IGNITE (Innovative Growth for Nevada’s Interdisciplinary Team Empowerment)

IGNITE

IGNITE (Innovative Growth for Nevada’s Interdisciplinary Team Empowerment) is a 325K grant, funded by the Office of Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education to address statewide shortages of qualified professionals serving young children with significant autism and high-intensity needs.

Project Director: Abbie Olszewski, PhD, CCC-SLP
Co-Principle Investigator: Lindsay Diamond, PhD
Key Personnel: Cheryl Larson, MS, CCC-SLP

Recruiting for Cohort 1 to begin Spring 2026

Email Abbie Olszewski, PhD, CCC-SLP, at aolszewski@unr.edu, for more information on applying to be a Scholar on IGNITE’s interdisciplinary training grant.

Our project

IGNITE developed through a partnership between the College of Education and Human Development’s Special Education program, the School of Medicine’s Department, and the National Institute of Artificial Intelligence for Exceptional Education. IGNITE will graduate scholars with an M.S. in Special Education with an emphasis in early intervention/early childhood or an M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology.

Our goals

IGNITE will prepare 32 Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education (EI/ECSE) and Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) scholars to deliver collaborative, evidence-based services to young children with disabilities over five years. IGNITE scholars will gain AI literacy and digital citizenship to enhance and enrich the instruction for young learners by the careful selection of AI tools that are ethical.

Faculty

Lindsay Diamond, Ph.D.

Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Programs and Associate Professor of Special Education

(775) 682-7927

ldiamond@unr.edu

3085

Cheryl Larson, M.A., CCC-SLP

Lecturer 2, Speech Pathology and Audiology

cheryll@med.unr.edu

Abbie Olszewski, PhD, CCC-SLP

Associate Professor in Literacy Studies

(775) 682-7872

aolszewski@unr.edu

3056

Prior Projects

NVC 2. 0

Nevada Collaborative 2.0 (NVC 2.0), awarded in 2024, expanded that focus by preparing 28 SLP scholars to serve young children with autism across early childhood and regular education environments. Thirteen scholars are currently enrolled in NVC 2.0.

NVC 1.0

The Nevada Collaborative (NVC), awarded in 2019, prepared 56 ECSE and SLP scholars to provide interdisciplinary special education and related services to young children with significant autism and high-intensity needs.

Ideas that work logo - Office of Special Education Programs U.S. Department of Education

IGNITE is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Grant #H325K250090. The contents of this website do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.