UMass Boston

Lori Cooney, M.Ed., program director of inclusive education and curriculum design at the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at UMass Boston, has been awarded a second-year contract of $481,675 from the Plan Your Way OK initiative at the Oklahoma State Department of Education, funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). This year’s award builds on a prior $249,650 contract and is part of a four-year partnership totaling $1.39 million.

As principal investigator (PI), Cooney is leading efforts to implement Future Quest Island-Explorations (FQI-E) with elementary schools across Oklahoma, while also collaborating with FableVision Studios to develop a new interactive career simulation game, Future Quest–Journeys, for students ages 13–22.

“The Future Quest projects really show how inclusive design and early career awareness through game-based learning can open new pathways for all learners, especially students with disabilities,” said Cooney. “Developed in collaboration with students and educators and grounded in Universal Design for Learning, these tools help students connect their strengths and interests to future career paths. They also support early transition planning by helping students build and use digital portfolios that highlight who they are as a person, learner, worker, and friend.”

FQI-E was initially developed through a U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Stepping Up to Technology grant (2018–2024) led by PI Meg Grigal, Ph.D., and Co-PI Cooney, in collaboration with FableVision Studios and the Education Development Center (EDC).

Future Quest Island – Explorations (FQI-E) is an accessible, game-based learning program that helps elementary students build self-concept, set goals, and explore future possibilities through an interactive island adventure grounded in the evidence-based Possible Selves Framework. Research on FQI-E's effectiveness, led by Meg Caven, Ph.D., formerly of the EDC, demonstrated positive and significant gains in students’ career planning, social awareness, and educational self-efficacy, including students’ belief that they will graduate from high school, even in high-poverty schools with low graduation rates.

The soon to be released Future Quest–Journeys simulation game will extend that experience for older students, guiding them through career pathways, skill-building, and real-world decision-making in an engaging, universally designed digital environment.

“This project exemplifies the Institute for Community Inclusion’s commitment to creating accessible, evidence-based tools that help all learners prepare for success,” said Cindy Thomas, director of the ICI. “Lori’s leadership and collaboration with national partners ensure that inclusive career exploration opportunities reach students who might otherwise be left behind.”

The Future Quest series honors the memory of Debra Hart, A.B.D., the project’s original principal investigator and former director of the education and transition team at ICI.