Universal Design for Learning: Tips and Tools for Assisting Students with Disabilities Excel in Higher Education

Agenda Current State of College Students with Disabilities in Higher Education Legislative Requirements for Accommodations Current Barriers for CSWD University Design for Learning Strategies for Accessibility Kolb\u27s Learning Styles Model Technology Accessibility Case Study Developing a SoTL Midese

31st Annual Meeting and Associated Programs of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2016) : part two

Background The immunological escape of tumors represents one of the main ob- stacles to the treatment of malignancies. The blockade of PD-1 or CTLA-4 receptors represented a milestone in the history of immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors seem to be effective in specific cohorts of patients. It has been proposed that their efficacy relies on the presence of an immunological response. Thus, we hypothesized that disruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis would synergize with our oncolytic vaccine platform PeptiCRAd. Methods We used murine B16OVA in vivo tumor models and flow cytometry analysis to investigate the immunological background. Results First, we found that high-burden B16OVA tumors were refractory to combination immunotherapy. However, with a more aggressive schedule, tumors with a lower burden were more susceptible to the combination of PeptiCRAd and PD-L1 blockade. The therapy signifi- cantly increased the median survival of mice (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the reduced growth of contralaterally injected B16F10 cells sug- gested the presence of a long lasting immunological memory also against non-targeted antigens. Concerning the functional state of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we found that all the immune therapies would enhance the percentage of activated (PD-1pos TIM- 3neg) T lymphocytes and reduce the amount of exhausted (PD-1pos TIM-3pos) cells compared to placebo. As expected, we found that PeptiCRAd monotherapy could increase the number of antigen spe- cific CD8+ T cells compared to other treatments. However, only the combination with PD-L1 blockade could significantly increase the ra- tio between activated and exhausted pentamer positive cells (p= 0.0058), suggesting that by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis we could decrease the amount of dysfunctional antigen specific T cells. We ob- served that the anatomical location deeply influenced the state of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In fact, TIM-3 expression was in- creased by 2 fold on TILs compared to splenic and lymphoid T cells. In the CD8+ compartment, the expression of PD-1 on the surface seemed to be restricted to the tumor micro-environment, while CD4 + T cells had a high expression of PD-1 also in lymphoid organs. Interestingly, we found that the levels of PD-1 were significantly higher on CD8+ T cells than on CD4+ T cells into the tumor micro- environment (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrated that the efficacy of immune check- point inhibitors might be strongly enhanced by their combination with cancer vaccines. PeptiCRAd was able to increase the number of antigen-specific T cells and PD-L1 blockade prevented their exhaus- tion, resulting in long-lasting immunological memory and increased median survival

Technology-Delivered Content Accessibility for Students with Disabilities

Agenda Why is accessibility in content important? What needs to be considered for accessibility How do you assess your content and then adopt? Discussio

VR Service Patterns and Employment Outcomes of Transition-Aged Youth

The purpose of this study was to descriptively explore the service provision of transition-aged youth in a state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agency and to determine if predictor variables could be identified for successful employment outcomes through logistic regression. At closure, more than half the participants were closed successfully in competitive employment. The majority were working in service, clerical and sales, or professional/technical/ managerial positions after receiving VR services focused on understanding the consumer’s needs and creating appropriate plans, preparing for a job, obtaining a job and then retaining employment. Implications for transition and rehabilitation practice include the necessity of specific transition-related training for VR counselors

Technology-Delivered Content Accessibility for Students with Disabilities

Agenda Why is accessibility in content important? What needs to be considered for accessibility How do you assess your content and then adopt? Discussio

VR Service Patterns and Employment Outcomes of Transition-Aged Youth

The purpose of this study was to descriptively explore the service provision of transition-aged youth in a state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agency and to determine if predictor variables could be identified for successful employment outcomes through logistic regression. At closure, more than half the participants were closed successfully in competitive employment. The majority were working in service, clerical and sales, or professional/technical/ managerial positions after receiving VR services focused on understanding the consumer’s needs and creating appropriate plans, preparing for a job, obtaining a job and then retaining employment. Implications for transition and rehabilitation practice include the necessity of specific transition-related training for VR counselors

Universal Design for Learning: Tips and Tools for Assisting Students with Disabilities Excel in Higher Education

Agenda Current State of College Students with Disabilities in Higher Education Legislative Requirements for Accommodations Current Barriers for CSWD University Design for Learning Strategies for Accessibility Kolb\u27s Learning Styles Model Technology Accessibility Case Study Developing a SoTL Midese

Surviving and Thriving at a University in the United Kingdom

While considerable research on college student surviving and thriving has been conducted in the United States, fewer studies exist that examine these phenomenon multinationally. This mixed methods study, conducted at a large multi-campus university in the United Kingdom, examines factors purported to contribute to college student retention and engagement in a British context. Data were collected and analysed in the five theme categories of belonging, student support services, academic engagement, decision-making and resilience. Significant differences were found in student engagement by metropolitan vs. suburban campus, and in levels of engagement in academic and student life by gender