In the News
The Importance of Amplifying New Voices in Education: Meet the 2023 EALA New Champion
Meet the 2023 New Champion: Kim Riley In 2019, Kim Riley founded The Transition Academy (TTA) with a mission to make economic inclusion a reality for youth with disabilities, especially for young people of color who have been historically failed by systems. As the mom...
Confronting the ‘High School Cliff’: What Young Adults with Disabilities Need to Succeed: Parents, Advocates Battle Confusing Systems That Delay Future Success
Source: Flatland, KCPT-TV. By Vicky Diaz-Camacho and Cody Boston. Gerald Mitchell, 17, is happiest around his cousins, playing Mario Kart and being in the kitchen. Gerald, who was diagnosed with autism at 2 years old, is timid and soft-spoken. But he is quick to...
Second-annual DiversAbility College and Career Fair back in KCMO
Source: KCTV News. By Joseph Hennessy. Kansas City, MO. (KCTV) - The Transition Academy alongside Down Syndrome Innovations, and Sherwood Autism Center are back for its second annual DiversAbility College and Career Fair. CEO of The Transition Academy Kim Riley said...
How Kansas City groups are rethinking the job market for workers with disabilities
Source: KCUR Radio, Up To Date with Steve Kraske. By Steve Kraske, Elizabeth Ruiz Employment for workers with disabilities has reached a record high, but one Kansas City mom says it's not enough. Local groups are taking a more individualized approach to hiring, and...
Media Coverage of the 2023 KC DiversAbility College and Career Fair
For the second annual KC DiversAbility College and Career Fair, The Transition Academy (TTA) partnered with Down Syndrome Innovations and Sherwood Autism Center to create the city’s only metro-wide event focused on connecting young people with disabilities to...
TRAILBLAZER: KIM RILEY
Source: The Independent, Kansas City’s Journal of Society. Kim Riley knows from experience how difficult it is for parents of students with autism or developmental disabilities to make arrangements for them after they graduate from high school. In 2019, she founded...
College. Work. Starting a business. KC grads with disabilities have options
Source: The Kansas City Beacon. By Maria Benevento. Like many of the 127 participants at Transition Academy’s recent college and career fair for students with disabilities, Logan Burgess came in search of the “next step.” High school “got me to graduate, but that was...
‘DiversAbility’ in Kansas City offers post-high school choices for students with disabilities
Source: KCUR Radio, Up To Date with Steve Kraske. By Steve Kraske, Elizabeth Ruiz, Danie Alexander. A unique college and career fair makes sure youth with disabilities and their parents can explore college and career options. The Transition Academy is the brainchild...
Special Ed COVID-19 study for KCPS and charter schools shows disparities
Let’s face it; people with disabilities, as well as their families and teachers, were experiencing a pandemic long before COVID-19. The pandemic intensified feelings of isolation, frustration and despair that has long plagued this marginalized population. KCPS and...
State of Special Education During COVID-19 In KCPS and Charter Schools
Students with disabilities are most impacted by the disruption in learning brought on by COVID-19. The Transition Academy, in partnership with School Smart KC and UMKC School of Social Work, is administering the "State of Special Education During COVID-19 In KCPS and...