Renáta Tichá, PhD, is a senior research associate, the co-director of research, and the director of the education practice & policy program area at the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota. She has extensive experience in the development, implementation, and conducting research on assessments and interventions designed to be used with individuals with intellectual and developmental (IDD), and related disabilities. She has been a principal investigator or co-PI on numerous grants, including randomized control trials with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in community residential settings and on a Project of National Significance focused on building capacity in Minnesota for effective transition services for youth with IDD. Dr. Tichá is an adjunct faculty member in educational psychology at the University of Minnesota. She is also co-Director of the Global Resource Center on Inclusive Education (GRC), working on international projects in Japan, Bhutan, India, the Czech Republic, Armenia, and Ukraine. Her publications cover the topics of inclusion, transition to adulthood, employment, as well as social inclusion of youth and adults with disabilities.
Brian Abery, Ph.D., is the director of the global disability rights and inclusion program and co-director of the National Center for College Students with Disabilities at the Institute on Community Integration (ICI), as well as an adjunct faculty member within the special education program at the University. He has been a principal investigator or a co-PI of over eighty externally funded projects, which have included investigations designed to enhance the self-determination of transition-age youth and adults with IDD, facilitate the adoption of approaches to supported decision-making as alternatives to guardianship, and improve the quality of interagency collaboration among agencies responsible for transition services. His recent work has also focused on the development of person-centered outcome measures associated with the delivery of home and community-based services, understanding the impact of the Special Olympics Unified Champion School Program on the social emotional learning and self-determination outcomes of transition-age youth with and without IDD, and evaluating the impact of a new framework for transition recently introduced by the State of Minnesota.
Matthew A Roberts, M.S., has extensive experience in transition-related research and evaluation, with a focus on improving outcomes for transition-aged youth and people with disabilities. He worked for several years on the Institute on Community Integration’s Transition Project of National Significance and has contributed to multiple national and state-level studies aimed at strengthening services and supports for people with disabilities and other marginalized populations. In addition to his research and evaluation work, Matt has worked directly with at-risk youth in various roles and settings. He brings both professional and personal insight to his work, currently parenting a young adult in their own transition to adulthood.
Emily Unholz-Bowden, Ph.D., is a research associate at ICI with a doctorate in educational psychology, with an emphasis in special education. She has postdoctoral training in post-secondary transition and community living services for people with disabilities, including those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Her research background focuses on the development of interventions aimed at teaching skills (e.g., communication, self-advocacy, independent living, decision-making) with both individuals with disabilities and caregivers to improve quality of life during transition to adulthood. Current projects include evaluating postsecondary transition and higher education supports and services for youth with disabilities, supporting the transition of youth with IDD to employment and postsecondary education, and facilitating the adoption of supported decision-making in transition programs.
Julie Kramme, Ph.D., is a research associate at ICI with a doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Minnesota. She is focused on assessing, building, and enhancing school- and community-based systems of effective support for the inclusion of students and adults with disabilities and other valued outcomes. Dr. Kramme has spent more than a decade conducting research in education and human services in schools, provider agencies, states, and addressing national workforce issues with the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota. She uses qualitative and quantitative data involving students and adults with disabilities, family members, and practitioners to better understand experiences and make recommendations for needed support. Prior to working in research, Dr. Kramme was a middle and high school teacher, worked in school psychology assessing individual students and systems, and taught post-secondary courses for undergraduate and graduate students.
Dr. Houseworth, Ph.D., received his doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Minnesota. As a research associate at the Institute on Community Integration, he has worked with both quantitative and qualitative methods to explore many important areas, mostly related to the quality of life of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including transition. Recently, he has worked on the Project of National Significance for Transition at ICI and published work related to transition age and the use of psychotropic medication among young adults with IDD. Dr. Houseworth is also an evaluation specialist for Check & Connect, a school-based mentoring program designed to enhance academic engagement. In this role, he is responsible for a range of activities to monitor the fidelity and effectiveness of the program for transition-age youth.
