Kristen Salkas
I am a PhD Candidate in Disability Studies. I received my master’s in DHD at UIC in 2013. I currently work full-time as a Mobility Outreach Coordinator at the Regional Transportation Authority in Chicago. I am currently working on my dissertation which explores public transportation access and community participation for Latinxs with disabilities.
Why did you choose DHD at UIC?
I chose DHD at UIC because it was the only program I found whose curriculum emphasized the social model of disability and its interdisciplinary nature meshed well with my varying interests.
What do you want to do with a DHD degree?
I hope to use my PhD in Disability Studies in a career that influences transportation provision and policy for people with disabilities and other minority identities.
Research Interests
Transportation, public transit, Latinxs, disability studies, spirituality, community participation
Selected Presentations
Torres, L., Pérez, K., Salkas, K., & V, L. (2018). A needs assessment survey for Latinxs with disabilities. Oral paper presented with the symposium “Nada Sobre Nosotrxs sin Nosotrxs: Addressing the Needs of Latinxs with Disabilities through Intersectional Educational Research.” at the annual conference for the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY, April 2018.
Salkas, K. & Gill, C. J. (2015). Exploring how spirituality impacts conceptualizations of and feelings about disability. Poster presented at the Annual Conference of the Society for Disability Studies, Atlanta, GA, June, 2015.
Salkas, K. (2013). Ideology of disability in travel training practice. Oral paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Association of Travel Instruction, Chicago, IL, August 2013.
Selected Publications
Magaña, S. M., Moreno Angarita, M., Salkas, K., & Tejada-Hughes, M. (accepted). Adapting a parent education program from north to south. Disability and the Global South.
Salkas, K., Magaña, S. M., Marques, I., & Mirza, M. (2016). Spirituality in Latino families of children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Family Social Work, 19(1), 38-55.
Salkas, K. & Gill, C. J. (2016). Exploring how Christians and atheists deal with issues related to disability. Journal of Religion and Disability, 20(3), 190-202.
Awards and Honors
2018 Carlos Drazen Memorial Research Scholarship
2017 Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship
2017 Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy Dissertation Research Grant
Education
MS, Disability and Human Development, UIC, 2013
BS, Psychology, Loyola University Chicago, 2009
BA, Spanish Language and Literature, Loyola University Chicago, 2009