Youth-based participatory research: lessons learned from a transition research study.
Transitions to postsecondary education for youth with disabilities, special health care needs, or both are often challenging. Adults design most interventions aimed at assisting youth in the transition process. In this article, we report on how youth can enhance transition interventions and research. Youth representing a variety of community-based organizations that serve diverse immigrant populations served as co-researchers in a randomized controlled study called OPT4College, a program that provides postsecondary education transition support for youth with disabilities, special health care needs, or both. This youth-based participatory study used an iterative process that is quite different from the traditional research-study flow. The involvement of empowered youth and communities, in concert with academic and public health partners, increases the probability of creating interventions that ensure successful postsecondary transitions for youth with disabilities, special health care needs, or both.
Institute for Community Inclusion, University of Massachusetts, 100 Morrissey Blvd, Boston, MA 02125-3393, USA. myra.rosenreynoso@umb.edu
Myra
M
Rosen-Reynoso
Matthew
M
Kusminsky
Stelios
S
Gragoudas
Heather
H
Putney
Morgan K
MK
Crossman
James
J
Sinclair
Jadine
J
Yarde
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D035843:Biomedical Research; D003479:Curriculum; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult