The SPAN Youth Hub

Learning new skills can help young adults become more confident, independent, and prepared for the future. While it is definitely helpful to build strong skills in one area, exploring different interests can create even more opportunities. Every new skill can become a useful tool for school, work, hobbies, and everyday life.

Lifelong learning, or continuous learning, can be defined as the "ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated" pursuit of learning, for either personal or professional reasons. Learning doesn't stop when school ends. In fact, some of the most important lessons happen through everyday experiences, hobbies, jobs, and meeting new people.

Finding a creative outlet can help youth express their thoughts, feelings, and ideas. Creativity can take many forms, including drawing, writing, music, photography, cooking, dancing, crafting, or making videos. There is no single right way to be creative, just following what comes to mind works best.

Adaptive sports are typical sports and games modified or specifically designed for individuals with physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities. They utilize specialized equipment—like sports wheelchairs, handcycles, and sit-skis—or altered rules to allow full, safe participation.

The ACCESS Lab at Washington University in St. Louis is conducting a study called the EMBody study to test a brief digital program for teens who have concerns with their body image and their eating. The ACCESS Lab wants to hear from you or your teen! If eligible, you or your teen will be asked to complete 3 online surveys and will gain access to the digital program. You or your teen may be compensated up to $45 for your time. You or your teen may be eligible to participate if you/they: Are 13-19 years old Are a U.S. resident and speak English To read more about getting involved, and to take a 5-minute eligibility screen go to  https://washu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0PX2BXw3bYrT1rM?Source=SPAN  or contact study coordinator: Nathalie Gullo (E)  accesslab@wustl.edu  or 314-626-0245

Artificial intelligence (AI) has often been looked at as entirely negative, being seen as a potential threat to art, writing, and music. However, there are many helpful uses for people with disabilities. Programs like ChatGPT can make everyday tasks easier by offering features like speech-to-text, text-to-speech, live captions, language translation, image descriptions for people with limited vision, and voice assistants that help with reminders, directions, and answering questions.