National Investigators in Inclusive Education Research

Dr. Donna McGhie-Richmond, holds a Ph.D. in adaptive instruction from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/ University of Toronto (OISE/UT). She is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Victoria. She teaches courses in inclusive education and digital and assistive technologies at the graduate and undergraduate level. Donna is an early adopter of online learning technologies and has been using them in her teaching for over 10 years. Extensive experience as a consultant and researcher in augmentative communication and assistive technologies as well as a special education teacher grounds her work. While her research uses mixed methods approaches; her main interests are in qualitative methodologies and analyses.

Research Interests

• The relationship among teacher knowledge, beliefs, and practices and student learning outcomes in inclusive K-12 classrooms.
• Effective teaching practices in inclusive classrooms
• Integrating assistive technology into teacher education

For more information, visit

http://communications.uvic.ca/research/details.php?go=1&id=1050

Dr. Jacqueline Specht, is an Associate Professor who teaches in the area of Educational Psychology and Special Education. She completed her Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of Western Ontario in 1994. From 1993 to 2003, Jacqueline taught in the Psychology Department at Huron University College. She joined the Faculty of Education in 2003. Currently she is director of the Centre for Inclusive Education at the Faculty and teaches in both the pre-service and graduate programs.

Research Interests

• Pedagogical issues surrounding the participation of children in the school system.

For more information, visit

http://publish.edu.uwo.ca/jacqueline.specht

Sheila Bennett, is a Professor and former chair in the Teacher Education Department of the Faculty of Education. Professionally, Sheila has worked as a classroom and special education teacher, school board resource person and faculty member. She has been active in the field of special education for many years and has been involved in policy and practical issues in the field. Co-chair of the Special Education Transformation Document as well as co-author of Special Education in Ontario Schools, Sheila has dedicated her career to working with educators and students in her chosen field.

Research Interests

• Inclusion
• Aboriginal education
• Special education policy
• Acquired brain injury

For more information, visit

http://www.brocku.ca/education/directory/teachered/sbennett

Tiffany L. Gallagher, is an Associate Professor in the Teacher Education Department at Brock University. She teaches courses in educational psychology and assessment and evaluation. She has co-authored the texts, Educational Psychology (1st, 2nd, & 3rd Canadian Eds.) and Classroom Assessment: Concepts and Applications (1st & 2nd Canadian Eds.). Professionally, Tiffany was an administrator and diagnostician in supplemental education for over a decade. Tiffany's current research interests include literacy assessment, reading and writing strategy instruction, the role of the special education teacher, teachers with learning disabilities and post-secondary education for persons with disabilities.

Research Interests

• Literacy Assessment and Evaluation
• Learning Strategies for Reading and Writing Instruction
• Role of the Special Education Teacher and Inclusion
• Teachers with Learning Disabilities
• Post-secondary Education for Persons with Disabilities
• Tutoring

For more information, visit

http://www.brocku.ca/education/directory/teachered/tiffanygallagher

Dr. Carla DiGiorgio is a tenured Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Education Research at University of Prince Edward Island. She is academic lead in the field of inclusive education, contributing to the Bachelor of Education, Certificate in Inclusive Education, Master of Education and Ph.D. programs. She is a member of graduate faculty and is able to supervise Master's and Ph.D. students solely. Her areas of research interest include learning disabilities, the sociocultural aspects of inclusion, linguistic capital, and gifted education. She has been a collaborator on several research projects on mobility exchange, the International Baccalaureate program, and the beliefs and practices of post-secondary students, preservice teachers and their instructors with regard to inclusive university and community college teaching and teacher preparation. She initiated a Master of Education cohort focusing on inclusive education in 2008. This year she won the Exceptional Book the Year Award from the Exceptionality Education International Journal for her book, The interaction between identity, power and inclusive practice in a minority language school (Lambert). Dr. DiGiorgio is currently the editor of the Canadian Journal of Education and president of the Learning Disabilities Association of Prince Edward Island.

Research Interests

• Inclusive experiences of students, parents and staff in Francophone schools;
• Adults with learning disabilities in post-secondary education and their instructors' attitudes and practices;
• International Baccalaureate program and its effects on secondary education for gifted students;
• Beliefs of pre-service teachers regarding inclusion.

