What is REACH?

UMD-REACH (Research Equity and Access in Communication and Hearing) is a program designed to address the critical need to increase ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic diversity in the field of communication sciences and disorders. To that end, we aim to provide under-represented undergraduate students the opportunity to participate in cutting-edge research in labs in a broad range of departments including Departments of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Linguistics, Psychology, Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, Special Education, and Biology.

We recognize barriers that may prevent individuals from participating in lab research. Many students face the burden of financial instability and are unable to devote the time to lab work because they are working many hours a week to support their education.

To help students overcome these barriers, REACH provides a year-long paid training program

to increase lab participation among underrepresented undergraduate students. Students will:

participate in labs 10 hrs/week during the academic year, and full-time (40 hrs/week) for 10 weeks during the summer
receive wages ($15/hour) and summer housing to allow them the time to commit to the program.
receive mentorship and professional development training to increase their future academic success and interest in research careers.

We hope our program can serve as a model to other institutions so that we will develop a better understanding of communication impairments across diverse populations.

Photos of REACH students at the Ropewalk Team Bonding course at Eppley 2024 having a great time!

Photos of the REACH Students at this years Summer Research Scholars Social 2024