Minnesota Inclusive Higher Education 2026 Conference
Workforce Ready
Date: Tuesday, September 29, 2026
Time: 9:00 am - 4:15 pm
Location: Metro State University, The Great Hall
700 East 7th Street, Saint Paul, MN
2026 MIHEC Conference Registration
Conference Agenda - Check Back for Updates
The theme of this year's conference, Workforce Ready, underscores a vital connection: how inclusive postsecondary education addresses Minnesota’s workforce needs by preparing individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) for career success.
With access to inclusive higher education, students with IDD earn meaningful credentials that act as powerful career-building tools—positioning them to enter the talent pipeline and thrive in competitive, integrated workplaces.
Research demonstrates that higher education transforms outcomes. For students with IDD, earning a postsecondary education credential leads to better employment outcomes - higher rates of paid employment, increased wages, and greater opportunities for long-term career advancement. It also leads to enhanced independence, expanded social networks, improved self-determination, stronger self-advocacy skills, and deeper community engagement.
The 2026 conference will bring together a diverse network of stakeholders, including students and families, K-12 and higher education leaders, employers and business professionals, disability advocates and state agency staff.
We will learn from and alongside one another, reinforce collaborative relationships, and navigate best practices. Join us as we pave the path toward meaningful credentials, workforce readiness, and successful, competitive careers for students with IDD in Minnesota.
Speaker Biographies
Amy Dwyre D’Agati
University of Maryland College Park
College of Education, Center for Transition and Career Innovation
Director, TerpsEXCEED
Amy Dwyre D’Agati, Senior Faculty Specialist in the College of Education, University of Maryland College Park, is staff at the Center for Transition and Career Innovation. She has her MS in Rehabilitation Counseling/Supported Employment and Transition from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and her BS in Communications Studies and German from Northwestern University. Amy has been working in the field of Transition and Career Development for people with disabilities for nearly 30 years, providing direct employment services to students and their families, partnering with businesses, training transition personnel, and researching and implementing best practices strategies in the field. She established and currently directs UMD’s TerpsEXCEED program, an inclusive postsecondary college experience for students with intellectual disabilities who could not access college in a traditional manner. In addition, she is the PI for the national 5-year Department of Education TPSID grant (Transition Programs for Students with ID in Higher Education). She is also a consultant and subject matter expert for ThinkCollege at UMASS-Boston and was a Technical Assistance Provider on the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: The Collaborative (NTACT:C), a coalition of many universities across the country providing resources and TA to US states and territories, and has provided technical assistance on numerous national model demonstration projects and various states. Amy also has worked on a variety of Disability Innovation Fund grants, including work on the Connecticut Pathways to Competitive Integrated Employment with the Connecticut state Bureau of Rehabilitation Services. Amy also has the experience of growing up with a sibling with an ID, and coordinates her brother’s meaningful residential and community services.
Amy Dwyre D’Agati