About Judith

Judith is the director of the Center on Community Living and Careers at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community.  She has over 20 years of experience as a special education teacher, direct service provider, advocate, researcher and technical assistance provider. Her research has primarily focused on promoting high expectations for employment of people with disabilities and on supporting individuals and their families to access and use available resources and benefits to promote competitive employment and community participation. 

Dr. Gross received her bachelor of arts degree in special education from MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois, and a master's of education degree from Montana State University-Billings. She received her Ph.D. in special education, with a dual focus on family and disability policy and autism/behavior disorders, from the University of Kansas. Dr. Gross is the author and co-author of numerous journal articles, book chapters, and white papers/reports focused on family-community-school partnerships, employment, and community living for people with disabilities, and on engaging culturally diverse families in school and, more specifically, the IEP and transition to adulthood process. She is the current president of the Kansas chapter of the Association of People First Supporting Employment First (APSE) and a Fellow of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (FAAIDD).