Ariel Schwartz

Ariel is a woman with dark, shoulder-length brown hair wearing a checkered button up shirt
Research Assistant Professor
UNH-4U Director
Office: UNH CHHS Institute on Disability, 10 West Edge, Durham, NH 03824
Pronouns: She/her/hers

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, the development and testing of a peer mentoring intervention to address mental health self-management for transition-age youth, 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. 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.

Research Interests

  • Developmental Disabilities
  • Young Adults
  • Measurement

Selected Publications

  • Schwartz, A. E., Corey, J., Duff, J., Herer, A., & Rogers, E. S. (2023). Anticipating the outcomes: how young adults with developmental disabilities and co-occurring mental health conditions make decisions about disclosure of their mental health conditions at work. Disability and Rehabilitation, 45(4), 602-612. doi:10.1080/09638288.2022.2037749

  • Schwartz, A., & Hwang, I. -T. (2022). Supporting young adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities to deliver a peer mentoring intervention: Evaluating fidelity and resources required.. J Appl Res Intellect Disabil, 35(6), 1336-1347. doi:10.1111/jar.13022

  • McDonald, K. E., Schwartz, A. E., & Sabatello, M. (2022). Eligibility criteria in NIH-funded clinical trials: Can adults with intellectual disability get in?. Disability and Health Journal, 15(4), 101368. doi:10.1016/j.dhjo.2022.101368

  • Schwartz, A. E., & Levin, M. (2022). Feasibility of a peer mentoring programme for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and co‐occurring mental health conditions. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 50(3), 433-445. doi:10.1111/bld.12396

  • Sigurðardóttir, M., Fenger, K., & Schwartz, A. E. (2022). Psychometric testing of the Icelandic Occupational Self-Assessment (OSA-IS).. Scand J Occup Ther, 1-11. doi:10.1080/11038128.2022.2074537

  • Schwartz, A. E., Kramer, J. M., Rogers, E. S., McDonald, K. E., Cohn, E. S., & Peer, Y. A. M. H. (2020). Stakeholder-driven approach to developing a peer-mentoring intervention for young adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities and co-occurring mental health conditions. JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES, 33(5), 992-1004. doi:10.1111/jar.12721

  • Schwartz, A. E., Kramer, J. M., Cohn, E. S., & McDonald, K. E. (2020). "That Felt Like Real Engagement": Fostering and Maintaining Inclusive Research Collaborations With Individuals With Intellectual Disability. QUALITATIVE HEALTH RESEARCH, 30(2), 236-249. doi:10.1177/1049732319869620

  • Kramer, J. M., Helfrich, C., Levin, M., Hwang, I. -T., Samuel, P. S., Carrellas, A., . . . Kolaczyk, E. D. (2018). Initial evaluation of the effects of an environmental-focused problem-solving intervention for transition-age young people with developmental disabilities: Project TEAM.. Dev Med Child Neurol, 60(8), 801-809. doi:10.1111/dmcn.13715

  • Schwartz, A. E., Kramer, J. M., & Longo, A. L. (2018). Patient-reported outcome measures for young people with developmental disabilities: incorporation of design features to reduce cognitive demands.. Dev Med Child Neurol, 60(2), 173-184. doi:10.1111/dmcn.13617

  • Kramer, J. M., & Schwartz, A. (2017). Refining the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Patient-Reported Outcome (PEDI-PRO) item candidates: interpretation of a self-reported outcome measure of functional performance by young people with neurodevelopmental disabilities.. Dev Med Child Neurol, 59(10), 1083-1088. doi:10.1111/dmcn.13482