Sometimes, the greatest challenge for students with disabilities is to find a successful career while dealing with the stigma society places on education that is not seen as preparing individuals for entry into a four-year college or university.
Professor
I have looked into how students view occupational aspirations, how they behave toward careers and career decision-making, how to use vocational training to help students to transition from school to work, especially with adolescents and young adults with high-incidence disabilities and other special needs.
Making career decisions is hard for all adolescents, but it’s even harder for students with a learning or emotional/behavior disability. Understanding predictors of post-school success for students who have high-incidence disabilities is an important and understudied issue in special education, and I’ve spent much of my research agenda on finding the obstacles for these students so that schools can make the necessary shifts for their success.
Through the years, my work and teaching have won a number of awards, including the 2014 Distinguished Service Award from the Association for Career and Technical Education, the 2011 Distinguished Research Mentor Award from the College of Education, the 2005 Meritorious Service Award from the Association for Career and Technical Education, the 1997 Richard B. Russell Undergraduate Teaching Award, and the 1994 Excellence in Teaching Award from the Kappa Delta Epsilon honors society.