Removing Barriers for Young People With Disabilities

Newswise — Colorado School of Public Health master’s student Cesar Rosales Cordova is working to remove barriers for young people with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) as they move from child to adult systems of care. A student in the Public Health M.P.H. – Community Health Education Concentration program, his research aims to increase access to community services, including independent living, higher education and employment.

 “Demonstrating to funders and the federal government that these programs are working to improve our job force, to get people in programs where they’re able to do work that means something to them and they’re passionate about is important.”

Cesar Rosales Cordova

He graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in Economics and minors in Mexican American Studies and Ethics, Social and Political Philosophy. His current program — at one of the nation’s only tri-institutional public health schools — includes UNC, the University of Colorado (CU)-Anschutz Medical Campus and Colorado State University.

“My cohort is six to 10 people, and that says a lot about how close we are. We get more one-on-one time with each of the professors. It’s a tightly knit program, and I appreciate that,” Rosales Cordova said.

In addition to his studies, he’s a graduate research assistant.

Last fall, he joined a team comprised of health professionals from UNC, Children’s Hospital Colorado and CU-Anschutz on a federally funded demonstration project named JOBWISE (Joint Opportunities for Bridging Wellness, Integration of Community Services and Supported Employment). JOBWISE benefits autistic youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities aged 14-26 and their families, caregivers and the organizations that serve them. The team’s work will streamline access to health and community professionals during the critical move from child to adult systems of care and improve thriving.

As a first-generation student, Rosales Cordova said he can relate to the study participants who are attempting to access adult care systems for the first time.

“In high school, I couldn’t wrap my head around the process of getting into higher education. With help, I’ve been able to go through this journey of academia and was granted wonderful opportunities. I want to connect youth with autism and epilepsy to resources that took a lot of digging for me to find,” he said. “Demonstrating to funders and the federal government that these programs are working to improve our job force, to get people in programs where they’re able to do work that means something to them and they’re passionate about is important. It provides better health outcomes and gets people more involved in the community.”

Rosales Cordova works on the project with Assistant Professor Aryn Taylor in the College of Natural and Health Sciences’ Department of Rehabilitation and Human Services. Taylor holds a doctorate in philosophy and is a certified rehabilitation counselor and licensed professional counselor candidate. The Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, awarded a grant to CU-Anschutz with a subaward to UNC to fund the program for five years. CU-Anschutz oversees clinical medical intervention and brought UNC into the project to handle evaluation and community engagement.  

Taylor said the research is both qualitative and quantitative, allowing individuals with lived experience of disability to have a voice in the project. She said Rosales Cordova has seamlessly integrated into the project team and led the effort to collect baseline data.

“Cesar’s greatest asset has been his willingness to learn and to try. In this world of research that can sometimes be overwhelming, he’s given his best shot. And it’s exceptional work,” Taylor said. “He genuinely cares about this population of people we’re serving and sees the potential barriers families are facing. In human subject research, we work directly with people trying to improve their quality of life. He’s taken that charge seriously, and he gets that they’re not just numbers on a spreadsheet, but they represent people and families.”

Taylor said the demonstration project is creating Colorado’s first comprehensive framework for how autistic youth with IDD and their families can thrive during their move from child to adult systems of care.

“We’re working to create a collaborative framework so that when patients go to their doctor’s office, the question isn’t just who is going to be my adult provider, it’s also what is my life going to look like in work, school or independent living?” she said.

While the JOBWISE demonstration project focuses on the Denver Metro and Adams County regions, the goal is to one day implement it throughout Colorado. Rosales Cordova said that could happen in the future, but in the meantime, their work can help people now.

“If you change one person’s life, that’s one person who is going to have a better life because of the work you participated in. Wouldn’t you want someone to do that same thing for you?” Rosales Cordova asked.