Bethlehem, Pa., February 23, 2016— Three Moravian College faculty members will be participating in the Lehigh Valley Research Consortium on Thursday, March 3 from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at DeSales University. This year’s report has a special emphasis on expanding inclusion in the workplace for persons with disabilities.

The Lehigh Valley Research Consortium publishes the State of the Lehigh Valley: Community Trends at a Glance, a report that showcases faculty research on the quality of life in the region. The Moravian College faculty contributors include Professors Bob Brill, who coauthored the article, Sabrina Terrizzi who serves as the executive board member and a contributing author to the annual report, and Debra Wetcher-Hendricks who serves as a co-editor of the report.

“The annual report provides a valuable opportunity for trained researchers, business leaders, and community members to discuss the concerns of our community,” said Sabrina Terrizzi, assistant professor of economics and business. “The goal of this collaboration is to develop working relationships that will foster solutions and improve life in the Lehigh Valley for all of us.  As such, I find my engagement in the development and presentation of the report to be a positive and worthwhile endeavor.”

The goal of the faculty participating is to share the findings from their annual report, which members of the Lehigh Valley Research Consortium prepare in collaboration with other faculty members and the local community.  The focus of the report varies each year; this year participants will be discussing community health, employment and wage trends, health insurance and access to care for low income adults, and a variety of topics related to expanding inclusion for persons with disabilities.

"As always, the report provides community members with valuable information about local economic, social, and cultural conditions. This report emphasizes access and inclusion for those with disability in the Lehigh Valley, paying tribute to the 25th Anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act. The report both acknowledges progress made since the act's institution and identifies aspects that require further attention," said Debra Wetcher-Hendricks, associate professor of sociology.

The presentation is an opportunity for members of the community to gather together and talk about different issues affecting the local area.  The presentation provides a starting point for these discussions and subsequent focus groups provide opportunities for further discussion and idea generation.  The goal is to inspire community discussion that continues after the presentation.

“This is meaningful work because it is impacting conversations and decisions being made by key constituents and institutions within the wonderful communities of the Lehigh Valley,” said Bob Brill, associate professor of psychology.  “The ability to provide some of the informational input that is channeled into collaborative dialogues that lead to quality of life improvement for my neighbors is exhilarating.”

Moravian College is a private coeducational liberal arts college, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. For over 270 years, the Moravian College degree has been based on a liberal arts curriculum where literature, history, cultural values and global issues, ethics, and aesthetic expression and the social sciences are infused with multidisciplinary perspectives. Visit www.moravian.edu to learn more about how the Moravian College liberal arts curriculum prepares its students for life-long success.