Senior Research Associate, M.A.
mbkillee@syr.eduCurriculum Vita (PDF)
Ms. Killeen is currently Principal Investigator on an in-depth interview project on effective practices in supported decision-making funded by the Administration on Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services. This study entails 60 interviews with persons with disabilities and their supporters and subsequent data analysis and interpretation with the use of qualitative data analysis software. She is also Co-Director on a study on supported decision-making, self-determination, and satisfaction with life. This study entails quantitative data collection from 420 participants with disabilities over four years and is funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research.
Previously, Ms. Killeen was Co-Director on a national online survey for the American Bar Association examining the unique challenges that people of differing sexual orientations, gender identities, and people with disabilities face in the legal profession.
She was Principal Investigator on a qualitative study focused on assistive technology delivery systems involving 90 in-depth interviews with directors, staff, and clients at vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies, state AT Act programs, and centers for independent living (CILs). She was also the lead on a qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with experts in the assistive technology industry on the issues faced by manufacturers in the quickly evolving technology environment. These studies are part of the larger Center on Effective Technology’s (CERT) five-year project conducting case studies of assistive technology deliver models through online surveys.
Ms. Killeen was also part of a team conducting 100 site visits across the country for a project evaluating the accessibility of the American Job Center system for people with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Chief Evaluation Office has contracted with IMPAQ International and BBI to conduct this study. As part of the project, she is traveling to selected centers to interview onsite managers and staff in order to document how their centers serve people with disabilities.
In addition, Ms Killeen completed a qualitative study focused on accommodations issues in the workplace involving 60 in-depth interviews with both employees and supervisors. This study is part of a larger project conducting national surveys to develop a longitudinal costs-benefits analysis of workplace accommodations for the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Workplace Accommodations.
Ms. Killeen was a member of the research team on a two-year project for the Department of Veterans Affairs focused on the mental health needs of Veterans in the workplace. She took the lead on a qualitative project involving 63 in-depth interviews with employees in six Fortune 500 companies. She was also involved in developing and implementing a national survey of 245 companies on their veteran hiring and retention practices. This study resulted in the development and dissemination of tools and resources to support Veterans in obtaining jobs and building viable, meaningful careers. It also resulted in the development and dissemination of tools and resources to support businesses in recruiting, retaining, and promoting veterans.
She took the lead on the qualitative portion of a comprehensive evaluation of StartUP NY—a 3-year demonstration project that developed a collaborative, community-based entrepreneurship program for people with disabilities funded by ODEP. The evaluation included a focus on participant, program, and system-level outcomes using archival analysis, participant milestone and outcome data, participant satisfaction surveys, in-depth interviews of stakeholders, staff, and program participants. She also took the lead on a similar evaluation of the SBA PRIME Inclusive Entrepreneur program (funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration) that provided services and follow-up to people with low income.
Ms. Killeen provided technical assistance in both Ulster County, NY and in Manhattan based on the Inclusive Entrepreneurship model developed in the demonstration projects mentioned above. She conducted a series of learning communities in both locations that began a collaborative process among local agencies and organizations with the goal of developing effective and sustainable entrepreneurship programs. The Ulster County project focused on entrepreneurship for people with psychiatric disabilities; the Manhattan project focused on entrepreneurship for people with disabilities in general. In addition, she co-authored the Tool Kit for Inclusive Entrepreneurship.