Michael McSheehan, a project director with the Institute on Disability/UCED, has been affiliated with the Institute on Disability since 1993. Michael currently serves as the Coordinator of Technical Assistance for the School-wide Integrated Framework for Transformation (SWIFT) Center, established in 2012, which is a national K-8 center that provides academic and behavioral support to promote the learning and academic achievement of all students, including students with disabilities and those with the most extensive needs.
Michael was a developer, researcher, and author of The Beyond Access Model, which has been used successfully by schools across the United States to promote membership in general education classrooms, participation in general education instruction, and learning of general education curriculum by students with significant disabilities.
In partnership with the NH Department of Education, Michael coordinated a four-year effort to revise the NH Alternate Assessment (Gaining Access). He brings insights and lessons learned from that project to a partnership with University of Kentucky (NCSC) and a national consortium of states to design and implement alternate assessment based on common core state standards and the vision of career and college readiness for students with significant disabilities. Michael also coordinated with seven elementary schools and five school districts/SAUs to develop and implement a Response-to-Intervention model that blends academic and behavioral supports (NH RESPONDS).
Michael consults with various state education agencies and is nationally recognized for his presentations at conferences and exceptional skills in working with teams to solve challenging problems within school-wide improvement and reform efforts.
