Rebecca Townsend, Ph.D.

Rebecca Townsend, Ph.D., MT-BC, is a postdoctoral researcher at the Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities (KUCD). Her interdisciplinary professional background as a Board-Certified Music Therapist and clinical supervisor has shaped her approach and commitment to inclusive, strengths-based practices for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities across educational, clinical, and community contexts.

Her research program focuses on understanding and promoting self-determination among both people with disabilities and the professionals who support them. She is particularly interested in transferring evidence-based practices for promoting self-determination to new and diverse contexts, drawing on implementation science to support sustainable practice change. Her scholarship spans four interconnected areas: (a) promoting self-determination among practitioners across pre-service training and in-service professional development contexts; (b) supporting the self-determination of students with disabilities in inclusive educational settings; (c) advancing the measurement and assessment of self-determination; and (d) promoting inclusive research practices. Her overall mission is to advance inclusive opportunities, supports, and practices that empower people with and without disabilities to become more self-determined across life domains.

Outside of work, Rebecca enjoys yoga, ballroom dance, embroidery, baking, anything with a cute floral patten, opening all the windows on crisp fall days, and rewatching comfort shows instead of starting something new.