Your MD LINK Connection
News and happenings.
LINK Featured at Maryland Works Employment Services Conference
June 2026
The Leveraging Interagency Networks for Knowledge (LINK) project was featured at the 2026 Maryland Works Employment Services Conference, where Maryland partners shared their work to “create competitive integrated employment and economic opportunities for thousands of Marylanders with disabilities.” The conference served as a key platform to share LINK to a variety of employment service providers, educators, state agency staff, and community partners from across Maryland.
Maryland partners have a long history of investing in and testing tools to improve outcomes for students. Today’s LINK project is a result of a nearly 15-year journey to integrate transition data across systems in Maryland. During the session, Jade Gingerich, LINK Project Director and Executive Director of the Office of Disability Employment Advancement and Policy at the Maryland Department of Disabilities, and Dr. Kelly Nye-Lengerman of the University of Maryland's Center for Transition and Career Innovation, described the development of the Leveraging Interagency Networks for Knowledge (LINK) project.
Attendees learned how LINK will support schools and Maryland state agencies to work together more effectively by securely sharing information. The LINK tool is being designed to improve service coordination, reduce duplication of effort, and connect students to employment-related services and supports before they exit school. The discussion highlighted the importance of system integration that results in a more seamless transition for youth into adulthood, while engaging in timely coordination of eligibility and service delivery. Attendees were able to ask questions about LINK tool, its features, data elements, and use cases to improve service coordination during transition.
MD LINK Power Briefing Success Story
June 2026
On June 2, 2026, more than 30 leaders and partners from across Maryland's education, workforce, disability, and developmental disabilities systems gathered in Baltimore for the Leveraging Interagency Networks for Knowledge (LINK) power briefing, demonstrating a shared commitment to improving system coordination and data sharing in the pursuit of improving post school outcomes for youth with disabilities.
The event opened with remarks from Secretary Carol Beatty of the Maryland Department of Disabilities (MDOD), who highlighted the importance of interagency collaboration in ensuring that students with disabilities successfully transition from school to employment, postsecondary education, and community life. The briefing also brought together senior leadership from Maryland's partner agencies, including Dr. Jennifer Masoodi, Assistant State Superintendent for the Division of Special Education at the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE); Dr. Erikk D. Bonner, Director of the Maryland Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS); and Nova Evans, Director of Cross Systems Innovation at the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA). LINK represents cross agency investment to Maryland’s youth with disabilities and the professionals who support their success.
During the briefing, LINK Project Director, and Executive Director of the Office of Disability Employment Advancement and Policy, Jade Gingerich provided an update on the progress of the project and its next steps toward implementation. Derek Yarnell, Director of the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computing (UMIACS), provided attendees with a demonstration of the LINK prototype, a secure data-sharing platform designed to improve coordination among schools, vocational rehabilitation, developmental disabilities services, and other partners. The tool will help agencies work together more effectively through coordination of services, reduce duplication of effort, improve referrals, and ensure students are connected to critical supports and services before exiting school.
The deep commitment of state leaders, local schools, family networks, and community partners shine a spotlight on the powerful momentum driving LINK forward. As LINK moves toward implementation during the 2026–2027 school year, the project continues to demonstrate how collaboration, innovation, and shared responsibility can create stronger pathways to service coordination, employment and other adult outcomes for youth with disabilities.
MD LINK Shared at MSDE Statewide Transition Coordinator Meeting
1/15/2026
At the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) Statewide Transition Coordinator Meeting on January 15, 2026, the University of Maryland’s Center for Transition and Career Innovation (CTCI) and the Maryland Department of Disabilities shared updates on the Leveraging Interagency Networks for Knowledge (LINK) project with transition coordinators from across the state.
The presentation provided an overview of LINK’s purpose, progress, and planned pilot testing, highlighting how the project supports stronger coordination between schools and state agencies to improve postschool outcomes for students with disabilities. Participants reviewed data-sharing concepts, discussed privacy and consent protections, and explored how the LINK tool can strengthen referral tracking and interagency collaboration. The meeting helped build statewide awareness, gather feedback from key transition leaders, and reinforce the shared commitment to improving connections between education and adult service systems.
MD LINK Presents at the 2025 Division on Career Development and Transition (DCDT) Conference
10/15/2025
At the 2025 Division on Career Development and Transition (DCDT) Conference, experts from the University of Maryland Center for Transition and Career Innovation and the Maryland Department of Disabilities shared a presentation on Leveraging Interagency Networks for Knowledge (LINK). The DCDT Conference brings together people from across the country who help students with disabilities plan for life after high school.
The presentation explained how Maryland is creating a secure online tool to help schools and state agencies share information so students can get the right support for jobs, college, and community life. The team also shared what they’ve learned so far about working together, keeping data safe, and helping families stay involved.
Maryland’s LINK Project Builds Strong Foundation for Systems Change
7/15/2025
In its first year, the Maryland LINK (Leveraging Interagency Networks for Knowledge-sharing) project has laid the foundation for transforming transition services for youth with disabilities.
Though in the process of creating the LINK tool, the project has achieved critical early wins through strong interagency subgroups, designing outreach materials, and developing a public-facing project website to build awareness and momentum.
Maryland’s LINK Website Launch
6/1/2025
LINK’s website newly launched will serve as a central resource for students, families, professionals, and the public. It includes accessible, plain-language descriptions of the project, a dedicated space for youth and families to understand how to get involved, and information for professionals on interagency collaboration and transition planning.
The website will also houses success stories, news updates (you're here!), and (eventually) the LINK implementation toolkit for broader replication.
Getting the Word Out About Maryland LINK
5/1/2025
To support early engagement, LINK developed a clear, visually accessible flyer for LEA stakeholders that introduces the project’s goals, benefits, and future expectations.
The flyer communicates LINK’s central promise: to better connect students with disabilities to adult services before they exit school. It also previews how the digital tool will streamline interagency communication, improve reporting, and support post-school success.
LINK Launches Strategic Subgroups to Power Collaboration
4/1/2025
LINK established four subgroups—Evaluation, Outreach/Marketing, Prototype Development, and Site Implementation—bringing together 28 experts from state agencies, local education agencies (LEAs), universities, and advocacy organizations. These working teams have created a structure that allows for real-time collaboration and monitoring, with subgroup leads reporting into a biweekly DIF Leadership Team.
The project is powered by a team with deep expertise in disability policy, educational technology, family engagement, employment services, and interagency systems change. This collective knowledge ensures that every phase of LINK’s development, from technical architecture to outreach, reflects practical experience and national best practices.
Maryland’s LINK Off to a Strong Start
3/1/2025
By focusing early efforts on collaboration infrastructure and public-facing tools, LINK is building the kind of systems change that ensures sustainability. As one partner shared, “There’s a real sense that this work is different. We’re building something the state has needed for a long time—and doing it together, from the ground up.”
With a committed team and strong foundational work underway, LINK is positioned to lead meaningful change in how Maryland supports youth with disabilities to achieve competitive integrated employment and independence.
Thanks for stopping by!
Come back again soon.