• Senior Research Associate
  • Co-director, Global Resource Center for Inclusive Education
  • Co-director, Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on HCBS Outcome Measurement
Email
tich0018@umn.edu
Phone
+1 612-624-5776
Address
Institute On Community Integration
Masonic Inst For The Developing Brain [map]
2025 E River Pkwy
Room 1-304
Minneapolis, MN 55414-3604

Renáta Tichá, Ph.D, has received a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Minnesota in Educational Psychology, with an emphasis in special education. She works as a Research Associate at the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota. She has extensive experience in the development and implementation of assessment and intervention materials for children, youth, and adults with different types of disabilities. She also conducts research, training, and technical assistance in this area. Dr. Tichá is a Principal Investigator on an international grant titled, Developing Leadership Capacity in Inclusive Education: A U.S. - Ukrainian Partnership, and U.S.-based projects on Ecological Momentary Assessment of Leisure Activity Participation among Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Improving Self-determination of Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Wisconsin. Dr. Tichá is also an editor of The Journal of the International Association of Special Education (JIASE).

Curriculum Vitae (pdf)

Projects

Project

Assessments of Students with Significant Disabilities: A Russia-U.S. Partnership (UPP) [Archived]

Established a partnership between the University of Minnesota (UMN) and Krasnoyarsk State Pedagogical University (KSPU), Russia, to develop and evaluate a system of formative assessment suited for …

Project

Validity and Source Reliability of Selected Background Section Items of the NCI Adult Consumer Survey (NCI-ACS) Across Data Sources and States [Archived]

Evaluated the reliability and validity of the Background section of the National Core Indicators Adult Consumer Survey (NCI-ACS) in three states to use these variables in analyses and reporting on …

Project

National Core Indicators Field Initiated Projects Program: Advance Exploration of Factors Affecting Quality of Life Outcomes of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

Used the data sets from the National Core Indicators (NCI) Program with the expertise of the project team to advance disability and rehabilitation research and disseminate and translate results …

Project

Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on HCBS Outcome Measurement (RTC-OM)

Evaluates measures of the quality of life experienced by people with disabilities as a result of receiving services and supports. Past measures tended to focus on money spent on services for …

Project

Special Olympics Partnerships

ICI researchers (Abery, Ticha, and Houseworth) have received funding from Special Olympics International, North America, and Minnesota (SOI, SONA, and SOMN) to collaborate on initiatives to …

Project

Community Participation and Employment as Strategies for Social inclusion: A U.S.-Russian Dialogue [Archived]

Enhances the social inclusion of Russian youth and young adults with disabilities by developing community living and supported employment programs in the Moscow area. Options in Russia for supporte…

Project

Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training Community Living and Participation (ARRT)

Trains one or two post-doctoral participants each year, offering them a program that is rich in research training and experience that is focused on community living and participation of persons …

Project

Enhancing Physical Activity Among Older Adults Using Nao, a Socially Assistive Robot

This interdisciplinary project involved researchers from psychology, special education, and engineering, using a socially assistive robot to promote a healthy lifestyle among older adults. Socially…

Project

Direct Minnesota TBI State Plan

This project has two goals. The first goal is to move the Minnesota TBI State Plan towards racial equity and address the impact of systemic racism on traumatic brain injury (TBI) services and …

Project

National Center for College Students with Disabilities (NCCSD)

ICI has joined with the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) and a number of other partners to oversee and expand the National Center for College Students with Disabilities ( …

Project

Research and Training Center on Community Living (RTC-CL)

Conducts a wide range of research, training, and technical assistance and dissemination projects related to community supports under its center grant and related project funding. The RTC-CL is …

Project

Research Institute on Progress Monitoring (RIPM) [Archived]

Engaged in development of a seamless and flexible system of student progress monitoring for use in K-12 schools across ages, abilities, and curricula. The system resulting from RIPM's research is …

Project

Improving the Self-Determination of Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Wisconsin

