Ariel Schwartz, PhD, OTR/L
- Assistant Professor
- Occupational Therapy
Ariel Schwartz is committed to advancing knowledge about the use of inclusive/participatory research approaches with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Throughout all of her research, she partners with individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities.
Her research is focused on participation and wellness for transition-age youth with intellectual/developmental disabilities. Recent research has addressed employment for transition-age youth with co-occurring mental health conditions and the development and testing of a peer mentoring intervention to address mental health self-management for transition-age youth. Her currently funded projects address training for peer mentors with intellectual/developmental disabilities and the development of accessible research ethics training that will support individuals with disabilities to take on a range of research roles.
Dr. Schwartz has also contributed to the development of an accessible patient-reported outcome measure (the PEDI-PRO) for young adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities and co-developed a framework of cognitive accessibility for patient-reported outcome measures. She is currently evaluating the cognitive accessibility of the VIA Character Strengths Survey for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Dr. Schwartz’s research has been funded by NIDILRR and PCORI, in addition to a range of local and national foundations. She has also served as a Consultant, Engagement Coordinator, and Project Manager for multiple PCORI and NIH-funded studies.
In addition, Dr. Schwartz has clinical experience as an occupational therapist in inpatient mental health and community-based settings.
- BA, Disability Studies/BA, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT
- MS, Occupational Therapy, Boston University, Boston, MA
- PhD, Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA
- Postdoctoral Fellowship, Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Boston, MA
Research Interests
- Inclusive research/participatory action research
- Transition to adulthood for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities
- Mental health concerns of individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities
- Patient-reported outcome measures
Presentations
Schwartz, A. & McDonald, K. (Sept. 2022). Allyship and anti-ableism: A call-in for equity and inclusion in intellectual disability research. Crucial Conversation presented for the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Annual Meeting [virtual].
Schwartz, A. & Rogers, E.S. (June 2022). Anticipating the outcomes: Deciding whether or not to disclose a mental health condition at work. Presentation at the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Annual Meeting [virtual].
Schwartz, A., McDonald, K., & Sabatello, M. (June 2022). Representation of adults with intellectual disability in health intervention research: A review of inclusion/exclusion criteria in NIH-funded clinical trials. Presentation at the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Annual Meeting [virtual].
McDonald, K. & Schwartz, A., Fialka Feldman, M., Nelis, T., & Raymaker, D. (June 2022). Allyship and anti-ableism: A call-in for equity and inclusion in intellectual disability research. Presentation at the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Annual Meeting [virtual].
Levin, M. & Schwartz, A. (Nov. 2021). Supporting young adults with mental health conditions. Workshop presented at the Arc Transition Conference [virtual].
McDonald, K.E.,† Schwartz, A.E.† & Sabatello, M. (2022). Eligibility criteria in NIH-funded clinical trials: Can adults with intellectual disability get in? Disability & Health. 10.1016/j.dhjo.2022.101368 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36123292
Schwartz, A.E., Corey, J. **, Duff, J. **, Herer, A. **, & Rogers, E.S. (2022). Anticipating the outcomes: How young adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities and co-occurring mental health conditions make decisions about disclosure of their mental health conditions at work. Disability & Rehabilitation. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2022.2037749 [epub ahead of print] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35152805/
Schwartz, A. & Levin, M. (2022). Feasibility of a peer mentoring program for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and co-occurring mental health conditions. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 50(3), 433-445. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/bld.12396
Schwartz, A.E., Caoili, A., Beasley, J.B., Kramer, J.M., & Kalb, L.G. (2022). Clinical applications of the VIA Inventory of Strengths with individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities. Journal of Positive Psychology. Doi: 10.1080/17439760.2022.2036797 [epub ahead of print] https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2022.2036797
Herer, A.** & Schwartz, A.E. (2022). How being a researcher impacted my life. Social Sciences, 11, 127 https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/11/3/127
†Co-first authors; *Mentored occupational therapy student; **Co-researchers