Student Profiles

Meet Elnaz

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
UIC is the one and only school in the U.S. that offers this program and the faculty members are inspiring leaders and internationally well-known in the area that they research.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
Working towards improving participation for refugees and asylum seekers.

Research Interests
Community Participation of migrants with disabilities and chronic conditions

Awards and Honors
UIC Department of Occupational Therapy Research Award
AUCD 2020 Illinois Emerging Leader
Schweitzer Fellowship 2022-2023 cohort

Education
Bachelors in Occupational Therapy- Tehran University of Medical Science, 2013–Masters in Occupational Therapy, Shahid Beheshti Univesity of /medical Sciences, 2015–Doctor of Occupational Therapy, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2020

Meet Amelia-Marie

Amelia-Marie Altstadt (they/she) is a PhD Student in Disability Studies at the University of Illinois, Chicago and a Pipeline to An Inclusive Faculty Fellow originally from San Diego, California (Kumeyaay land). They are the 2023-2024 Chicago Coalition for Autistic and Neurodivergent Students (CANS) Coordinator and support projects by Bodies of Work at UIC. In their work, they focus on disability culture and the arts, especially as these subjects relate to children of disabled adults, or CoDisA, and first-generation college students. They were the Association of College Personnel Administrators (ACPA) Coalition for Disability’s recipient for the Disability Leadership Award in 2022. As a student affairs professional at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln they served low-income, first-generation students primarily of Latinx, Black, and Indigenous backgrounds from both rural and urban settings and subsequently served Honors scholars through primarily advising, teaching, and organizing experiential learning opportunities. They, additionally, are a proud hermana of Sigma Omega Nu (ΣΩΝ) Latina Interest Sorority, Incorporated. To keep up to date on Amelia-Marie, find them on social media @ameliamariewoo, and their website www.ameliamariewoo.com.

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
I chose DHD at UIC because it is the only PhD program in Disability Studies in the United States of America at this time. Although I did also apply to higher education specific PhD programs, this program provides the depth of knowledge I need surrounding disability to reach my goals. The professors here are fantastic, and my advisor Dr. Carrie Sandahl actively supports and challenges my interests and goals. Being a Pipeline to an Inclusive Faculty Fellow also made my education at UIC attainable financially, while providing me with the professional development to achieve my goal of becoming a professor.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
I would like to combine my dedication to higher education as a field of study, the arts, and disability culture together as a professor of higher education in the future. I would additionally love to consult for universities and theatres on disability culture and accessibility, as well as tour to speak on my research interests. My wildest dreams include starting or supporting a new PhD in Disability Studies program at a university within the United States of America.

Research Interests
My research interests include children of disabled adults (CoDisA), disability culture, student identity development, first-generation college students, multiracial studies, autoethnography as methodology, and ethnodrama.

Selected Presentations
Altstadt, A.-M. (2023, May 2). Beyond referrals to SSD: Advising and supporting disabled students [Conference presentation]. National Academic Advising Association, Region 6 Conference, Lincoln, NE, United States. Sasso, P., & Altstadt, A.-M. (2022, November 18) The academic oratory tax paid by speech disfluent undergraduate students [Paper session]. Association for the Study of Higher Education, Las Vegas, NV, United States. Altstadt, A.-M., & Martinez, B. Z. (2022, February 19). Finding community through a Latina interest sorority [Conference presentation]. Black and Latinx Summit, Champaign, IL, United States.

Selected Publications
Light, A., Altstadt, A.-M., Sanchez-Txabarri, O., Bernstein, S., & McMahon, P.C. (2023, April 28). College-powered afterschool service-learning: The impact on college students. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 27(1). https://openjournals.libs.uga.edu/ jheoe/article/view/2895 Sasso, P. A., Jeffers, A., Altstadt, A.-M., Bullington, K., & Enciso,
M. (2023, April 7). Personal “reservations”: Revealing the selective invisibility in multiracial Native American students. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 1–14. https://
doi.org/10.1080/19496591.2023.2176768 Altstadt, A.-M. (2021). Spaces and Societal Interactions: Foundations of the Critical Disabled Cultural Lens of a Child of Disabled Adults [University of Nebraska-Lincoln]. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cehsedaddiss/339/

Awards and Honors
ACPA Faculty Racial Justice and Decolonization Institute, Scholarship Awardee, 2023; Pipeline to an Inclusive Faculty Fellowship Recipient, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2023;Best Session Award, Academic Advising Association Conference, 2022; Disability Leadership Award, Association of College Personnel Administrators’ Coalition for Disability, 2022; Honorary Member of Mu Chapter of Sigma Omega Nu, Latina Interest Sorority Incorporated at SSU, for graduating with a 3.5 GPA, Spring 2017

Education
MA, Educational Administration with a specialization in Student Affairs Administration, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2021; BA in Liberal Studies (Hutchins), Sonoma State University, 2017.

