Hilary Travers, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor of Special Education; Principal Investigator, Transition Tennessee
VKC Member
Overview of Interests
As Principal Investigator (PI) of the Tennessee Department of Education-funded Transition Tennessee (www.transitiontn.org) and an OSEP-funded grant entitled EMPOWERing Youth with Visual Impairment (www.empowervi.org), Dr. Travers' research focuses on supporting the lives of transition-aged youth (students 14 years of age or older) in meaningful and practical ways. Travers has two main research strands. First, she continuously works to understand the preparation of in-school educators who work with transition-aged youth, particularly those working in rural communities. She does this by (a) surveying teachers about their pre- and in-service training opportunities related to transition, (b) endeavoring to understand systems and patterns of collaboration between in-school professionals, outside agencies, and families, and © querying professionals about their confidence in implementing evidence- and research-based transition practices. Second, Travers works to elevate the voices of youth with disabilities to inform her research and resource development. As part of the EMPOWERing Youth with Visual Impairment grant, high school student advisory members provide feedback about the direction of the project; and the quality, accessibility and usability of the resources and materials that are created. Overall, Travers actively works to bridge the research to practice gap by creating resources, compiling information, and developing trainings to improve teacher practice to elevate student experiences and outcomes.
Website
https://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/bio/?pid=hilary-travers