A new center on the University of Maryland’s campus will study ways to improve college and career outcomes for young people with disabilities, the university and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Monday.
The new Center for Transition and Career Innovation for Youth with Disabilities will be housed in this university’s education college, as a collaborative project between the university and the state government, according to a news release.
The center will work to create a “comprehensive database on transition services for students with disabilities” to prepare them for college and beyond, according to the release.
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“Bringing this important work together under one center provides benefits to the state, the university, the field — and most importantly, promotes meaningful work and academic opportunities for youth with disabilities,” said Jennifer Rice, dean of the university’s education college.
The center will also research “how, when, and under what circumstances students and youth with disabilities achieve successful careers,” the release said.
The state has been involved in university research efforts before. In 2016, a law was enacted strengthening a partnership between this university and the University of Maryland, Baltimore. The partnership has since pooled resources between the two campuses to create centers for studying cochlear implants, new usages for virtual reality and ways to improve the relationship between police departments and the communities they serve.
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The new center will work alongside the state’s Disabilities Department, as well as the state Education Department’s Division of Rehabilitation Services and Division of Special Education and Early Intervention Services. It will also investigate policy changes that could improve college and career outcomes for students with disabilities.
“This new initiative at UMD will help increase employment and promote economic self-sufficiency for young people with disabilities,” Hogan said, according to the release.