Meet Valerie

Valerie is a doctoral candidate in DHD at UIC. Valerie has a J.D. and a Master’s Degree from Northwestern University’s School of Communications. She has a young adult son with disabilities, and is very active in disability issues within her home community of Frankfort, IL. Valerie has served on parent advisory and governance committees of non-profit organizations in the south suburban communities of Chicago. She spent more than a decade as a trial attorney protecting the rights of people experiencing disability as a result of traumatic injuries, and is now pursuing her Ph.D. in Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago. As a research assistant in the Ph.D. program and a community connector for adults with intellectual disabilities, Valerie has worked with organizational, familial, research, and community stakeholders across a variety of research and social capital projects to develop, deliver and evaluate a variety of curriculum, training, and community-based supports for people with disabilities. These included a leadership institute, entrepreneurial training, and short-term stabilization homes for people with disabilities.

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
Valerie chose DHD at UIC as a result of her encounters with UIC PhD graduates who pioneered a Full Life Model for adults with intellectual disabilities, as well as Northwestern University faculty who recommended the program.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
Valerie has a strong interest, skill, and enthusiasm for eliciting and sharing stakeholders with IDD and their families’ perspectives on community inclusion and organizational change to promote full lives for individuals with disabilities. She intends to continue advocacy at a community level for interdependent housing and employment.

Research Interests
Disability as a social structure in the economy; Interdependent community living.

Education
B.S., Political Science, Illinois State University, 1992; J.D., University of Detroit Mercy, 1998; M.S., Communication, Northwestern University, 2013.

Meet Leah

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
The Department of Disability and Human Development is recognized nationally and internationally for its contributions to disability studies. Faculty, staff, and students are actively contributing to research and community efforts. Furthermore, the department is connected to the AUCD network.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
My future goals include research to create changes in access to health care and mental health care for persons with disabilities, extend disability education across interdisciplinary groups, and expand leadership across disability communities.

Research Interests
Broadly, my research interests involve health disparities among people with disabilities. In particular, I am interested in the role of social determinants of health in access to health care and mental health care for adolescents with disabilities.

Education
MSW, Master of Social Work, University of South Dakota, 2020 BA, Psychology and Sociology, Southwest Minnesota State University, 2018

Meet Maggie

Maggie Bridger (MS) is a PhD Candidate at the University of Illinois, Chicago in the Department of Disability and Human Development. As a sick and disabled dance artist, her research and artistic interests center around disabled bodyminds in dance, with a focus on reimagining pain through the dancemaking process. Maggie is a co-founder of the Inclusive Dance Workshops, for which she and her project partner, Sydney Erlikh, received a 2021 Chicago Area Albert Schweitzer Fellowship. Maggie has worked as an access consultant and coordinator for organizations such as 3Arts and Synapse Arts. Maggie’s writing has been published in the Canadian Journal of Disability Studies and she is co-writing a chapter on the history of integrated dance in Chicago which will appear in the forthcoming edited collection, Dancing on the Third Coast. She has been invited to speak at Cottey College, Columbia College Chicago, Loyola University and the University of Illinois, Urbana- Champaign. Maggie is a 2022 Dance Studies Association Administrative Fellow. Maggie was part of the inaugural cohort of the Dancing Disability Lab at UCLA, serves on the committee to organize Chicago’s integrated dance concert, CounterBalance, and was one of Synapse Arts’ 2021 New Works artists. Her work has been commissioned by MOMENTA Dance Company, a physically integrated dance company in Oak Park, IL. Maggie is a 2022 Artist in Residence with High Concept Labs. In the Fall of 2022, she is in residence at the Chicago Cultural Center’s Learning Lab where she is leading an initiative entitled, “Cultivating Chicago’s Disability Dance Community.”

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
I was drawn to UIC because of Chicago’s vibrant history of disability art and the department’s involvement in the disability art community via Bodies of Work.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
With my degree, I hope to continue to uplift, create, and share a disability-centered approach to dancemaking and pedagogy.

Research Interests
Disability Dance, Disability Arts and Culture, Pain Studies, Dance Studies, Performance Studies, Ethnography

Selected Presentations
“Sustaining a Bodymind: Disability and the Value of Moving With/In Pain.” Dance Studies Association, New Brunswick, NJ, October 10-17, 2021. “Shared Time: Collaborative Inclusive Dance Making at a Distance.” ADA30 Symposium at Oregon State University, Virtual, May 4-27, 2021. “Disability Culture in Practice.” NDEO National Conference, National Dance Education Organization, Virtual, October 23-25, 2020.

Selected Publications
Bridger, Maggie, Sydney Erlikh, and Chun-shan Yi. “Reverberation! A New Wave in Disability Art.” Canadian Journal of Disability Studies 10.2 (2021): 7-26. Bridger, Maggie. “Maggie Bridger: Responding to Netta Yerushalmy’s Paramodernities #6.” On the Ground, The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, https://dance.colum.edu/pararesponse-6.

Awards and Honors
2022 Independent Artist Program Grant, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events 2022 High Concept Labs Artist in Residence 2022 Ethel Louise Armstrong Grant, Department of Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois, Chicago 2021 Synapse Arts New Works Artist 2019-2020 Chicago Area Albert Schweitzer Fellow

Education
MS, Disability Studies, University of Illinois, Chicago, 2021. BA, Dancemaking & Dance Studies, Columbia College Chicago, 2011. AA, Cottey College, 2008.

Meet Odile

My pronouns are she/her and I am a first year PhD student in Disability Studies at UIC, and originally from the DC area. I moved to Chicago from Vermont, where I lived after I finished my master’s degree in California. My master’s thesis research explored the impact of recent Medicaid funding changes on a specific model of home and community based services in the United States, and how this change affected their conceptualization of ‘good care.’ Though I am formally new to the field of Disability Studies, I first developed an interest in residential options for intellectual and developmental disability as a family member, and have since found a lifelong passion for disability advocacy and the politics of care.

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
I chose this program because of its unique position as a full and autonomous department of Disability Studies with so many incredible and talented faculty, and because of its consistent work with various community stakeholders and organizations around Chicago.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
I am not sure yet-I would like to continue working on improving and complicating care for intellectual and developmental disability, but I have yet to determine what form that will take—in or beyond academia.

Research Interests
Residential care settings for I/DD
Homemaking
Care work
Ethnography
Affect theory
Inclusive methodology

Education
MS, Community Development, The University of California Davis, 2020. BA,
Psychology, Vassar College, 2015

Meet Daniel

I am a RESNA-certified assistive technology specialist and former special educator with 25 years experience in K12 education. Currently, I serve as a clinical instructor in the UIC Assistive Technology Certificate Program, teaching courses on AT in education to working professionals and providing AT services through the Assistive Technology Unit.

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
I was introduced to the field of disability studies while completing my master’s in DHD at UIC a decade ago and always wanted to continue exploring the intersection of assistive technology and disability theory.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
I want to deepen my understanding of the mechanisms of disablement so that I can be a more effective advocate and educator in the area of assistive technology.

Research Interests
I’m interested in building capacity for the assistive technology (AT) decision-making process in K12 special education through a design science approach that combines the practical with the theoretical. I’m particularly interested in the ways ableism plays a role in limiting AT decision-making and how considering AT might open a space for discussions about changing the environment rather than the person.

Selected Presentations
Cochrane, D. (2020, Sept 23). Building a common language for school-based AT services [Conference session]. RESNA Virtual Conference, Washington DC.

Cochrane, D. (2020, October). Beyond the SETT Framework: Integrating AT into the common language of the problem-solving process [Recorded conference session]. Closing the Gap Conference, Bloomington, MN.

Cochrane, D. (2020, October). Pathways to expertise: Training and professional credentialing in AT [Recorded conference session]. Closing the Gap Conference, Bloomington, MN.

Selected Publications
The IRIS Center (2020). Remediation vs compensation; Implementing AT; Instructional considerations; Ongoing monitoring of AT [recorded interview segments embedded in online training module]. Assistive technology: An overview. https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/at/#content pp. 4, 5, 7.

Cochrane, D. & Key, K. (2016). Assistive technology as AT for writing: A guide for K-12 education
Self-published free ebook for practitioners available at
https://pub.lucid.app/2f091482-82da-44a9-b8da-0f9c52f81482/

Awards and Honors
2017 – Distinguished Service Award, Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA)
2013 – Achievement Award for Outstanding Personal and Professional Achievement, UIC College of Applied Health Sciences

Education
MS in Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2012. Campus Certificate in Assistive Technology, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2009. MA in Teaching Special Education, National-Louis University, Chicago, IL, 2000. B. Music Education Bethel College, St. Paul, MN, 1991

Meet Randy

Randy D. Colón is a PhD student in Disability Studies and a Research Assistant at ADA-PARC. He is a disabled person himself and is interested in partnering with disability advocates to empower disability communities. His research focuses on housing disparities between people with and without disabilities, looking especially at housing affordability, accessibility, and integration.
Right now he is focusing on gauging the scope of housing research pertinent to disability communities and will work to partner with disability advocates to create tools that can influence change.
He has experience in both quantitative and qualitative methods, with emphasis on methodologies involving community collaboration and empowerment.

Randy is a member of Disability Lead, an organization dedicated to increasing representation of disabled people in leadership positions. Additionally, he was recently appointed to the nonprofit board of CHANGEIllinois, an organization dedicated to creating a more ethical and democratic government, and he was recently appointed to the Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of People with Disabilities.

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
The expertise, network, and reputation of the Disability Studies program and faculty

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
Educate, empower, and grow

Research Interests
Housing, disability, community-based research, strength-based research, community empowerment

Meet Sydney

I am an educator, artist, and scholar originally from California. I taught special education in alternate assessment classrooms for seven years in New York City and California, where I created dance opportunities for students. I am a Dance Ability certified teacher and have attended the AXIS dance teacher training. Through a 2019-2020 Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellowship with my partner Maggie Bridger, we lead the Inclusive Dance Workshop Series at Access Living in Chicago. I study dance and disability and am working on a multi-sited ethnography on inclusive dance companies in South Africa and Finland with dancers with intellectual disabilities. I was co-awarded a 2019-2020 Schweitzer Fellowship which lead to the creation of the Inclusive Dance Workshop Series at Access Living in Chicago. In the summer of 2020, the group created a film at a distance Shared-Time and in 2021 they were invited by Full Radius Dance to make a Response Film. I was selected as a SeeChicagoDance Critical Writing Fellow in 2020 and participated in the 2021 and 2022 Harvard Mellon School of Theater and Performance Studies Research. I currently serve on the CounterBalance planning committee, Chicago’s annual integrated dance concert, and the NDEO dance and disability task force, which was awarded a Theresa Foundation grant. I was recently selected by the Finlandia Foundation and the American Scandinavian Foundation Fellow for my dissertation research.

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
DHD is an interdisciplinary program. I felt that this program could give me a strong theoretical background in disability studies while matching my dance background. Chicago has a vibrant arts and culture scene that provides many research and practice opportunities to combine with academic classes.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
I would like to use my research and educational practices to fill the gap in dance studies scholarship, pedagogy, and practice, which is underdeveloped and has primarily focused on physically integrated dance.

Research Interests
Disability Arts and Culture, Inclusive and Disability Dance, Intellectual/ Development Disabilities, Dance Studies, Arts Education, Ethnography.

Selected Presentations
July 2022 Presenter- Shared Time – Nordic Forum of Dance Research- Copenhagen Denmark October 2021 Presenter- Dancing Representations of the ID body: a culture worthy of dance- HUB 4 Dismantling Techniques/ Technology of White Supremacy- Dance Studies Association Conference- New Brunswick, NJ October 2021 Panelist Examining Disability Aesthetics in Higher Ed: a bridge between dancers and scholars NDEO Conference- Virtual

Selected Publications
Bridger, Maggie, Sydney Erlikh, and Chun-shan Yi. “Reverberation! A New Wave in Disability Art.” Canadian Journal of Disability Studies 10.2 (2021): 7-26. Erlikh, Sydney “Access and Art: Virtual dance a lingering pandemic gift” See Chicago Dance (2021) Erlikh, Sydney “No limit in airborne “Revel in Your Body,” a dance film that literally flies” See Chicago Dance (2020).

Awards and Honors
Finlandia Foundation Grant – 4/22 American Scandinavian Foundation Fellow- 5/22-5/23 U of I’s Presidents Diversity Travel Award- 4/22 Critical Writing Fellowship, SeeChicagoDance, Chicago, IL- 8/20-9/20 Albert Schweitzer Fellow, Chicago, IL – 5/19- 5/20

Education
MSEd, Middle Childhood Education & Students with Disabilities, Pace University, 2013. BA, Dance & History, University of California-San Diego, 2008

Meet Nour

Hi! My name is Nour Ghobrial, and I am in my first year of the Ph.D. program in Disability Studies. Before joining DHD, I was studying interdisciplinary health sciences at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign.

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
While working as a disability advocate at Beckwith Residential Support Services in Urbana-Champaign, my supervisor informed me about this program. After further research, I was drawn to the interdisciplinary nature of DHD and its esteemed faculty.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
I hope to train future healthcare providers with a focus in culturally competent care, specifically when working with queer people with disabilities.

Education
BS, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2022.

Meet Emilie

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
I choose DHD at UIC because it is the only true disability studies program in the nation. I wanted to be fully immersed in disability studies as I did not have formal training in disability prior to attending UIC.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
I want to become a professor at a medical school to help train the next generation of doctors to care for their patients as people, not cases.

Research Interests
Traumatic Spinal Cord Injuries & Women’s Health

Awards and Honors
25th Class of the Chicago Area Albert Schweitzer Fellowship

Education
Bachelor of Science, Exercise Science, Pacific University, 2015. Master of Education, Diversity & Equity, University of California Riverside, 2018

Meet Michael

I am a 28 year veteran of the human services field and a passionate advocate for leisure and recreation for people with disabilities, particularly in underserved and under resourced communities. I enjoy volunteering, playing softball and building and repairing houses.

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
I thought the program was filled with exceptional instructors and would challenge me in ways I really needed to grow.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
I want to bring more Disability studies to the classroom and professional speaking circuits for parks and recreation as well as improve the inclusivity of recreation and leisure industries.

Research Interests
Empowerment strategies for people with disabilities through public recreation, access and participation to universal supports, improved receptivity of the community to the presence and contributions of people with disabilities in public spaces.

Meet Piyush

Hi everyone! I am Piyush (he/him) and I just joined PhD program in DHD (Fall 2021). My younger brother, Punit, is Autistic & Intellectually Disabled. I come from engineering background, I shifted my focus into Disability Sector in the past two years, after my Masters in 2019. I have worked in Sibling Support Initiatives: started SAARTHI-Sibling Support Network, India.

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
I joined DHD because of its strong expertise in the areas I want to work in and because of its rich diversity and good balance in scholarship and action.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
Provide support on-ground, through academia and systems change to adults with I/DD and their family care-givers in the areas of future planning, healthcare and employment; particularly in Low and Middle Income Countries.

Research Interests
Future Planning for adults with I/DD , Sibling Support, development of sex education resources for individuals with I/DD, and accessible research, learning media for persons with disabilities.

Education
M.Tech (Mechanical Engineering), National Institute of Technology, Rourkela (India) 2019; B.E. (Mechanical Engg.), University of Pune, 2016

Meet Joey

I am a military veteran with a background in computers and coding. I enjoy traveling the world and interacting with cultures other than my own. In 2016 I became permanently disabled and that changed my outlook on life and how I interact with the world. It was because of that experience that I found UIC and the DHD program.

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
UIC hosts one of the more prestigious degrees in Disability Studies and its faculty and staff were and have been supportive of working with me and some of my own limitations due to disability so that I can be successful in the program.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
It is my hope that the program not only makes me more aware of my own disability but gives me the ability to speak intelligently about topics in disability so that I might be able to change the world

Research Interests
Disability Policy as it relates to veterans and their care or lack of care.

Education
Masters of Science, Information Systems Management, Auburn University, 2019

Meet Mahvish

A Muslim, disabled woman of color interested in learning what disability means individually for herself and collectively as a community.

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
DHD at UIC is one of the few programs in the country which does intersectional work around disability and draws candidates from various concentrations and fields which made me choose it. I look forward to learning from my peers and enriching my educational journey with this chosen community.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
I eventually wish to work as an activist scholar in spaces where advocacy is informed by pedagogy and vice versa.

Research Interests
Intersection of disability and gender in the context of South Asia, with a focus on advocacy.

Education
MSc in Cultural Foundations of Education, Syracuse University, 2020

Meet Katie

Hi! I’m Katie. I hail from New Jersey and moved to Chicago in 2017 to begin my MFA in Performance at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I am a proud Mad woman, and my lived experiences with Schizophrenia and Borderline Personality Disorder inform my creative and research practices. As a crip performance artist & choreographer, I collaborate exclusively with disabled participants to create performances that critically engage with topics such as “passing” as non-disabled, sanism, childhood madness, and compulsory able-bodiedness. I would identify myself as a film buff, quintessential Piscean, and giggle machine. I also enjoy meeting new people so don’t be shy!

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
I was at first drawn to this program because of its tight-knit community and its emphasis on interdisciplinarity. Coming from six years of art school, I was eager to hone in on disability research in an academic program invested in enriching disability education. I believe that my education at DHD will strengthen my artistic practice and better situate it in disability arts/culture. I’m excited for the many years ahead.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
Post-DHD, I plan to create a sustainable community center where people diagnosed and undiagnosed may access movement-based forms of communal care, and to be a professor in Disability/Mad Studies somewhere in the world!

Education
MFA, Performance, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 2019 BFA, Fine Arts, minor in Art History, Moore College of Art & Design, 2017

Meet Corbin

I am a queer Crip scholar who has been studying disability since my undergraduate career at Virginia Commonwealth University, through my Master’s at CUNY, and now my PhD here.

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
I chose DHD at UIC because of the unique opportunities provided especially from the Disability Arts, Culture, and Humanities department. The work that UIC and the DHD department do with other organizations such as Bodies of Work and with broader communites in Chicago also were very
attractive to me.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
I would really love to teach higher education, and that’s been my goal for a long time, but I am also really interested in doing research, especially community-based, and putting my studies regarding art and culture into practice in ways that provide immediate benefits for the communities around me.

Research Interests
Museum studies from a Crip theory perspective, curatorial justice, and disability aesthetics.

Meet Bri

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
I was drawn to this program because of the specific opportunities around disability arts, culture and the humanities. I was looking to continue doing interdisciplinary work in a program that will strengthen my understanding of disability arts, my own artistic practice and offer a supportive community while doing so.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
I hope to utilize my DHD degree to work in a non-profit, academic, and/or others spaces focused on disability arts with an emphasis on LGBTQ+ communities.

Research Interests
My research interests look at how queer disabled folks experience and engage with art making as space of self exploration, community building, and care practice. Also, I am interested in how research can be practiced through a methodology of care that allows it to exist beyond the institution.

Selected Presentations
National Women’s Studies Association, Conference Panelist, Oct. 2023. “Cripping the Score Snapshots: Access, Care, and Creation.” National Women’s Studies Association, Conference Panelist, Nov. 2022. “Caring For, Caring About, Caring With: A Critical Survey of Queer, Disabled Methodologies.”

Selected Publications
Kattari, S. K., Noonan, B., & Lacey, E. Z. (2024). Exploring a methodology of care: Creating research with disabled queer individuals and community. In Exploring sexuality and disability: A guide for human service professionals. essay, Routledge.

Education
Master of Arts, Social and Cultural Pedagogy, Arizona State University, 2021. Graduate Certificate, Disability Studies, Arizona State University, 2021. Bachelor of Fine Arts, Photography, Arizona State University, 2013

Meet Jaimee

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
I chose to attend UIC for my PhD in Disability Studies because of their commitment to social justice and the opportunity for experiential learning, research, and networking through their many research centers, clinics, and community-based programs.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
I would eventually like to work in academia, ideally at a University Center for Excellence in Disability, performing community-based action research in disability studies and further developing new and existing programs based on research findings.

Research Interests
My research interests are comparing attitudes, policies, and programming for people with disabilities in the United States with those in other countries.

Education
BA in Education, Elementary Education, Michigan State University, 2008; MS in Outdoor and Environmental Education; Alaska Pacific University, 2011; MEd in Special Education, University of Nevada – Reno, 2015

Meet Helen

Helen is a white, multiply disabled scholar-activist from Madison, Wisconsin.

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
After applying to several developmental and social psychology grad programs, I realized that the work I wanted to do may be better suited to disability studies, especially approaches that elevate and empower disabled scholars, activists, and world makers. I am grateful to work with phenomenal colleagues in the department and across the field of disability studies, and I love living in Chicago!

