Graciela Becerra

Reporter

Stories by Graciela Becerra

A crowd surrounds Kim Riley, parent and founder of the Transition Academy. For the past several years, her focus has been to build a network that better assists families whose children have developmental or intellectual disabilities find meaningful careers.

curiousKC | A Resource Guide for Youth with Developmental Disabilities

By Graciela Becerra | April 24, 2023

Here's a guide to transition supports and programs for youth with disabilities in the Kansas City area confronting the "high school cliff."

Woman and young man sitting, man kissing woman head.

Youth With Disabilities and the Resource Gap

By Cody Boston, Vicky Diaz-Camacho, Graciela Becerra | April 20, 2023

While funded programs in Missouri exist to guide youth with disabilities entering young adulthood, families still struggle to find what they need because of barriers such as time, income and paperwork. Kansas City parents say programs are hard to find and systems are confusing. In this episode, families and disability experts outline challenges they face…

A Black mother with short hair and a white blouse crosses her arms around her 17-year old son who has autism. Michelle Mitchell worries about the small things in life, like sending Gerald to a bus stop. The bigger things, like career, are even more dizzying. (Dominick Williams | Flatland)

Confronting the ‘High School Cliff’: What Young Adults with Disabilities Need to Succeed 

By Vicky Diaz-Camacho, Cody Boston, Graciela Becerra | April 20, 2023

Four years ago, a Kansas City mom created a program for young adults with disabilities like her son. Today, that program has become a resource for people facing the "high school cliff."