From College to Career: Strengthening Employment Outcomes after Postsecondary Education for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) (FCTC) is a project that looks at how postsecondary education (PSE) programs help students with IDD move from college into employment.
Our goal is to help staff at college programs better support students with IDD to find jobs after graduation. The project has the following objectives:
- Understand the employment outcomes of students who attended PSE and the characteristics of students who are and are not employed after attending;
- Understand the strategies PSE programs use to support students to obtain employment;
- Understand the knowledge and skills PSE program staff need to support students to navigate barriers to employment; and
- Translate findings into an intervention to improve PSE program staff’s ability to support students to obtain employment after PSE.
The project involves a series of three research studies and the development of a training curriculum.
Study 1 reviews existing data to understand how often students with IDD get jobs after college and what supports they received.
Study 2 involves interviews with people at college programs where students are successfully getting paid jobs to learn what practices make a difference and what barriers exist.
Study 3 uses what is learned in studies 1 and 2 to design training and practical tools that help college staff support students in moving from college to work.
The project is advised by a National Advisory Board.
Findings from the project will be translated into practical, easy-to-use information and tools designed to support PSE program staff in strengthening career preparation and transition to employment.
Timeline
The grant funding period is September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2028
Funded By
Funded by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), Award Number HHS-2025-ACL-NIDILRR-DPEM-0112.
Principal Investigators
- Jean Winsor, Co-Principal Investigator
- Clare Papay, Co-Principal Investigator
Team
- Rachel Adams-Duffy – Advocacy Advisor
- Heike Boeltzig-Brown - Study 2 Co–Principal Investigator
- Caitlyn Bukaty – Study 2 Co–Principal Investigator
- Belkis Choiseul-Praslin – Study 1 Co–Principal Investigator
- Meg Grigal, PhD – Subject Matter Expert
- Sheila Johnson – Knowledge Translation Specialist
- Matthew McClellan – Research Staff
- Alberto Migliore – Study 1 Co–Principal Investigator
- Brittany Powers – Study 3 Co–Principal Investigator
- John Shepard – Research Staff
- Chelsea Stinnett – Study 3 Co–Principal Investigator
- Allison White – Research Staff
Agnes Zalewska – Research Staff
Contacts
- Jean Winsor, Jean.Winsor@umb.edu
- Clare Papay, Clare.Papay@umb.edu
Publications/Media
Coming soon