Katie Brendli Brown

Katherine (Katie) Brendli Brown, Ph.D., is a Research and Evaluation Associate for the K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Institute on Employment and Disability (YTI), in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University. Dr. Brendli Brown is a Fellow of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (FAAIDD), a prestigious honorary designation that recognizes her meritorious contributions to the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities. Her mission is to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities through research, service, and advocacy by identifying and advancing practices that support individual self-determination and foster meaningful participation in decisions and systems that affect their lives, contributing to a more inclusive society. 

Dr. Brendli Brown is the Co-PI of "Navigating Pathways to STEM Careers: Perspectives of Autistic Students, Career Counselors, and STEM Employers” research study, funded by the National Science Foundation, an mixed-method, participatory action research (PAR) initiative focused on the barriers and facilitators of success in the job interview for STEM careers for Autistic college students and recent graduates. This project integrates the voices and perspectives of community members with lived experience and expertise in autism and STEM employment, including Autistic adults, STEM employers, and college career counselors. Dr. Brendli Brown also co-leads "Identifying Activities Linked to Improve Outcomes for Autistic Youth", funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. Also a mixed-method, PAR initiative, this project targets predictors of employment, education, independent living, and community participation for Autistic youth, with a particular focus on college experiences connected to academic achievement, persistence, and graduation. This research is part of a larger initiative called ATTAIN, the Autism Transition to Adulthood Initiative, in which Dr. Brendli Brown serves as the lead qualitative researcher and intervention specialist. 

Dr. Brendli Brown also supports the "Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability" (EARN) project, funded by the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), in which she conducts environmental scans that inform resources for employers to increase their capacity to recruit, hire, retain, and advance people with disabilities. 

Program evaluation efforts include her role as the lead external evaluator of "Rapid User-centered Design and Optimization of Lab Facilities (RUDOLF) for STEM Inclusion" (RUDOLF), funded by the National Science Foundation. This project focuses on identifying physically accessibly engineering laboratory spaces for wheelchair users. She is also an evaluator for a model demonstration project with Oregon Vocational Rehabilitation (VR), called the "Inclusive Career Advancement Program" (ICAP), funded by the Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Rehabilitation Services Administration. This project focuses on career pathways for community college students with disabilities.

Formerly, she served as the lead qualitative researcher for a multi-year person-centered planning training intervention study and as a data associate for the New York Office of Special Education’s Partnership, in which she conducted project evaluation, professional development, and technical assistance to New York state regions in order to support greater data-based decisions within school districts to improve educational experiences and outcomes for youth with disabilities.

*It is important to note that Dr. Brendli Brown’s profile uses both person-first and identity-first language. Dr. Brendli Brown strives to remain updated on the diverse preferences in disability-related terminology and strove to incorporate current (at date of publication) preferences accordingly into her profile.