Making a significant and sustainable difference in quality of life
Supported Decision Making
Beach Center researchers are developing assessments and interventions to increase personal autonomy for individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) through supported decision making.
Families
The Beach Center focus on research for and about families worldwide whose members include individuals with disabilities. Our work has influenced policy, service and training to support not only families but also practitioners who serve families and their members with disabilities.
Family Employment Awareness Training
Family Employment Awareness Training (FEAT) is designed for individuals with disabilities and their families to increase expectations for competitive employment and awareness of resources in Kansas supporting individuals with disabilities to be competitively employed.
Self-Determination
Beach Center investigators are internationally-recognized leaders in research on and interventions to promote the self-determination of children, youth, and adults with (and without) disabilities. Research at the Beach Center has established causal evidence for the impact of promoting self-determination and self-determination status on better school and transition outcomes and more positive quality of life and life satisfaction. This work spans from early childhood to adolescence and adulthood and examines the importance of self-determination across multiple contexts (school, employment, independent living, health, etc.). The important role of parents and family members, professionals and children, youth, and adults with disabilities in achieving more positive self-determination outcomes is explored and supports for these stakeholders developed, evaluated, and disseminated.
CI3T
Comprehensive, Integrated Three-Tiered (Ci3T) model of prevention is a data-informed, graduated systems of support constructed to address student's multiple needs in academic, behavioral, and social domains that can be designed to fit the needs of each school or academic unit.
Kansas Institute for Positive Behavior Support
Positive Behavior Support (PBS) is a research-based, person-centered framework focused on decreasing problem behavior and increasing quality of life.
Transition Coalition
The Transition Coalition maximizes professional development opportunities for educators of secondary transition and college and career readiness of youth with disabilities.
Postsecondary Education (KU-TPE)
The University of Kansas Transition to Postsecondary Education (KU-TPE) is a federally-funded project to implement an inclusive college program at KU for young adults with intellectual disabilities who have completed high school and are 18-24 years old.