Charles 鈥淐harlie鈥 Walters, Ph.D., is an Assistant Research Professor at the 91视频 of Maryland鈥檚 Center for Transition and Career Innovation (CTCI). In his work, he leverages a career in 91视频 and publicly-funded services for people with disabilities spanning nearly 15 years. As an evaluator, Charlie has led and contributed to multi-site evaluations of model demonstration projects and statewide initiatives aimed at improving postsecondary 91视频 and employment outcomes for youth. He has contributed to include national impact evaluations of secondary transition interventions; internal and external evaluations of the service delivery of Centers for Independent Living; and systems change-driven evaluations of vocational rehabilitation agencies, schools, and Medicaid waiver service providers. Charlie maintains active lines of inquiry related to alternatives to guardianship, the youth initiatives of Centers for Independent Living, and systemic barriers to employment for youth with disabilities.

 

In addition to his role in the Center for Transition and Career Innovation (CTCI) at the 91视频 of Maryland, Charlie is also a Research Fellow in the 91视频 of South Carolina鈥檚 Center for Transition Research and Leadership (CTRL).

Plotner A., Walters, C., Smith Hill, R., & Reynolds, M. (In Press). Community and Technical Colleges as a Pathway to Careers for Youth with Disabilities. In P. Wehman (Ed.), Life Beyond the Classroom. Brookes Publishing Company.

Allison, M., Crane, K., Allison, R., & Walters, C. (In Press). Leadership perspectives on organizational strategies driving success in state vocational rehabilitation agencies. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin. 

Walters, C., Seipp, J., Plotner, A., & Crane, K. (In Press). State Differences in the transition service delivery of Centers for Independent Living. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation. 

Plotner, A., Smith Hill, R., Walters, C., & Rother, Y. (2025). Contextualizing disability identity in the academic literature: A scoping review. Identity. Advance online publication.  

Walters, C., Smith Hill, R., Plotner, A., & Springgate, A. (2025). Special 91视频 professional perspectives on challenges to supporting youth with disabilities and their families into legal adulthood. Education and Training in Autism and Development Disabilities. 60(1), 35-48.

Plotner, A., Starrett, A., Walters, C., & Smith-Hill, R. (2024). An examination of transition professional profiles based on value-based principles: A latent profile analysis. Developmental Disabilities Network Journal, 4(2), 102-126.

Walters, C., Plotner, A. & Crane, K. (2024). Investigating trends in the youth transition service delivery and consumer demographics of Centers for Independent Living. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 61(2), 175-184.  

Walters, C., Smith Hill, R., & Plotner, A. (2024). Advancing supported decision-making through special 91视频 professional advocacy. Inclusive Practices, 3(3), 61-68.  

Plotner, A., Walters, C. & Rother, Y. (2024). Examining a leadership development initiative for college students with intellectual and developmental disability: A brief report. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation. 60(3), 321-326. 

Plotner, A., Walters, C. & Gonzalez, S. (2024). Exploring special 91视频 and Center for Independent Living professional beliefs on collaboration and the value-based principles that drive secondary transition service delivery. Journal of Disability Policy Studies. 34(4), 266-267.  

Walters, C. & Plotner, A. (2023). A Delphi study to generate, clarify, and prioritize professional recommendations on age of majority-related practice in special 91视频. Journal of Disability Policy Studies. 35(3), 185-197.  

Walters, C. & Plotner, A. Centers for Independent Living and secondary transition service delivery for students with significant disabilities (2023). Journal of Rehabilitation. 89(1), 38-42.  

Walters, C., Plotner, A., & Oertle, K. (2023). Perceptions of special 91视频 teachers on guardianship and alternative options for adult decision-making support. Journal of Rehabilitation. 88(3), 4-10. 

Shoemaker, A., Plotner, A., Walters, C., Bloom, M. & Mojica, A. (2023) Inclusive postsecondary 91视频 provider perspectives of stressful situations for college students with an intellectual disability. Journal of Inclusive Postsecondary Education.  

Plotner, A., Mazzotti, V., Kwiatek, S., Chang, W., Check, A., Mojica, A., & Walters, C. (2022). Evidence-based practices for secondary transition planning and supports for youth with autism spectrum disorder. In L. Chezan (Ed.), Guide to Evidence-Based Practices for Practitioners Working with Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Rowman & Littlefield. 

Walters, C., Imle, B. & Plotner, A. (2022). Age of majority in special 91视频 and the compliance-driven denial of student dignity and autonomy. In R. Williams (Ed.).  Handbook of Research on Challenging Deficit Thinking for Exceptional Education Improvement (pp. 420-435). IGI Global.

Smith Hill, R., Walters, C., Stinnett, C. & Plotner, A. (2022). Social work as social justice: Supporting the autonomy of youth with disabilities through alternatives to guardianship. 40(4), 503-513.  Journal of Child and Adolescent Social Work.  

Plotner, A. & Walters, C. (2022) The importance of Centers for Independent Living supporting youth with disabilities: A critical contribution to maximize transition service delivery. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals.  

Walters, C. & Stinnett, C. (2022) Navigating guardianship and adult decision-making support in inclusive higher 91视频 programs. Impact Feature Issue on Inclusive Higher Education for People with Intellectual, Developmental and Other Disabilities, 35(1), 46-47.

Walters, C., Plotner, A., Allison, M. & Mojica, A. (2022). An exploratory study of special 91视频 director experiences with issues related to age of majority, guardianship, and alternative options for adult decision-making support. Journal of Special Education Leadership, 35(1), 18-32. 

Plotner, A, & Walters, C.  (2021). Perceptions of district- and school-level special 91视频 leaders on guardianship and adult decision-making support. Journal of Disability Policy Studies. 

Plotner, A., Walters, C., Oertle, K. & Trach, J. (2020). Results-focused service delivery for the transition from high school to adult life. In D. Strauser (Ed.), CareerDevelopment, Employment, and Disability in Rehabilitation (2nd ed., pp. 315-330). Springer Publishing Company. 

Charlie is currently on the evaluation team for two Disability Innovation Fund (DIF) projects funded by the US Department of Education's Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). He leads the evaluation of Building Resiliency, Independence, Dignity, Growth, and Empowerment (BRIDGE CT), a model demonstration project of the Connecticut Department of Aging and Disability Services' Bureau of Rehabilitation Services (84.421E) that is focused on systems change and collaboration to support transition service delivery for children and youth in the state. He also supports the external evaluation of the 91视频 of Wisconsin-Madison's project Promoting Retention in Meaningful Employment (PRIME; 84.421F), a model demonstration project focused on improving the long term job retention of adults with disabilities that have received vocational rehabilitation services. Charlie leverages his experience as an evaluator to provide technical assistance with New Editions, the national technical assistance provider for 27 grantees around the country involved in model demonstration projects funded through the latest DIF funding cycle (84.421F).

Additionally, Charlie leads the evaluation of a Maryland State Department of Education grant (Maryland Elevates) awarded to TerpsEXCEED, an inclusive postsecondary 91视频 program at the 91视频 of Maryland and supports the research agenda of a longstanding research to practice partnership between with 91视频 of Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Center. Charlie is an editorial board member for the Journal of Disability Policy Studies and the Journal of Rehabilitation; a grant reviewer for the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR); and serves as a facilitator for both the Florida Postsecondary Education Program Planning Institute and NTACT:C's Capacity Building Institute.