For almost three decades, I have pursued an array of interests in the general field of disability studies with a special emphasis on issues affecting people with intellectual disabilities. I come to Chapman from the University of Missouri St. Louis, where I was had an endowed chair and directed the Center for the Study of Disability, Education, and Culture. Prior to that, I was at the University of Oregon for 15 years.  I have taught workshops and lectured in Canada, Denmark, Sweden, New Zealand, and Iceland as well as throughout the United States. My research has focused on the areas of family/professional interactions and support policy, social policy and the history of disability, and qualitative research methods in disability studies and education. In addition to numerous articles and book chapters, and monographs, I have a book and an accompanying video on the history of both policy and practice for people with intellectual disabilities (Abandoned to Their Fate: Social Policy and Practice toward Severely Disabled Persons, 1820 – 1920).  I am a past President of the Society for Disability Studies and remain actively involved in efforts to embed the study of the disability experience in all academic disciplines as a central element in our understanding of life and culture.

Curriculum Vita