Celebration of Research: Honors Student Mentoring Project: Proposal Instructions

Please summarize your research project in a cohesive 200-250 word paragraph. Use the questions below to guide your writing. 

• What is the assignment or activity that inspired your project? Students may also design their own projects.
• What instructor or advisor gave the assignment or activity? Name the class or organization. 
• What problem or issue will you address in the project? State your research question or thesis statement.
• How is your project significant? Analyze its potential impact.
• How will you or how did you address the problem or issue? Briefly explain your methodology.
• What do you expect others to learn from your project? List any research findings or results. 
• What will you do to expand upon your research project? List potential future directions.

The language you use to describe your project in the proposal will depend on the status of your project. For example, if you are starting a new project for Celebration of Research, you may say "I am proposing to..." when you describe your methods. Alternatively, if you have already completed the project you are submitting, you may say "I carried out the following steps to complete research for my project." 

Example Presentation Proposal from Celebration of Research 2021:

Presentation Title: Providing Effective Mental Health Services for Deaf Patients in Ohio

Student: Josie Vano

Mentor: Andrea Musial

Proposal: 

As a student in the Applied ASL program, and an aspiring mental health professional, I’ve been curious about the mental health services available to Ohio’s Deaf population. When Professor Host assigned our final research paper for Composition II last Spring, I took the opportunity to explore whether the services currently available are effective and accessible; and, if not, what improvements can realistically be made.
After reviewing academic literature on existing mental health programs for the Deaf, the role of interpreters in mental health care, and what constitutes linguistically and culturally affirmative care, I found that services for the Deaf are widely lacking— not just in Ohio, but nationwide. As a result, Deaf clients may be misunderstood or misdiagnosed, leading to poor mental health outcomes.
Addressing this issue is complex, but not insurmountable. States like Alabama and Texas show success in providing adequate care by training interpreters and mental health care providers, and by establishing statewide mental health services for the Deaf. Adopting a similar approach, Ohio can drastically improve mental health outcomes for some of its nearly 160,000 Deaf and hard-of-hearing residents, while also potentially reducing the incidence rates and lengths-of-stay for inpatient care.
Further to these findings, an in-depth survey of existing providers serving Ohio’s Deaf community could help assess the effectiveness of current services, and identify the areas with the greatest needs. This could also lead to identifying stakeholders and community members best positioned for developing a task force to support the creation of statewide services.