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
I want to continue my career in disability studies, focused on research, teaching, and mentorship that enriches the lives of disabled people and communities. My long-term goal is to shed light on the unique and brilliant knowledge practices emerging from disabled community spaces in and beyond academia.

Research Interests
My research focuses on academic access, ableism, and the experiences of autistic, mad, and disabled students and scholars. I am fascinated by disabled epistemologies and knowledge making processes, especially crip wisdom, collective knowing, and disabled oracle work. I am also interested in how sense-making emerges in and around disability online communities.

Selected Presentations
Rottier, H. (2022, March) Disability justice in mentoring. Virtual session presented to RockEDU BIOME, Rockefeller University. Rottier, H., Harrison, L., & Duggan, M. (2021, November). Innovative community support models and novel interventions. In Aawad & Dunne (Chairs), Mental health panel. Virtual session presented at the Stanford Neurodiversity Summit. Rottier, H. (2020, April). Our existence is resistance: Autistic academics in an anti-autistic academy. In D. Nepveux (Chair), Resistance and resilience across the academy. Virtual session presented at the Society for Disability Studies @ Ohio State University @ Zoom Conference.

Selected Publications
Rottier, H., Pfingston, B., & Guberman, J. (2022). Ghosts, mice, and robots: Disappearing the autistic person. In T. Titchkosky et al. (Eds.) DisAppearing: Encounters in disability studies (pp. 93-105). Canadian Scholars Press. Rottier, H. & Gernsbacher, M. A. (2020). Autistic adult and nonautistic parent advocates: Bridging the divide. In A. C. Carey, J. M. Ostrove, & T. Fannon (Eds.) Disability allies and alliances: Opportunities and challenges (p. 155-166). Emerald Publishing.

Awards and Honors
2021 University of Illinois at Chicago College of Applied Health Sciences Achievement Award 2020
Association of University Centers on Disability CORE Trainee Research Award 2019 Autistic Self-
Advocacy Network Autism Campus Inclusion 2019 Foundation for Science and Disability Student Grant

Education
MS, Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2020; BS, Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2018

Meet Adrienne

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
I was interested in immersing myself in the disability studies field while learning from people from different academic disciplines. I thought the interdisciplinary nature of DHD would provide a good foundation for understanding theory and practice. DHD gave me the opportunity to expand on my previous understanding of disability studies by exposing me to various perspectives and challenging me to think differently.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
I would like to engage in work that combines my interests: disability, trauma, and education.

Research Interests
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), disability, education, postsecondary transition, trauma informed practices

Education
MEd, Education Policy and Leadership, American University, 2022; MOT, Louisiana State University, 2015; BS, Chemistry, Sewanee University, 2012

Meet Hope

I use she/her pronouns. I’m a Floridian and completed both my BA and MS in Psychology in Florida. My older sister Sara has Down syndrome, and that spurred my interest in disability studies. I’m a current RA for LEND. I love podcasts, baking, and my two pet bunnies!

Minor Program
Disability Legal Certificate

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
The research coming out of the DHD department is so important and I wanted to be a part of the work and learn from the experts, and it’s the only Disability Studies Ph.D. in the country!

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
My end goal is working in either a non-profit, academic, or policy-related field focusing on federal advocacy for families!

Research Interests
Federal policy focused on guardianship and supported decision making. Family member advocacy and support.

Selected Publications
Sparks, Hope Marie, “The Influence of Autism Spectrum Disorder Disclosure on Peer Social Distancing in Higher Education” (2021). UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 1079. https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/etd/1079

Education
Masters of Science, Psychological Sciences, University of North Florida, 2021. Bachelors of Arts, Liberal Arts with a focus in Psychology, New College of Florida, 2019.

Meet Washieka

I am a disability rights scholar, activist, and documentarian. I am from the South Bronx in New York City.

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
I like the interdisciplinary approach to the field of Disability Studies and I like that I can work with Professors with different education backgrounds.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
I want to work as an administrator while continuing to work on creative projects with people with disabilities in order to create equitable media. I also want to explore the way we look at food and food access for marginalized communities.

Research Interests
Foodways Activism in the Academy Community Outreach

Selected Presentations
“The Bonds We Build Can Change the World.” TEDxBGSU, April 2018.

“Beyond Comfort, Beyond the Familiar: how forging new paths with quantitative and qualitative data can be done.” University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, February 2018.

Awards and Honors
Abraham Lincoln Fellowship, University of Illinois Chicago, 2018
Dr. Antonio Buron Scholarship, Bowling Green State University, 2016
Winifred O. Stone and Presidential Graduate Scholarship for Diversity Enhancement, Bowling Green State University, 2015

Meet Kevin

Kevin Hans Waitkuweit is a PhD student in the Department of Disability and Human Development. He received two AAs (French and Mathematics) from Los Angeles Valley College, a BA in History with minors in Chicana/o Studies, Disability Studies, and Public Affairs from UCLA, and a MA in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame. His research interests focus on the social impact of medical phenomena, with particular attention to meaning-making process. Waitkuweit’s research can be found in publications such as the Journal of Language and Politics, Context, and Development in Practice. His applied research and evaluations can be found on USAID’s Development Experience Clearinghouse. His forthcoming publications includes a chapter in the 15th volume of Research in Social Science and Disability, which explores the intersection of disability and family and how it is conceptualized among American physicians.

