Global Inclusion and Social Development

Faculty

Dean William Kiernan, PhD, MBA, Boston College

employment policy and practices for people with disabilities
workforce development for people with disabilities
transition from high school to adult life for students with disabilities

Associate Dean Felicia Wilczenski, EdD, University of Massachusetts Amherst

inclusive education
universal design for learning
service learning
transition from school to work for people with disabilities

Assistant Dean Sheila Fesko, PhD, Boston College

workforce development system
inclusive health care
employment for people with disabilities
education of rehabilitation counseling professionals
flexible workplaces and universal design

Laura Bozeman, PhD, University of Texas at Austin, College of Education

vision impairment and multiple disabilities
orientation and mobility
self-defense; collaboration
low-incidence disabilities
visual impairment

Dolly Daftery, PhD, Washington University

international development
political economy of development and the impact of social and economic change processes on resource-poor communities
impact of economic liberalization policies
interaction between democratization and market-led development strategies
issues of livelihoods, sustainability, identity, institutional change, democracy and natural resource governance
social welfare policy and research methods

Valerie Karr, PhD, Columbia University

social innovation
international disability rights advocacy, social enterprise
youth inclusion movements
families and culture
program development for autism spectrum disorder

Robert McCulley, MEd, Boston College

vision studies and visual impairments
vision specialist training
distance education
fundraising and community engagement
program development and administration

Gillian MacNaughton, JD, DPhil, University of Oxford

international economic and social rights
the right to health, equality, and nondiscrimination
human rights impact assessment and indicators

Maria Paiewonsky, EdD, University of Massachusetts Boston

transition from high school to adult life
special education
youth development
postsecondary education for people with intellectual disabilities
participatory action research

Dimity Peter, PhD, Syracuse University

employment for people with disabilities
education of rehabilitation counseling professionals
education of direct-care workers supporting people with disabilities
empowerment and societal participation of people with disabilities
advocacy and social justice issues for people with disabilities
advocacy and inclusion for people who are frail and elderly

James L. Soldner, PhD, Southern Illinois University

applications of behavior analysis to rehabilitation
evidence-based practice in rehabilitation
rehabilitation administration and leadership
brain injury rehabilitation
scholarship of teaching and learning

Sindiso Mnisi Weeks, LLB, DPhil, University of Oxford

law and society
governance and participatory democracy
indigenous rights
gender and women’s rights
economic, social, and cultural rights
human security and development
informal justice and community-based conflict management
colonial–postcolonial African history
participatory action research

The Programs

The School for Global Inclusion and Social Development (SGISD) offers two programs of graduate study, leading to the doctor of philosophy (PhD) and master of arts (MA) degree in global inclusion and social development, respectively. Program faculty are nationally and internationally recognized for their expertise and research in the field of inclusion. The programs explore the intersection of social development and inclusion internationally from a transdisciplinary perspective. They examine the reasons that populations are excluded on the basis of, for example, age, sexual orientation, disability, gender, demographics, and race, and the challenges that often result, including poverty and a lack of access to education, employment, health, and wellness.

In addition to core coursework and other requirements, students in both the PhD and MA programs can select an area of concentration on which to focus their academic, professional, and research pursuits within the field of the global study of inclusion. PhD students who have completed a master’s degree can elect the post-master’s PhD track which is a 52-credit program and does require the completion of a concentration.

Concentrations and Elective Coursework: PhD and MA

Each concentration track comprises five classes for a total of 15 credits. The tracks include rehabilitation counseling, transition leadership, gerontology, and vision studies. Students who choose the rehabilitation counseling track learn to help people who face barriers to employment, including veterans and people with disabilities, to find fulfilling work. Students who elect the transition leadership track train to work with people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups as they attend college, enter the workforce, or adjust to living independently. A gerontology concentration will prepare a student to work on issues facing individuals who are aging. Students who opt for the vision studies track develop best practices in order to advocate for and support individuals who have low vision so that they may thrive in their daily lives and in their communities worldwide.

For students who want to create a customized concentration, they can develop an individualized plan of study of five courses. This option is for those with specific interests not fully addressed within existing concentrations but who require an important and relevant area of study within global inclusion and social development studies. Students must provide a detailed outline of the plan of study they wish to pursue and its connection to SGISD’s mission.