Develops an education and technical assistance program for general education teachers in ten schools (five middle schools and five high schools) in Wisconsin, providing them with strategies to …

Project

Making Employment Meaningful for People with Disabilities: A U.S.-Japan Partnership

Japanese companies are required to staff about two percent of their workforces with people with disabilities, but many individuals remain unemployed, underemployed, or stuck in jobs for which they …

Project

Assistive Service Robotics and the Future of Inclusive Employment: A U.S.-Japan Partnership

This collaboration between the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration, the University of Wisconsin - River Falls, the University of Tokyo, and OryLab, Inc. explored how …

Project

Partnering to Transform Health Outcomes with Persons with IDD (PATH-PWIDD)

ICI is collaborating with several organizations on this project, which was developed to improve health and healthcare for persons with IDD by improving education received by students and profession…

Project

Understanding, Developing, and Supporting Meaningful Work for Youth with Disabilities in Bhutan: Networks, Communities, and Transitions

Supported the inclusive community employment of youth and young adults with disabilities in Bhutan, a mountainous kingdom in south central Asia. This research and development program collaborated …

Project

Ecological Momentary Assessment of Leisure Activity Participation Among Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders

This project used an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to better understand the patterns of leisure activity among adults with ASD who live independently and to examine the relationships …

Project

End Diagnostic Overshadowing: Addressing Ableism in the Healthcare Context

This research is intended to confront ableism in healthcare for people with disabilities. The investigators have designed research aims and strategies to reduce implicit bias in the practice of …

Project

Developing Leadership Capacity in Inclusive Education: A U.S.-Ukrainian Partnership

Built capacity in inclusive education practices at the university and public school levels in six regions of Ukraine through lectures, a train-the-trainer model, and mentoring by U.S. experts. …

Project

Community-Based Collaborative Transition Model for Minnesota Youth with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD)

This Project of National Significance aims to increase the community-based employment, participation in higher education, and independence of youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities …

Project

Coordinated Service Pathways for Transition-age Youth with Epilepsy in Minnesota

Develop a family-centered model of transition service pathway coordination across education, healthcare, and vocational rehabilitation for young Minnesota adults with epilepsy and/or co-occurring …

Products

Contextual Factors Associated with Implementing Active Support in Community Group Homes in the United States: A Qualitative Investigation

Although numerous studies in the U.K. and Australia have shown that Active Support (AS) is an effective intervention in increasing staff assistance and engagement for people with intellectual and …

Published: 2017

Using the Independent Monitoring for Quality Program to Examine Longitudinal Outcomes for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

The purpose of this study is to lay a foundation for illustrating the importance of longitudinal data collection by sharing the results of the Independent Monitoring for Quality (IM4Q) program in …

Published: 2023

RIPM Technical Reports: Technical Characteristics of General Outcome Measures (GOMs) in Mathematics for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities (#37)

A report based on the work of the Research Institute on Progress Monitoring, which developed a system of progress monitoring to evaluate effects of individualized instruction on access to and …

Published: January 2010

RIPM Technical Reports: Study of General Outcome Measurement (GOMs) in Reading for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities: Year 1 (#27)

A report based on the work of the Research Institute on Progress Monitoring, which developed a system or progress monitoring to evaluate effect of individualized instruction on access to and …

Published: March 2008

RIPM Technical Reports: Comparison of Different Scoring Procedures for the CBM Maze Selection Measure (#10)

A report based on the work of the Research Institute on Progress Monitoring, which developed a system or progress monitoring to evaluate effect of individualized instruction on access to and …

Published: September 2009

RIPM Technical Reports: Seamless and Flexible Progress Monitoring: Age and Skill Level Extensions in Math, Basic Facts (#2)

A report based on the work of the Research Institute on Progress Monitoring, which developed a system or progress monitoring to evaluate effect of individualized instruction on access to and …