For more information, visit

• http://www.upei.ca/education/faculty/digiorgio-dr-carla-digiorgio
• http://people.upei.ca/cdigiorgio/main.html

Angèla Aucoin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of K-6 teaching and psychopedagogy at the Faculty of Education, Université de Moncton. After teaching in the Northwest Territories and in Nova Scotia, a few years spent as a resource teacher, she obtained a Ph.D. in Education in December of 2009. Her thesis pertained to the history and legal framework of inclusive education, and the Acadian experience with it in Nova Scotia.

Research Interests

• Differentiated pedagogy
• Inclusive education
• Human rights education.

Angèla Aucoin est Professeure Adjointe au Département d'enseignement au primaire et de psychopédagogie à la Faculté des sciences de l'éducation de l'Université de Moncton. Après diverses expériences d'enseignement aux Territoires du Nord-Ouest et en Nouvelle-Écosse, dont quelques années à titre d'enseignante ressource, elle entreprend des études doctorales en éducation qu'elle complétait avec succès en décembre 2009 par la soutenance d'une thèse portant l'historique, le cadre légal et le vécu de l'inclusion scolaire chez les Acadiens et les Acadiennes de la Nouvelle-Écosse. Ses activités d'enseignement et de recherche tournent autour de plusieurs centres d'intérêt, dont la pédagogie différenciée, l'inclusion scolaire et l'éducation aux droits humains.

Intérêts de recherche

• Pédagogie différenciée
• Éducation inclusive
• Éducation aux droits de l'homme.

For more information, visit/visitez

http://www.umoncton.ca/umcm-education/node/28

Dr. Lynn Aylward holds a Ph.D. in education from the University of South Australia, and is currently an Associate Professor and Graduate Co-ordinator in the School of Education at Acadia University. She began her teaching career in 1986 and has worked in schools across Canada including the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. After completing her Master of Education degree at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education in 1993, she accepted a position as an instructor in the community-based Nunavut Teacher Education Program offered by McGill University in conjunction with Nunavut Arctic College. From 1994 to 2003 Dr. Aylward had the opportunity to live in several Nunavut communities, and through her work experience in the teacher education program, Nunavut Department of Education and research collaborations with northern educators, she became keenly interested in the role of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit in education policy and practices.

Research Interests

• Disability Studies in Education
• Teacher Education Practices
• Community/Culture-based Schooling
• Inclusive Schooling

For more information, visit/visitez

http://education.acadiau.ca/dr-m-lynn-aylward.html

Dr. John Freeman is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Education, Queen's University, with a cross-appointment to the School of Health Sciences and Kinesiology and Director of the Social Program Evaluation Group (SPEG). He is also co-Principal Investigator (with Will Pickett of Community Health and Epidemiology) of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, a cross-national study examining the effects of context on adolescent health and health behaviours. His research and that of the students he supervises focuses primarily on how schools can be made more welcoming places for students, teachers, and parents, regardless of ability level, race, sexuality, or emotional health (among other considerations). As Director of SPEG, he hopes to build rich research partnerships between local community partners and Queen's University.

Research Interests

• Motivation; engaging students
• Reflective teaching practice

For more information, visit/visitez

http://post.queensu.ca/~freemanj/

Karen Gregory is a Ph.D. student in Educational Psychology and Special Education with the Faculty of Education, University of Western Ontario. She has extensive experience in special education in Ontario, working as a teacher, resource teacher and Learning Coordinator/Consultant in Special Education. Prior to entering the doctoral program at Western, she was the Thames Valley District School Board’s Project Lead for the Ontario Ministry of Education's initiative 'Connections for Students' directed at the implementation of a provincial model for planning the transition of students with autism spectrum disorders into and through the school system.

Research Interests

• Her Ph.D. research interest focuses on the beliefs and practices of teachers in making decisions concerning the development of Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for students with developmental disabilities with consideration given to the conditions under which classroom-based assessment information is used to inform decisions regarding appropriate learning goals for students.

Anne Hill obtained a Bachelor's Degree and a Master of Arts Degree in Psychology at the University of Western Ontario. She has over 30 years of experience as a community college faculty member. Her work involves her in both classroom and community-based learning environments. She has a strong focus on understanding, sharing and participating in current research-based empirical knowledge about teaching and learning. Anne has been recognized for her leadership in promoting research within the college system, having received the first Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) grant for research at Fanshawe college in 2010.

