Professional Bio
Dr. Welch is an education specialist for the Community Consultation Program of the Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities (SCDD) and the Kirch Developmental Services Center. She is co-investigator of an NIH study of minimally verbal children with autism. She serves as the Education Discipline Coordinator for URMC's Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Program. Dr. Welch has particular expertise in educational program development for children and young adults with multiple disabilities that include sensory impairments.
Research Bio
Dr. Welch serves as co-investigator for a National Institutes of Health funded, multi-site study of young children with autism, who are minimally verbal. She is also researching identification and service provision for children with developmental disabilities within refugee communities. Her interests include communication options for individuals at the presymbolic or early symbolic levels and the transition to adult services for youths with disabilities.
| Who's Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges |
2004 |
| Francis V. Hanavan Award | University of Buffalo School of Health Related Professions | Buffalo, NY |
2002 |
| Keynote Lecturer | Renwick College | Sydney, Australia |
2002 |
| Award for Best New Professional/Scholarly Publication in Nursing & Allied Health | Association of American Publishers, Professional and Scholarly P |
1996 |
| C. Warren Bledsoe Award | Assoc. for Ed. and Rehab. of the Blind and Visually Impaired |
1996 |
| US Representative to Working Group on Multihandicapped Blind | International Council for the Education of the Visually Handicap |
1991 - 1992 |
| Citizen Committee for Academic Excellence Commendation Award | Seattle Public Schools | Seattle, WA |
1980 |
| Daniel E. Lawler Medal for Community Service | LeMoyne College | Syracuse, NY |
1974 |