Published: May 2009

RIPM Technical Reports: Seamless and Flexible Progress Monitoring: Age and Skill Level Extensions in Reading (#1)

A report based on the work of the Research Institute on Progress Monitoring, which developed a system or progress monitoring to evaluate effect of individualized instruction on access to and …

Published: September 2009

Current Services and Outcomes of Formerly Institutionalised and Never-institutionalised US Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Propensity Score Matching Analysis

Background : Deinstitutionalization research shows better services and outcomes relative to institutional life but has not compared formerly institutionalised and never-institutionalised service …

Published: 2023

RIPM Technical Reports: General Outcome Measures for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities: Pilot Study (#12)

A report based on the works of the Research Institute on Progress Monitoring, which developed a system of progress monitoring to evaluate effects of individualized instruction on access to and …

Published: January 2006

Moving toward an inclusive education system: Lessons from the U.S. and their potential application in the Czech Republic and other Central and Eastern European countries

In this article, we present the historical and current developments of inclusive education (IE) in the U.S. in the context of recent changes toward a more inclusive approach to education (IE) in …

Published: 2017

Leisure Participation of Autistic Adults: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Feasibility Study

Autistic adults participate less and express lower satisfaction in leisure activities than nonautistic adults, although literature is limited. The multifaceted nature of leisure participation …

Published: 2023

Examining Choice and Control for People With IDD Over Time

Choice making is an important aspect of everyone’s life in terms of fully becoming an adult within a democratic society. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are at risk …

Published: 2023

Policy Research Brief: Residential Setting and Individual Outcomes: An Assessment of Existing National Core Indicators Research

A brief providing states with information to help their new policy and service developments comply with regulatory criteria that the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services specified in March …

Published: July 2014

Home and Community-Based Services: Creating Systems for Success at Home, at Work and in the Community

A report reviewing the research on outcomes since the Supreme Court's decision in Olmstead v. L.C. (1999), and finds that strong trends indicate that smaller, more dispersed and individualized …

Published: February 24, 2015

Impact: Feature Issue on Self-Determination and Supported Decision-Making for People with Intellectual, Developmental, and Other Disabilities

An issue in the Impact series that looks at how people with disabilities are exercising and experiencing self-determination in the U.S. and other countries today, and at the emergence of Supported …

Published: Fall 2019

Impact: Feature Issue on Transition in a Global Context for People with Intellectual, Developmental, and Other Disabilities

This issue in the Impact series focuses on transition in a global context. Preparing for life after high school—whether that means college, work, or simply living in the community—varies greatly …

Published: Fall 2022

Active Support training, staff assistance, and engagement of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the United States: Randomized controlled trial

Two non-U.S. quasi-experimental studies reported Active Support training was associated with increased engagement in individuals with IDD, but no randomized controlled trials (RCTs) exist. We …

Published: 2019-03-01

Health Professionals' Education Related to People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Scoping Review

Background: People with intellectual and developmental disabilities are among the most underserved in an inequitable healthcare system. Methods: Using Arksey and O'Malley's methodology and a …

Published: 2024

Community Participation and Staying Home if You Want: US Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Background: Requiring adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to go on community outings with co-residents and staff is contrary to community-living policy's focus on person …

Published: 2022

Advances and Gaps in Policy, Practice, and Research in Transition for Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Across Four Countries

The difficulties faced by youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families as they move into adulthood are widely documented. The aim of the paper is to explore the …

Published: 2024

HCBS Outcome Framework Results

A webinar for policymakers and family members on the results of the process used to validate the National Quality Forum HCBS Outcome Framework.

