Life Beyond the Classroom ─ Transition Strategies for Young People With Disabilities

Ms. Brooke is a faculty member at VCU and has been working in the field of employment for people with disabilities since 1979. She is Project Director for the Social Security Administrationa€?s Regional Benefits Planning, Assistance, and Outreach Technical Assistance Center. Ms. Brooke is nationally recognized for her personnel training programs and technical assistance work at the local, state, and federal levels. She has authored numerous book chapters, journal articles, newsletters, and fact sheets on transition and employment for people with disabilities. Her areas of interest include creating business partnerships, systems change, and self-advocacy leadership.

Erik W. Carter, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Special Education, University of Wisconsina€“Madison, 432 East Campus Mall, Madison, Wisconsin 53706

Dr. Cartera€?s research, teaching, and writing focus on effective strategies for including youth andyoung adults with disabilities meaningfully in schools and communities. He is the author ofIncluding People with Disabilities in Faith Communities: A Guide for Service Providers,Families, and Congregations (Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2007) and co-author of PeerBuddy Programs for Successful Secondary School Inclusion (Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.,2008) and The Transition Handbook: Strategies High School Teachers Use That Work! (Paul H.Brookes Publishing Co., 2000). Prior to receiving his doctorate from Vanderbilt University, hewas a high school transition teacher in San Antonio, Texas.

Elizabeth Evans Getzel, Ph.D., is Director of Postsecondary Education Initiatives with the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Workplace Supports at Virginia Commonwealth University. She has extensive experience conducting research, evaluation, and training in the areas of transition planning for secondary students with disabilities, postsecondary education for students with disabilities, and career planning/employment for individuals with disabilities. She currently directs approximately $3 million of grant-funded projects focusing on supported education in postsecondary education, career development for college students with disabilities, faculty professional development focusing on universal design principles, and secondary education transition services. Her research interests include secondary education transition planning, self-determination skills of college students with disabilites, and effective services and supports for college students with disabilities. Ms. Getzel serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disabilityand is on the editorial boards for the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation and The Journal for Vocational Special Needs Education She has authored or co-authored journal articles and book chapters on transition, career development, postsecondary education, and employment. In addition, Ms. Getzel has presented extensively at state, national, and international conferences and at meetings on her projects and research areas.

Mr. Griffin is Senior Partner at Griffin-Hammis Associates, LLC, a full-service consultancy specializing in building communities of economic cooperation, creating highperformance organizations, and focusing on disability and employment. He is also Codirector of the U.S. Department of Labora€?s National Self-Employment Technical Assistance, Resources, and Training project with Virginia Commonwealth University and former Director of Special Projects at the Rural Institute at The University of Montana. He is also past director of an adult vocational program in southern Colorado, former Assistant Director of the Rocky Mountain Resource and Training Institute, and former Founder and Executive Director of CTAT in Colorado.

Carolyn Hughes, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Special Education at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenne