiple institutions to systematically explore the barriers and facilitators to nursing schools’ adoption of inclusive technical standards and develop a publicly available resource to aid nursing schools in facilitating implementation of inclusive technical standards.

PI: Allison Edwards, DrPH, MS, RN, CNE, CDDN, FAAN, Associate Professor, Department of Undergraduate Studies, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston-Cizik School of Nursing Breaking Down Barriers: Advocacy for Accessibility in Nursing Education and Practice The Linfield University-Good Samaritan School of Nursing collaborates with clinical workforce partners to train highly prepared nurses.

Increasing our capacity to train students of all abilities is crucial to growing the nursing profession and addressing recruitment, preparation and employment inequities. Our project will engage students with disabilities, clinical partners and nurses to identify barriers to success. We will develop a data-informed framework with training modules addressing accessibility in a variety of educational environments.

These modules will be made available to the broader nursing community. PIs: Heidi Johnston, DNP, MSN, RN-BSN, Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Nursing; Julie Fitzwater, PhD, MNE, BSN, Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Nursing Learn more about Our Grantees