Program Description

The Self-Determination Technical Assistance Centers project at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte is funded by a three year federal grant from the Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, H324R030029. The purpose of the project is to assist programs identified as demonstrating exemplary practices in promoting self-determination for students with disabilities to become Self-Determination Technical Assistance Centers for other local education agencies in their states. The four programs participating in the project are in (1) Colorado Springs, Colorado, (2) Fountain, Colorado, (3) Overland Park, Kansas, and (4) Monroe County, New York. These programs use a wide range of strategies to promote self-determination for students ages 11 to 21 with mild, moderate, and severe disabilities.

The project focuses on improving and expanding the “exemplary practices” for promoting self-determination currently used in the four sites, as well as providing each site with support to assist with providing training and materials to others (school administrators and teachers, parents, and students) in their state. The project will also disseminate such products as research papers, conference handouts, a replication manual, lesson plans, and a curriculum guide.