Research Interests

• Knowledge building
• Implementation of technology and assistive technology to enhance learning

For more information, visit/visitez

http://www.fanshawec.ca/news-events/anne-hill-awarded-fanshawes-first-sshrc-grant-bridges-learning-conference

Nancy Hutchinson completed her Ph.D. at Simon Fraser University in 1986, an instructional study on teaching alegebra problem solving to adolescents with learning disabilities. In January 1987 she began a tenure stream position at Queen’s University. All her research since that time has been directed to inclusion of individuals with disabilities in classrooms, communities, and workplaces. Her early research at Queen's has focused on instructional studies in algebra problem solving and in career development. She has conducted research on the effectiveness of teaching with case studies to help teacher candidates differentiate instruction in inclusive classrooms, and published textbooks and casebooks on inclusive education used in teacher education. For the past ten years she has focused much of her research on enhancing co-operative education and workplace learning for youth with disabilities and at-risk youth.

Dr. Hutchinson and her graduate students have studied the social-emotional experiences of students with many exceptionalities in inclusve classrooms. She currently is Principal Investigator on a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) on the role of work-based education in enhancing resilience in at-risk youth, and is co-investiagtor on a SSHRC grant on cognitive processing of children with learning disabilities in mathematics. She is also co-investigator and leads the qualitative research team on a CIHR Emerging Team grant studying the transition into school of children with developmental disabilities and delays and their experiences of social inclusion. She teaches courses on inclusive education in the preservice program and courses in exceptional education, social cognition, and qualitative research in the graduate program at Queen's University. In 2010 she won the Carol Crealock Award presented by the Canadain association for Educational Psychology for her mentorship of graduate students and her contribution to the field.

Research Interests

• Inclusion of exceptional learners
• Teacher education
• Co-operative education
• Workplace learning
• Learning disabilities
• Social competence and social networks of exceptional individuals
• Mathematics and cognitive processing of students with learning disabilities
• Differentiating teaching to meet the needs of exceptional learners
• Qualitative; multiple-perspective case studies of children, adolescents, and young adults with disabilities in inclusive contexts

For more information, visit/visitez

http://post.queensu.ca/~hutchinn/

Dr. Katz received her Ph.D. in 2008 from the University of British Columbia and is currently writing a book on "Teaching to Diversity: Universal Design for Learning and Inclusive Learning Communities". Dr. Katz has been a successful sessional lecturer, educational consultant, classroom teacher, editor, and guidance counselor. She taught in diverse classrooms from K-12 in Winnipeg and Vancouver for 16 years, including special education classrooms, inclusive classrooms, youth centres, and alternative high school programs. Her work as an advocate of inclusive education has spanned several provinces and territories, and multiple audiences, including university courses, academic conferences, parent advocacy groups, educational conferences, school and division based professional development workshops, and most importantly, direct work with children and youth in schools and alternative settings.

Research Interests

• Three Block Model of Universal Design for Learning (Katz, 2010)
• Effective Practice for Inclusive Education
• Social and Emotional Learning
• Respecting Diversity (RD) Program
• Professional Development / Teacher Education for Inclusive Practice

For more information, visit/visitez

http://pasweb.cc.umanitoba.ca/extapp/ors/pubapp/exp_search.php?ra307_sname=katz&ra307_fname=jennifer&ra307_semph=rsch&ra307_pi=3167671444212

Mireille LeBlanc (Ph.D.) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of K-8 teaching and psychopedagogy at the Faculty of Education, Université de Moncton. She holds a doctorate in Education from the same university and her research focuses on the collaborative process between resource teachers and regular classroom teachers. Before starting her career as a university professor, Mireille held various positions in the New Brunswick Francophone school system, such as resource teacher and pedagogical agent in charge of special education in one of New Brunswick's largest Francophone school districts. She currently teaches courses on inclusive education at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Research Interests

• Differentiated Classroom
• Collaboration for Inclusive Education
• Role of resource teacher in Inclusive Education

Mireille LeBlanc (Ph.D.) est professeure adjointe au Département d'enseignement au primaire et de psychopédagogie à la Faculté des sciences de l'éducation de l'Université de Moncton. Elle est aussi détentrice du doctorat en éducation à cette même université et sa recherche porte sur le processus de collaboration vécu entre l'enseignante et l'enseignant-ressource et l'enseignante et l'enseignant de classe ordinaire. Avant d'entreprendre une carrière universitaire, elle occupa diverses fonctions dans le système scolaire francophone néo-brunswickois, dont celles d'enseignante ressource et d'agente pédagogique responsable du dossier de l'adaptation scolaire au district scolaire 1 qui couvre un vaste territoire dans la partie sud de la province. Elle enseigne présentement des cours portant sur la pédagogie de l'inclusion aux étudiantes et étudiants du premier et du deuxième cycle.

