Sheida Khamsi is the Spring 2017 Assistant Virtual Trainee. She is also a UCEDD trainee at the Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities at the University of Kansas. Within AUCD, Sheida's role is to work with the Virtual Trainee to enhance diversity within the AUCD network and generate and implement new ideas for effective communication and connection between all Centers and Programs.

Sheida comes to AUCD with six years of experience serving people with disabilities in various roles. She began her experience in the disability field as a special education teacher for elementary-aged students with ASD in California. After some years of teaching, Sheida had the opportunity to join the Vanderbilt University UCEDD and assumed an active role in creating and disseminating information to individuals with disabilities, their families, and employers in an effort to enhance employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities across the state of Tennessee. Upon graduation, Sheida pursued a research assistantship at the University of Kansas' (KU) UCEDD, the Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities, where her projects focused on developing and validating a new assessment of self-determination. This past fall, she joined the KU Special Education doctoral program, and her areas of interest include self-determination and strengths-based approaches to inclusive education. Through these experiences, Sheida has gained experience in project management, community organization, and leadership that she utilizes to influence educational and social institutions to promote the inclusion, participation, and independence of individuals with disabilities.

Sheida earned her M.Ed. from Vanderbilt University's Peabody School of Education, with an emphasis on Severe Disabilities. She holds a B.S. degree in Severe Special Education with a minor in Math Education from Boston University.