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5XÉçÇø has received a five-year grant from the Administration of Community Living’s National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research to evaluate the efficacy of a Professional Development and Case Management (PDCM) Model for Seamless Transition Planning.  The project’s goal is to improve employment outcomes for youth identified as having cognitive disabilities through a collaborative approach to Individual Education Plan and Individual Plan for Employment development, coordinated case management, and service delivery.

Purpose of the Project

The purpose of this project is to test the feasibility of a collaborative approach to planning and providing secondary and postsecondary services and supports for improving the transition outcomes of adolescents with cognitive disabilities. The Professional Development and Case Management (PDCM) model will target school-age and adult service professionals of transition aged youth with disabilities (16-21 yrs.), for ongoing professional development in implementing evidence-based transition practices.

Project Goal

Improve employment outcomes for youth identified as having cognitive disabilities through a collaborative approach to Individual Education Plan and Individual Plan for Employment development, coordinated case management, and service delivery.

Additional Goals

1. Evaluate the Professional Development Case Management model (PDCM) to improve the coordination of transition services
   • We will design, test, and evaluate the Professional Development and Case Management Model (PDCM) to improve the coordination of in- and post-school transition services for youth with cognitive disabilities (pp. 6-8; 64-66). 
   • We will use a mixed-methods approach to evaluate the effectiveness of the PDCM Model (pp. 64-65), including measures of professional development fidelity, pre- and post-tests of IEP and IPE content, and multi-agency collaboration. 
   • Evaluating the usability and feasibility of the PDCM Model will provide information about individual and multi-agency teams overall knowledge growth and change in practices related to the PDCM intervention.
2. Improve implementation of evidence-based practices by multi-agency teams
   • The PDCM model is designed to prepare rehabilitation counselors, special educators, and case managers to jointly develop IEPs and IPEs and coordinate implementation and monitoring of services. The intervention components of the model support teams in overcoming challenges with implementing evidence-based practices.
3. Support multi-agency teams in working with youth with cognitive disabilities to improve employment outcomes
   • Coaching, consisting of quarterly meetings with multi-agency teams over targeted youths’ in-school transition years and continuing one-year post exit, will support teams in collaborative case management, implementing evidence-based practices, problem solving implementation challenges, and securing competitive integrated employment for youth with cognitive disabilities.

Project Benefits

The project aims to develop and refine a collaborative transition service delivery model between local education agencies and disability service providers. 

Possible benefits to participants include:

• Increased knowledge in critical elements of transition planning
• Increase in the quality of individual education plans and individual plans for employment
• Improved coordination and collaboration of professionals involved in transition services for adolescents with cognitive disabilities
• Increase in transition services and outcomes for youth with cognitive impairments

Questions?

For additional information about the project, please contact:

Darlene Unger, Ph.D. (Principal Investigator) at dunger1@kent.edu

The contents of this website were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90DPEM0003).  NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this website do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, or HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.