Intérêts de recherche :

• Classe différenciée
• Collaboration et éducation inclusive
• Rôle de l'enseignant-ressource dans une éducation inclusive

For more information, visit/visitez

http://www.umoncton.ca/umcm-education/node/28

Dr. Tim Loreman is a Professor of Education at Concordia University College of Alberta. He received his Ph.D. in Education from Monash University in Australia in 2001 and, following a number of years as a classroom teacher, worked there until 2002, thereafter moving to his current position at Concordia. Dr. Loreman has to his credit numerous peer-reviewed articles and books primarily focused on the subject of inclusion and childhood including Love as pedagogy (2011), Inclusive education: Supporting diversity on the classroom, 2nd Ed. (with Joanne Deppeler and David Harvey, 2010), and Respecting childhood (2009). Tim holds and has held a number of major Canadian research grants, and continues to write, research, and present at major international and national conferences.

Research Interests

• Pedagogy
• Inclusion
• Educational psychology and elementary education

For more information, visit

http://education.concordia.ab.ca/faculty_and_staff

Dr. Wanda Lyons is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Regina. She teaches courses in inclusive education in the Elementary and Secondary undergraduate programs as well as the after-degree Certificate of Extended Studies in Inclusive Education. Wanda has worked extensively as a teacher, consultant, psychologist and administrator within K-12 education. She completed her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology at the University of Regina in 2009.

Research Interests

• The role of educational assistants in inclusive classrooms
• Pre-service education for principal leadership in inclusive schools
• General and special education teacher education
• Inclusive education policy

For more information, visit

http://education.uregina.ca/index.php?id=20&type=faculty&uid=97

Dr. Jamie Metsala is currently an Associate Professor at The University of Western Ontario Faculty of Education. She received her Ph.D. from the Centre for Applied Cognitive Science at the University of Toronto/OISE in 1993. Jamie was previously an Associate Professor in Educational Psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she also served as the Associate Director of the National Reading Research Center. As a clinical psychologist and former Director of Research and Psychology at Integra Children's Mental Health Centre in Toronto, Jamie has worked with children, families, and clinicians around learning and mental health concerns of children and youth with learning disabilities. In 2011 Jamie will rejoin the School Psychology faculty at Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax.

Research Interests

• Reading acquisition and reading disabilities
• Development of speech perception and phonological awareness
• Social cognition and psychological adjustment of children with nonverbal learning disabilities.

For more information, visit

http://www.msvu.ca/en/home/programsdepartments/education/facultyresearch/drjamiemetsala.aspx

Pat Mirenda is a Professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology and Special Education at the University of British Columbia, where she has been on faculty since 1996. She is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). In 2009, she became Director of The Centre for Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration in Autism (CIRCA) at UBC. From 1984-1992, Dr. Mirenda was on the faculty of the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UN-L), where she was responsible for the teacher education program in severe disabilities. She was also Co-Director of the Barkley Augmentative and Alternative Communication Centre at UN-L. From 1992-1996, Dr. Mirenda was the Director of Research and Training with CBI Consultants, a group that provides training and support for people with severe communication and/or behaviour challenges in British Columbia. She is the principal investigator of several projects that are housed in the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research Lab at UBC.

Research Interests

• autism/developmental disabilities,
• augmentative and alternative communication,
• positive behavior support,
• inclusive education, and literacy development.

For more information, visit

http://ecps.educ.ubc.ca/sped/pat-mirenda-phd

Dr. Nowicki is an Associate Professor in Educational Psychology/Special Education at the University of Western Ontario. She taught grades 6 to 8 before returning to university for graduate degrees. She currently teaches in the pre-service and graduate programs, primarily in educational psychology. Elizabeth's general research interests reside in the area where educational, developmental, and social psychology intersect. Her research employs quantitative and qualitative analyses, Trochim's concept mapping procedures, and meta-analyses.

Research Interests

• children's social interactions in the classroom and the social competence of children who have learning difficulties.
• children's group norms; implicit and explicit attitudes about ability and gender; and how these norms and attitudes change during childhood.

For more information, visit

http://publish.edu.uwo.ca/elizabeth.nowicki/

Dr. Thompson received his Ph.D. in Education from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 2002. He is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Regina, teaching courses in Inclusive/special Education and in Educational Psychology. He has served as a consultant for students with autism spectrum disorders and other disabilities. Dr. Thompson has supported adults with developmental disabilities, including persons with head injuries. He is currently partnering with other researchers at Queen's University, UBC and the University of Regina on a five-year SSHRC-CURA project titled "Disability policy alliance: Learning collaborative and equity coalition". In addition, he is completing a three-year SSHRC study as principal investigator with Dr. Lynn Aylward, entitled: "Disabling inclusive education: enabling theory and practice from the ground up".