Published: 2017

Policy Research Brief: Developments in Living Arrangements and Choice for Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

A brief examining how living arrangements and choice have changed for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) over the past 10 years. Choice is an important component of self …

Published: 2018

Participation and Companions for Socially Inclusive Community Activities by U.S. Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

We investigated socially inclusive participation in mainstream community groups and religious services by U.S. adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities using weighted secondary …

Published: 2023

Policy implications, eligibility, and demographic characteristics of people with intellectual disability who access self-directed funding in the United States

This study identifies factors (state of residence, personal characteristics, and living situation) associated with access to self-directed funding (SDF) for adults with intellectual disability in …

Published: 4/1/2021

Editorial: Improving the Quality of Outcome Measurement for Adults with Disabilities Receiving Community-based Services

This special issue of Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences: Disability, Rehabilitation, and Inclusion is designed to fill this gap in understanding the current landscape of measurement approaches …

Published: 2023

Correlates of Everyday Choice and Support-Related Choice for 8,892 Randomly Sampled Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in 19 States

This article examines everyday choices made by 8,892 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and support-related choices made by 6,179 adults with IDD receiving services from …

Published: 2012

Handbook on Community Living and Employment

Highlights key topics in community living and employment opportunities and services/supports relevant to those within the human services systems, people with disabilities, and their families in …

Published: 2019

Incentives, Wages, and Retention Among Direct Support Professionals: National Core Indicators Staff Stability Survey

Direct support professionals (DSPs) provide a range of supports in a variety of settings to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who count on these supports to live, work, …

Published: 4/15/2022

Impact: Feature Issue on Crisis Management for People with Intellectual, Developmental, and Other Disabilities

An issue in the Impact series that looks at crisis management for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, following a year of global pandemic, natural disasters, and social unrest …

Published: Spring 2021

Transition Practices to Promote Active Citizenship of Youth with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Transition to adulthood is often defined in traditional terms of transitioning to employment, post- secondary education, and community living. Based on the experiences of youth and young adults …

Published: 2025

Employment and Participation in Meaningful Activities for Persons with Disabilities in Bhutan: Results from a National Survey

The Comprehensive Survey of Transition and Employment of Youth with Disabilities in Bhutan was conducted in late 2019, as part of a project on employment and meaningful participation of youth with …

Published: 2022

Measuring Outcomes of People with Disabilities in the US: Current Challenges and Opportunities

Over the past decade as a best practice and in compliance with federal and state HCBS policies, U.S. states are required to measure the impact of the services they provide to persons with disabilit…

Published: 2021

Inclusive Education Strategies: A Toolkit for Armenia

This toolkit was designed by faculty and staff from the University of Minnesota and Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU) in the Republic of Armenia to help educators to include students …

Published: 2019

Quality of Disability Support Services Matters: EU and U.S. Perspectives

In this chapter, the authors discuss the history and context of support services for people with disabilities in the European Union (EU) and the U.S., review approaches to evaluation and measuremen…

Published: 1/31/2023

Community Employment, Facility-based Work, and Day Activities for Working Age People with Intellectual and Developmental Disability

Background: Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) participate in a variety of day/employment activities including community-based activities and work and facility-based …

Published: 2022

School and Classroom Disabilities Inclusion Guide for Low- and Middle-Income Countries

This guide emphasizes that inclusive education – which fully engages all children in quality education, including children with various types of disabilities or other learning challenges – is …

Published: January 2017

Examining the National Core Indicators' potential to monitor rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities according to the CRPD

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) aims to change attitudes and policies toward individuals with disabilities worldwide and to foster the inclusion and independence …

Published: 2019-09-10

Using the Independent Monitoring for Quality (IM4Q) Program to Examine Employment in Integrated Settings in the Community for People with IDD over Time

Background : Community-based employment is a key step for many adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), a group prone to high unemployment, poverty, and dependency. It is …

Published: 2023

Disability-Inclusion Resources for Employment, Coaching, and Training

The Online Resource and Learning Center was developed by experts in the US, UK and Bhutan as part of an international collaborative titled Understanding, Developing, and Supporting Meaningful Work for Youth with Disabilities in Bhutan: Networks, Communities, and Transitions. This resource is designed to support the socio-economic inclusion of persons with disabilities in low and middle income countries. The online modules cover the topics of Inclusive Employment, Transition and Work-Based Learning, and Self-Determination and Self-Advocacy, among others.

Published: 4/12/2021

Predictors of Annual and Early Separations Among Direct Support Professionals: National Core Indicators Staff Stability Survey 

Direct support professionals (DSPs) provide a broad range of supports in a variety of settings to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) that enables people to live, work, …

Published: 9/1/2021

Interventions Used with the Direct Support Workforce in Home and Community-Based Settings: A Scoping Review

This scoping review fills the gap on key characteristics of interventions and trainings for direct support workforce (DSW) of adults across disabilities and aging adults. We included quantitative …

Published: 2024

Trends in Privacy of Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Before and After the Home and Community-Based Services Final Rule

In 2014, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Final Rule intended to improve the quality of HCBS for people with disabilities. …

Published: 9/14/2024

The Spanish version of the Teacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practice (TEIP) scale: Adaptation and psychometric properties

The Teacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practice (TEIP) scale is an instrument created by Sharma et al. to assess efficacy of instruction in inclusive settings. Despite its increase in use, the TEIP …

Published: 2020-04-15

Transitional Challenges: Psychotropic Medication and Residential Setting Among Young Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

As youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are transitioning from the school systems and special education supports, many of them are moving into the adult service system (e.g …

Published: 2024

Inclusive Education Strategies: A Textbook

This textbook is a resource for implementing inclusive education practices in Armenia, other post-Soviet countries, and countries on the path to a more inclusive education and society. The content …

Published: 2018

Risk Adjustment in Home and Community Based Services Outcome Measurement

The purpose of this study was to review and evaluate existing research that used risk adjusters in disability research. Risk adjustment controls for individual characteristics of persons when …

Published: 4/7/2022

Mothers and Fathers with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Who Use US Disability Services: Prevalence and Living Arrangements

Background: Little information is available on the prevalence of mothers and fathers with intellectual and developmental disabilities among US disability-service users. Child removal is a key …

Published: 2022

Research-Based Interventions that Work: Improving Retention and Graduation Rates for College Students with Disabilities

This poster was prepared to illustrate a project under the National Center for College Students with Disabilities (NCCSD), a collaboration between ICI and the Association on Higher Education And …

Published: 2023

The Value of Employment for People with Disabilities Around the World: The Dignity of Work

Receiving education and training that lead to a meaningful job, having a career, and being a valued contributor to a professional environment is taken for granted by many. Historically, however, …

Published: 2024

Supporting Employment for Persons with Disabilities in Bhutan: Results from an Employer Survey

This report presents the results of an employer survey in Bhutan focused on recruiting, hiring, and employing people with disabilities. The survey results show a need for significant change if …

Published: 2022

Indicators of Self-Determination in Wisconsin using National Core Indicators Data

This report examined indicators of self-determination in the state of Wisconsin, in the region, and nationally for people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) using the …

Published: 2020

Topics

  • Education practices (K12 and transition)
    • Inclusive education
    • Inclusive service learning
    • Instructional strategies
    • Literacy
    • Youth development and leadership
  • Community life
    • Civil rights
    • Community supports and services
    • Self-advocacy and self-determination
    • Social inclusion
    • Consumer/self-directed services
  • Specific life stage
    • Children
    • Adolescents and young adults
    • Adults
  • Culture and diversity
    • International initiatives
  • Housing and residential services
    • Community group residential
    • Consumer/self-directed services
    • Family supports/in-home services
  • Educational accountability and assessment
    • Accountability
    • Assessment (large-scale, alternate)
    • Progress monitoring
    • Assessment of individuals
  • Specific disability
    • Intellectual/developmental disability (IDD)
    • Learning disabilities
    • Multiple disabilities

Activities

  • Research
  • Training and professional development
  • Technical assistance
  • Evaluation
  • Outreach