LHSI Intern: Wheelchair Accessibility Research Assistant

Program Summary:    

This internship is offered as a part of the Life-Health Sciences Internship Program (LHSI). This program connects 125 IU Indianapolis undergraduates per year with internships on campus with faculty and staff in a variety of health and science related campus areas/programs. All LHSI internships start in August 2026 and end in April 2027 and are paid $14/hour for up to 10 hours per week. Work-study is accepted but not required.  

Supervisor: Dr. Chang Dae Lee 

Department/Office: Health and Human Sciences Occupational Therapy 

Overview of the internship site: Are you interested in accessibility, disability advocacy, or community-based research? Join our project focused on improving wheelchair accessibility in the Indianapolis metropolitan area. Students will help survey wheelchair users to identify real-world barriers they face while navigating the community. The findings will be used to advocate for improved accessibility and to develop an educational board game that raises awareness of these challenges. This is a great opportunity to gain hands-on research experience while making a meaningful impact in the community. 

Website for more information: 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: As an undergraduate researcher, you will be actively involved in data collection and analysis, including administering surveys to collect community-based data. If time allows, you will also have the opportunity to contribute to the design and development of an educational board game focused on accessibility. We look forward to your participation and the unique perspectives you will bring to our research team. 

Work Environment and Dress Code: The work is performed primarily in an office setting with dress code: casual or smart casual. 

Project-specific qualifications: Once you are involved in this research, you must complete one of the following courses through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) program: Social/Behavioral/Educational Researchers, Stage 1. 

Hours per week: 4-6; flexible within regular work hours 

By the end of the LHSI program, you will: 

Carefully consider, explore, and articulate your career goals, including an analysis of how you arrived at that path and what steps you need to take next. (Community Contributor, Communicator) 

Understand your role and strengths on a professional team and analyze who you would like to become as a professional. (Communicator) 

Gain and strengthen skills relevant to next steps after graduation, such as communication, collaboration, teamwork, analysis/synthesis/evaluation, independence, confronting/challenging failure, problem-solving and perseverance, and constructive criticism. (Problem Solver, Communicator) 

Convey ideas and knowledge effectively through an ePortfolio and presentation of your internship work. (Problem Solver, Communicator) 

Set and meet your own additional learning goals identified with your supervisor. 

LHSI Qualifications    

must be graduating May 2028 or after (usually a current freshman or sophomore in Spring 2026)   

Current full time IU Indianapolis undergraduate in 2026-27 

minimum overall GPA of 2.0   

All majors welcome 

To apply: 

LHSI accepts 125 interns per year. All available sites are listed in Handshake and will start with the position title “LHSI Intern.” Complete the application for LHSI at go.iu.edu/lhsi and list 3-4 internship sites on that application. You will meet with at least 2 of these if selected for interviews.