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
As a social science researcher interested in the social impact of medical phenomena understanding the disabled experience is a critical factor. My research interests focus on how disability is defined across various groups, organizations, and individuals. DHD at UIC offers a unique opportunity to explore questions of the social impact of medical phenomena in an interdisciplinary environment.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
The prospect of providing an inclusive pedagogy and robust interdisciplinary research training for undergraduates and graduate students is an important factor in my work towards a DHD degree. With the degree, I will be able to train future scholars as a professor.

Research Interests
Disability Studies, Social Theory, Cultural Sociology, Cultural Anthropology, Medical Sociology, Medical Anthropology, Mixed-Methods

Selected Presentations
Waitkuweit, K.H. (2023). “The Meaning of Disability and Family: A Critical Content Analysis of the AMA’s Proceedings.” Roundtable presentation. 118th Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Waitkuweit, K.H. (2022). “Political Engagement and Activism during COVID-19: Lessons from a Contemporary Honduran Case Study.” Panel presentation. 117th Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Los Angeles, California.
Waitkuweit, K.H. (2018). “Identity Formation through Variances of Pride and Shame.” Panel presentation. 113th Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Selected Publications
Waitkuweit, K.H. (Forthcoming). “The Meaning of Disability and Family in American Medicine: A Content Analysis of the Intersection of Disability and Family in the AMA’s Proceedings from 1846 to 2022.” Disability and the Changing Context of Family and Personal Relationships (Research in Social Science and Disability, Vol. 15), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Bingley. Waitkuweit, K.H. (2023). Teaching international development: a proposal for consolidating practitioner and academic training resources, Development in Practice, 33(6), 736-741, DOI: 10.1080/09614524.2023.2179566 Santa Ana, O., Waitkuweit, K. H., & Hernandez, M. E. (2017). Blood, soil, and tears: Conceptual metaphor-based critical discourse analysis of the legal debate on US citizenship. Journal of Language and Politics, 16(2), 149-175, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/ jlp.15038.san

Awards and Honors
2022 – Infrastructure and Services Award, Lucy Family Institute for Data and Society 2022 – Research Impact Award, Pulte Institute for Global Development 2022 – National Coalition of Independent Scholars, Conference Support Grant 2021 – National Coalition of Independent Scholars, Special Research Grant 2017 – 2020 – Deans Fellowship, University of Notre Dame

Education
Associates of Arts, French, Mathematics, Los Angeles Valley College 2012, Bachelors of Arts with College Honors and Minors in Chicana/o Studies, Disability Studies, and Public Affairs, University of California, Los Angeles, 2015, Masters of Arts in Sociology, University of Notre Dame, 2020

Meet Chelsea

Hi, I am Chelsea (she/her) and I am a pediatric occupational therapist with professional experience in the early intervention program throughout the Chicagoland area. I was also a trainee in the The Illinois Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program during the 2020/2021 academic school year. Through my applied clinical work in addition to my continued education and training, I have gained a strong interest and passion in working in collaborative and interdisciplinary contexts with an aim of providing children with disabilities and their families with more equitable and positive early childhood experiences.

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
The collaborative approach the Disability Studies Program at UIC takes with community members and partners in addition to the interdisciplinary faculty was a big factor in my decision to choose this program. Furthermore, as an occupational therapist who aims to utilize Disability Studies theory and principles to inform more inclusive and anti-ableist practices within pediatric therapeutic settings, I value the relationship between the Disability Studies Program and Occupational Therapy Department.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
After completing my PhD in Disability Studies, I intend to teach in an Occupational Therapy Program while continuing to engage in research in collaboration with families with disabled children. The ultimate goal for my future work is to add to the existing movement and work around creating a more just and inclusive society for children with disabilities and their families.

Research Interests
Early Childhood Disability, Family Perceptions of Disability, Family Resilience, Early Intervention, Pediatric Systems of Care, Inclusive Early Childhood Experiences, Medical & Therapeutic Reports and Ableist Language, Dis/ability Critical Race Studies (DisCrit), Community-Based Participatory Action Research.

Education
OTD, Washington University in St. Louis, 2018; BA, Psychology, Augustana College, 2016

Meet Sam

Hi, I’m Sam (they/them)! I am in the PhD in Disability Studies program at UIC. Before coming to UIC, I was working as a high school English teacher at a school for dyslexic students in Maryland. My background is in English and Theatre, and I love reading and analyzing stories that center queer, disabled people. Outside of my academic work, I love baking, reading, and hanging out with my cats!

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
I chose DHD at UIC because I wanted to study disability from multiple perspectives, and I appreciate that the interdisciplinary nature of the program allows me to do that.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
I hope to either pursue a career in teaching or work in a Disability Cultural Center!

Research Interests
My research interests are in intersections of queerness, disability, gender, and race in fiction and media, particularly speculative media. I am also interested in accessible and anti-racist pedagogy.

