A Community-Based, Collaborative Transition Model for Minnesota Youth with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

The Institute on Community Integration (ICI) is currently leading a Community-Based Collaborative Transition Model project to improve the transition experiences and outcomes of Minnesota students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The project intersects with MIHEC's inclusive higher education efforts to expand postsecondary education options for students with an intellectual disability. Renáta Tichá, Brian Abery, and Seunghee Lee will share the project goals, the project's preliminary findings, and the next steps. They will also discuss the importance of the collaborative group of stakeholders who are project partners: MIHEC, school districts, state agencies, local service providers, and disability advocacy agencies.

Presenter Biographies:

Renáta Tichá, PhD, received her PhD in Special Education at the University of Minnesota in 2008. She has extensive experience in development, implementation, and conducting research with individuals with intellectual and developmental, and related disabilities. She has been a principal investigator or co-PI on multiple grants, including randomized control trials with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in community residential settings. Dr. Tichá is a PI on a five-year project focused on building capacity in Minnesota for effective transition services for youth with IDD. She is also a co-PI on the Research and Training Center on HCBS Outcome Measurement. She is a Co-Director of the Global Resource Center on Inclusive Education, working on international projects in Japan, Bhutan, India, Czech Republic, and other countries focused on inclusion in education, employment, and social inclusion.

Brian Abery, PhD, is the Co-Director of the Research and Training Center on HCBS Outcome Measurement, a Principal Investigator on grants related to the enhancement of the life quality of children, youth, and adults with disabilities. Dr. Abery holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Psychology and has an extensive background in research, program development, and evaluation related to children, youth, and adults with disabilities. He is also an adjunct faculty member within the Institute on Child Development and School Psychology Programs at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Abery has been the Principal Investigator of numerous projects designed to enhance the social inclusion and self-determination of persons with disabilities. Dr. Abery is a co-director of a number of international grants, including projects with Bhutan and Japan. He serves as a consulting editor of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Seunghee Lee, PhD, is a Research Associate at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration. She received her PhD in Special Education at the University of Oregon with a focus on Secondary Special Education and Transition. She has over ten years of clinical and research experience in the field of special education and disability-related services. She has engaged in varied research projects using various research methodologies (e.g., a randomized wait-list control trial, meta-analysis, case study, survey for outcome measures, and secondary data analysis) through different research projects. She also collaboratively works with a multidisciplinary team, including practitioners, relevant service providers, state agencies, and families across different settings to enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities and their families.

This is a MIHEC Learning Community Event, hosted by the Minnesota Inclusive Higher Education Consortium.