Launched in 2023, the Socialization To Enrich Participation & Support Sexuality (STEPS2) project is a novel research initiative testing the efficacy of socialization and sex education classes designed specifically for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities within a randomized control trial. This research is funded for five years by the National Institute of Health, National Institute for Child Health and Development, Office of Disease Prevention and Project INCLUDE. In addition to the Co-Principal Investigators Suzanne McDermott and ISPH Investigator Heidi Jones, the team includes ISPH Investigator Zach Shahn as biostatistician and Abigail Lyons, Jordan Fogle, Ariel Davis, Abigail Winokur, Racquel Johnson, Laura Robinson, Adriana Padilla, and Gabrielle de Fiebre.
In Spring and Summer 2023, the STEPS2 team collaborated with Lived Experience Consultants and their Community Advisory Board to update the sexual health curriculum, which takes a person-centered approach to sexual health education. From this collaboration the team created an illustrated participant manual, facilitator guide and resource inventory.
Classes commenced in November 2023, and over 300 participants have enrolled in STEPS2 so far. Ages 16-27, the adolescents and young adults who participate are randomized to either one-on-one classes about healthy relationships, sexual health and self-advocacy or the control arm which offers small group classes about healthy eating, exercise and stress management. Both classes are offered once a week over Zoom for six weeks. You can hear from the Health Educators and Lived Experienced Consultants’ in our video, made in collaboration with Positive Exposures.
The STEPS2 project has been a major endeavor made possible through community organization partnerships that have been instrumental in participant recruitment. The project has also greatly benefited from the involvement of CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy MPH fieldwork students, who, as part of their experiential learning requirements, have joined the STEPS2 team to assist in data management and verification as well as promotional and communication efforts for STEPS2.
The team continually seeks new collaborations to reach the goal of enrolling 860 adolescents and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities across New York State. To learn more or to contact the STEPS2 team, please visit: https://cunyisph.org/projects/steps2/

Shown at left are CUNY SPH MPH students, Nirvana Narayan and Deanna Berlin tabling at a NYC District 75 Back to School event to share about STEPS2.