Daniel P. Cochrane

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