Education
BA, English, Lewis & Clark College, 2017, MA, English, Georgetown University, 2021

Meet Sarah

Sarah M. Williams is a Ph.D. student in the department of Disability and Human Development. She received her B.A. in Biblical Studies from Azusa Pacific University and her Master of Divinity from Drew University. Sarah’s research focuses on disabled orphan populations, with specific attention to the construction of the disabled orphan during and post-Korean War, in order to elucidate the entangled formations of global children’s racial, religious, and political lives. In her work, she is also committed to utilizing narrative to theorize about the intersectional ways families are generative sites for gender violence in order to advance sexual and gender justice for children who are victim survivors.

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
There are so many academics doing exciting and innovative work at UIC more broadly speaking but also specifically in DHD as well. I chose DHD because I want to learn with and from the scholars here.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
In the future, I hope to teach at the undergraduate or graduate level. I believe that teaching should be for collective liberation and so I hope to co-create these conversations inside the classroom, as well as in other community spaces, in ways that lead to a more just world.

Research Interests
Crip theory, Critical Adoption Studies, Religion, Critical Race Theory, Childhood Studies, Gender Violence.

Awards and Honors
2022- Frederick Buechner Prize for Excellence in Writing, Drew University

Education
Biblical Studies, Hermeneutics, Azusa Pacific University, 2015 Master of Divinity: summa cum laude, Drew University, 2022

Meet Cassandra

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
I was attracted to the interdisciplinary nature of the DHD program. After practicing as an occupational therapy clinician for over 10 years in hospitals, schools and home care environments, I was ready to expand my perspective and dive into what disability means through a broader cultural, political, and social justice lens.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
I am interested in policy change, research and academia. I am also interested in exploring how my training in disability studies will influence my clinical practice and approach as an occupational therapist.

Research Interests
Long-term cancer survivorship, mothers with disabilities, ethical issues in disability scholarship.

Selected Presentations
Winters, C., Marshall H., Magasi, S. (2022, June, 16-18). Exploring the needs of long-term cancer survivors through the COPM. Poster session presented at The Occupational Therapy Summit of Scholars. Madison, WI. Marshall H., Winters, C., Magasi, S. (2022, April 29). Exploring the needs of long-term cancer survivors through the COPM. Poster session presented at the Annual Dr. Gary Kruh Cancer Research Symposium. University of Illinois. Chicago, Illinois.

Selected Publications
Magasi, S., Marshall, H. K., Winters, C., & Victorson, D. (2022). Cancer Survivors’ Disability Experiences and Identities: A Qualitative Exploration to Advance Cancer Equity. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(5), 3112. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19053112

Awards and Honors
Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) fellowship (2022-2023)

Education
Bachelor of Arts with Distinction in Psychology (2005); Master of Occupational Therapy (2011) The Ohio State University

Meet Daryl

Daryl (He/Him/His) is a Chinese-Filipino from the island of Cebu, Philippines. He worked as an occupational therapist in a government tertiary hospital catering to the underserved and indigent individuals with disability. Stemming from his personal and professional experiences, he desired to promote changes to society so that people with disabilities are no longer subjected to injustices.

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
Because of its interdisciplinary nature, I know I will learn a lot not just from the professors but from my peers. Moreover, DHD at UIC has an outstanding reputation and prestige by offering the first PhD in Disability Studies program in America.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
Reimagine society from the experiences of the marginalized! I want to engage in and produce research that can offer solutions to real-life problems. Additionally, I hope I can contribute in disrupting the status quo in society and promote changes as an ally of the disability community.

Research Interests
Attainment of rights and justice of people with disabilities. Among the other projects I am engaging in, I hope to examine the role of policies in reducing disparities experienced by people with disabilities. In my master’s thesis, I found that the world we live in, particularly its culture, policies, and politics, contribute to one’s opportunity and access– these are issues beyond what the provision of assistive technology can solve

Selected Publications
Yao, D.P.G., Sy, M.P., Martinez, P.G.V., & Laboy, E.C. (2022). Is occupational therapy an ableist health profession? A critical reflection on ableism and occupational therapy. Cadernos Brasileiros de Terapia Ocupacional, 30, e3303, https://doi.org/10.1590/2526-8910.ctoRE252733032 Yao, D.P.G., Bontje, P., Inoue K., Tanaka, A., & Lacsamana-Manalaysay, J. (2021). Coping with bereavement: The experience of a Filipino who lives life using a wheelchair. World Federation of Occupational Therapists Bulletin, 77(1), 58-64. https://doi.org/10.1080/14473828.2020.1868164 Yao, D.P.G.,
Inoue K., Sy, M.P., Bontje, P., Suyama, N., Yatsu, C., Perez, D.A., & Ito, Y. (2020). Experience of Filipinos with spinal cord injury in the use of assistive technology: An occupational justice perspective. Occupational Therapy International, 6696296 https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/6696296

Education
Master of Science in Occupational Therapy, Tokyo Metropolitan University (Japan), 2019-2021;
Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy, University of the Philippines (Philippines), 2012-2016

Meet Claire

Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
I chose to complete the DHD program at UIC because of the opportunity to gain further knowledge about disability and theories of disability that I hope to apply in my research.

What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
I would like to use my DHD degree to develop research that informs policy that is relevant and meaningful to the disability community.

Research Interests
Stigmatization, Ableism, Autism, Behavior Analysis, Policy

Education
M.S., Applied Behavior Analysis, Missouri State University, 2023