Martha has been dedicated to increasing college options for students with intellectual disabilities.
Dr. Martha Mock is Associate Professor and Director, Institute for Innovative Transition at the U of R.
Martha’s move to Rochester in 2006 from Wisconsin was perfect for the Foundation and the community.
We had just published our findings and recommendations for improving transition services for students with IDD as they graduate high school and prepare for the adult world.
We needed a leader in educational transition; a leader who knew how to mobilize community resources, school districts, State Ed, adult service organizations, students and families to work together – not an easy task by any stretch of the imagination.
We found our leader in Dr. Martha Mock, who has worked tirelessly to create college options for students with IDD and develop best practices at local colleges.
The 4 college partners in the TPSID initiative – Keuka College, MCC, Roberts Wesleyan and UR – have provided enriched experience and certificate programs to hundreds of students with IDD over the past 5 years.
We thank them for their commitment and continued participation.
In addition to these 4 programs, another 18 colleges in the western NY region have programs for students with IDD.
Congratulations, Martha, on your award!
Martha Mock, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at the University of Rochester’s Warner Graduate School of Education and the Director of the Institute for Innovative Transition. For more than 25 years, Dr. Mock has worked with and been a tireless advocate for people with disabilities and their families in educational and community-based settings. She has worked to bring additional resources to our region and state to increase college options for people with intellectual disabilities and awareness of postsecondary options to families and students in New York.
She currently leads the federally-funded Western New York Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID) initiative that provides a consortium of partnering colleges/universities, schools, and adult agencies with technical assistance and training that has enabled them to create or expand high-quality, inclusive model comprehensive transition and postsecondary programs for students with intellectual disabilities. Over the past five years, almost 200 students have participated in a meaningful college experience at four local higher education institutions, including Keuka College, Monroe Community College, Roberts Wesleyan College, and the University of Rochester, as part of the Western New York TPSID initiative.
The Institute for Innovative Transition was founded in 2008, through a partnership with the B. Thomas Golisano Foundation and the University of Rochester. Under Dr. Mock’s leadership, the Institute has secured grants, totaling over $7 million, focusing on youth and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities from federal, state, and private foundation funders. Some funders include the U.S. Department of Education, NYS Developmental Disability Planning Council, and the B. Thomas Golisano Foundation. Dr. Mock has roots as an educator and researcher with expertise and special interests in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, transition, employment, inclusive higher education, person-centered planning, and systems change. She was the recipient of the Marc Gold Innovative Practices in Transition Award from the Division on Career Development and Transition in 2012 and the EP Maxwell J. Schleifer Distinguished Service Award in 2009.
A former special education teacher, Dr. Mock holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Special Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is on the Board of Directors at CP Rochester and resides in Brighton with her husband Dr. Jeffrey Choppin and their 10-year-old daughter, Delilah.
