Transition Academy for Paraeducators


The Transition Academy for Paraeducators (TAP) addresses NIDILRR’s employment outcome domain and WIOA (2014) by developing an innovative, web-based training package to strengthen high school paraeducators’ capacity to support vocational skill-building aligned with Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). TAP is currently in the development phase.

The project’s primary objective is a two-year, participatory development process conducted in partnership with paraeducators, special education teachers, vocational rehabilitation professionals, adults with IDD serving as auditors, and an inclusive media team. This process will result in a five-module multimedia training system that integrates instructional content, applied practice activities, and communication and coaching protocols for school-based teams.

We are looking for transition-related educational professionals (certified, classified, specialists) and individuals who are in or have completed a public school-based transition program for filmed interviews to integrate into our training materials. Please reach out to Dr. Knowles for more information at cknowles@uoregon.edu.

Design Team

Research Team

Product Auditing Team

The contents of this project were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90IFDV0043). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this development work do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, or HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.