Research Interests

• Inclusive education theory and practice
• Improving access to higher education for students with intellectual disabilities
• Enabling inclusive teacher education through "disabling theory"

For more information, visit

http://education.uregina.ca/index.php?id=20&type=faculty&uid=63

Dr. Timmons holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mt. Allison University, a Bachelor of Education in Special Education from Acadia University, a Master of Education in Special Education from Gonzaga University, and a Ph.D. in Education Psychology from the University of Calgary. She has served as chair of the Education Department at St. Francix Xavier University, as well as Dean of Education and Vice-President, Academic Development at the University of Prince Edward Island. She has been President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Regina since 2008. In her role as President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Regina, Dr. Timmons maintains an active and wide-ranging research program, with particular emphasis on literacy, learning and inclusive education.

Research Interests

• studying the factors that affect the retention of Aboriginal students in university;
• exploring the connections between inclusive education and children’s health;
• evaluating the effectiveness of Canadian education policy in the area of inclusive education; and
• developing family literacy programs for rural families, Aboriginal communities, and newcomers to Canada.

For more information, visit

http://www.uregina.ca/presoff/president/personal.shtml

Raymond Vienneau is Associate Professor in the Department of Primary Education and Educational Psychology at the Faculty of Sciences of Education of the University of Moncton. After having occupied various functions in the school environment and the Ministry of Education of New Brunswick, including that of provincial educational officer responsible for record school adaptation, he was Director of internships and Vice-Dean at the Faculty of Education Sciences. Dr. Vienneau is the author of an academic work on the theories of learning and current practices in teaching (in new edition) as well as several chapters in collective works on inclusive education and pedagogy of inclusion. Among his contributions to the community, Dr. Vienneau served two years on the Board of Directors of the Association of New Brunswick for community living (NBACL).

Research Interests

• Theories of learning and school inclusion of students with special needs, particularly its pedagogical dimension, namely the pedagogy of inclusion.

Raymond Vienneau est professeur agrégé au Département d'enseignement au primaire et de psychopédagogie à la Faculté des sciences de l'éducation de l'Université de Moncton. Après avoir occupé différentes fonctions dans le milieu scolaire et au ministère de l'Éducation du Nouveau-Brunswick, dont celle d'agent pédagogique provincial, responsable du dossier de l'adaptation scolaire, il a été directeur du Service des stages et vice-doyen à la Faculté des sciences de l'éducation. Il est l'auteur d'un ouvrage universitaire portant sur les théories de l'apprentissage et les pratiques actuelles en enseignement (en cours de réédition) ainsi que de plusieurs chapitres dans des ouvrages collectifs portant sur l'inclusion scolaire et la pédagogie de l'inclusion. Parmi ses services à la collectivité, il a siégé 2 ans au conseil d'administration de l'Association du Nouveau-Brunswick pour l'intégration communautaire (ANBIC).

Intérêts de recherche:

• Les théories de l'apprentissage et l'inclusion scolaire des élèves à besoins particuliers, particulièrement sa dimension pédagogique, soit la pédagogie de l'inclusion.

For more information, visit

http://www.umoncton.ca/umcm-education/node/28

Gabrielle Young is an Assistant Professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland, where she teaches courses such as the Nature and Characteristics of Learning Disabilities and Inclusive Practices for Students with Learning Disabilities.

Gabrielle is an Ontario Certified Teacher who has taught internationally and within Canada. While completing her doctoral studies at the University of Western Ontario, Gabrielle taught the pre-service Educational Psychology and Special Education course. She was also actively involved with the Learning Disabilities Association – London Region, where she was Vice-President of the Board. Gabrielle has been actively involved with the Centre for Inclusive Education for the past six years and she looks forward to continuing to investigate the way in which instructional technologies can meet the learning needs of all students.

Research Interests

• the use of assistive technology by students with special learning needs
• learners' self-beliefs and the self-esteem of individuals with learning disabilities
• the use of universal design for learning and differentiated instruction to support the inclusion of students with exceptionalities in the general education classroom

For more information, visit

http://www.edu.uwo.ca/research/phd_profiles/gabrielle_young/index.html