Meet the Team

Rooshey Hasnain
Project Director
Role: As projector director I lead and guide activities that advance policies and practices that help to improve vocational rehabilitation (VR) and employment outcomes with culturally and linguistically diverse job-seekers with disabilities, their families, and community partners.
Interests: Traveling, arts/photography, spicy foods, running, and outdoor adventures

Jae Jin Pak
Visiting Research Associate 1 / Community Outreach / Engagement Coordinator
Role: I work in collaboration with the project director and student research assistants to conduct outreach to various communities to share information about ADOPT’s work to assist Asian Americans with Disabilities (AAWDs) in the metropolitan Chicago area to connect to vocational resources and services needed to achieve meaningful employment.
Interests: Tech gadgets, sci-fi and mystery thrillers.

Fabricio Balcazar
Co-Project Investigator
Interests:Dr. Balcazar’s primary research interest is developing effective strategies for enhancing empowerment and personal effectiveness among individuals with disabilities. Dr. Balcazar has conducted research over the past 25 years on several disability-related areas, such as youth transitioning from school; the development and evaluation of a model service delivery approach to increase consumers’ empowerment in the Vocational Rehabilitation system; the promotion of cultural competence in rehabilitation services; and promoting entrepreneurship for people with disabilities, among many others.
Contact ADOPT
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Support Us
You can support ADOPT in many different ways:
- Become a volunteer.
- Make an in-kind donation.
- Make a financial donation of any amount.
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For more information about donating to Asians with Disabilities Outreach Project Think-Tank (ADOPT), please contact:Keenan CutsforthAssistant Dean for AdvancementCollege of Applied Health SciencesUniversity of Illinois at Chicago808 South Wood StreetCMET, Suite 167, MC 518Chicago, IL 60612