Nov 18 2026

Beyond Access: Disability, Education, and Economic Inclusion

DHD Brown Bag Series

November 18, 2026

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Location

166 DHSP

Address

1640 W Roosevelt Rd, Chicago, IL 60608

Drawing on international research and collaboration, Serpil Kahraman Kaçmaz, PhD, will discuss disability inclusion, accessibility, higher education, employment, and public policy, highlighting strategies that expand participation and increase economic opportunities for people with disabilities.

Serpil Kahraman Kaçmaz, PhD, is a Professor of Economics at Yaşar University in İzmir, Türkiye, with extensive experience in academic leadership, international research, and inclusive higher education. Her research spans monetary and financial economics, quantitative methods, sustainability, international political economy, and the economic and social dimensions of disability and inclusion. She has also held research appointments in the United States at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and San Diego State University. Throughout her academic career, Dr. Kahraman Kaçmaz has held several senior academic and administrative positions, including Vice Dean of the Faculty of Business, Vice Director of the Graduate School, Senate Member, and leadership roles in university-wide quality assurance, accreditation, and strategic planning.

A significant part of her academic and institutional work focuses on disability, accessibility, and inclusion. She has served in Yaşar University’s Disabled Student Unit since 2012 and has contributed to research and institutional initiatives concerning workplace accessibility, employment, entrepreneurship, and the participation of persons with disabilities in higher education and economic life. Dr. Kahraman Kaçmaz has extensive experience in European Union-funded projects and multinational European research collaborations, working with partners across Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and other European countries. Her disability- and inclusion-related international work includes LEX(e)CON – Smart Entrepreneurship for People with Dyslexia, INCLAVI – Inclusive Aviation, and Workplace Inclusion 4.0, alongside European projects addressing sustainable entrepreneurship, employment, education, and social inclusion. She has served both as a country coordinator and national researcher in these international consortia.

RSVP

Contact

Arielle Filskov

Submitter

Daniela Jimenez

Date posted

Nov 5, 2026

Date updated

Nov 5, 2026

Speakers

Serpil Kahraman Kaçmaz, PhD | Professor | Yaşar University

Serpil Kahraman Kaçmaz, PhD, is a Professor of Economics at Yaşar University in İzmir, Türkiye, whose work brings together economics, international collaboration, academic leadership, and disability inclusion, with a particular interest in how higher education, labor markets, entrepreneurship, and public policy can expand participation and economic opportunities for persons with disabilities.