# Interactive hand hygiene training for special education pre-vocational students

> **NIH NIH R43** · INDELIBLE LEARNING, INC. · 2023 · $302,424

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
This project will iteratively develop and test a playable prototype of an interactive handwashing trainer to improve
hand hygiene for students with disabilities in pre-vocational programs. The hand hygiene trainer will serve an unmet
need to provide rigorous, systematic, and consistent instruction on proper handwashing technique. The interactive
program will engage students, ensure that the training is to a high standard, and save teachers and staff significant
time that would otherwise be spent on repetitive, 1-on-1 training.
The commercially released trainer will be playable on smartphones, tablets, or notebooks, and will emphasize (1)
how to wash--proper technique and duration; (2) when to wash--relevant scenarios and (3) consistent application--
establishment and maintenance of good hygiene habits. All three components are necessary for effective hand
hygiene.
Aim 1: Iterative Design. The project team will work with educational and prevocational experts as co-designers to
develop a playable prototype for students with a range of physical and cognitive disabilities. Milestones: (1) concept
check will ensure the training is accurate and appropriate. (2) Principles of universal design will build a trainer that
ensures accessibility for a wide range of abilities (3) Hardware specs & testing will ensure the trainer runs on typical
school hardware. (4) A teacher’s dashboard will track progress, identifying which students need attention. (5) Rapid
iteration of quick development sprints, followed by playtesting, will accelerate prototyping to achieve a working
prototype.
Aim 2: Evaluation. Milestones: (1) A usability study with a teacher and students will test the playable prototype. (2)
A feasibility study will test handwashing proficiency among students before and after the trainer intervention. This
feasibility study will use single-case design. Single-case design studies are powerful, well-established approaches to
assess learning interventions in educational and behavioral research. For special education students, who may
exhibit wide variations in both type and severity of disability, the single-case design is particularly appropriate,
because each subject serves as their own control. Repeated, careful measurements during baseline, followed by
similar repeated measurements during intervention with the hand hygiene trainer, can detect changes due to the
trainer, controlling for the variety of disabilities presented in the student population, as well as any potential
improvement that may occur before the intervention is implemented.
Potential for commercial applications include school-district and community-based pre-vocational programs, as well
as large firms that commonly employ people with disabilities, and seek effective hand hygiene programs for their
employees involved in healthcare support, food preparation, or sanitation.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10761562
- **Project number:** 1R43HD113477-01
- **Recipient organization:** INDELIBLE LEARNING, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Jasminka Criley
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $302,424
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2023-09-01 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10761562

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10761562, Interactive hand hygiene training for special education pre-vocational students (1R43HD113477-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10761562. Licensed CC0.

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