Cynthia Burrow

Cynthia Burrow is the proud mother of a recent graduate who has autism. She is also a SXSWEdu Advisory Board Member and the owner of Strategic Education Solutions, a company that specializes in curriculum development, research, and program evaluation. Ms. Burrow has conceptualized and implemented multi-year projects aimed at helping people with IDD plan and build the lives they want and deserve. Her work includes development of The Virtual Job Coach, an online career planning and job search tool; Seen and Heard: IDD Community, a sexual assault prevention and response video series; and a series of online courses designed to help people with IDD become paid peer support specialists.

She has also authored two comprehensive research-based gap analysis frameworks that describe opportunities and challenges in addressing the sexual assault and complex mental health epidemics in the IDD community. Her work is informed and motivated by her vision of a world where her son is supported, challenged, and ultimately able to achieve his dreams.