Sarah Carlson, Ph.D.

Sarah completed her post-doctoral research fellowship at the VUMC Transitions Lab and is now an Assistant Professor of Special Education at the University of New Mexico. Sarah received her doctorate in Special Education from the University of Kansas in 2021. Through her research, Sarah seeks to identify and understand factors influencing the post-school outcomes of adults with intellectual disability and their families. Specifically, Sarah’s research centers on understanding the perspectives and experiences of people with intellectual disability and their families; analyzing long-term services and supports and the policies that govern them; and identifying effective strategies to be implemented by secondary special education teachers and transition specialists. Prior to her doctoral studies, Sarah worked as a Transition Coordinator for a Community-Based Transition Program in Colorado Springs, Colorado.