Our People

Deeply Connected to Disability

Our interdisciplinary Leadership Team, Student Fellows, and Faculty Cadre are people with disabilities or people deeply connected with the disability community. All are committed to collaborating together and engaging in a student-centered, asset-based approach to promote a greater understanding of disabled people’s experiences and obstacles.

Leadership Team

A headshot of Stephanie Cawthon with long, wavy, light brown hair. She is smiling and wearing a dark top, set against a dark background.

Executive Director Stephanie W. Cawthon, PhD

The National Disability Center was funded with a $5 million grant from the Institute of Education Sciences awarded to principal investigator Stephanie W. Cawthon — building upon her decades of research into how disabled students learn and thrive, her expertise in developing innovative research models that use collaboration to achieve student-centered insights and findings, and her lived experience as a disabled person.

Dr. Cawthon is the Catherine Mae Parker Centennial Professor at The University of Texas at Austin, Director of Research & Evaluation of Drama for Schools, and Co-Editor of the Oxford University Press book series Perspectives on Deafness. Her fourth book, Disability Is Human: The Vital Power of Accessibility in Everyday Life, was published in early September.

A sought-after speaker, author, and educational psychologist, Dr. Cawthon’s research has been funded by over $50 million in federal and other grants. | MORE NEWS 

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Andrew Dillon, PhD

Director of Research Dissemination and Co-Investigator

V.M. Daniel Regents Professor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Information, known for pioneering research in information systems, user experience, and human-computer interaction.

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Greg Roberts, PhD

Director of Evaluation and Co-Investigator             

Senior Associate Director at the Meadows Center specializing in assessment, reading, and language interventions with extensive experience in educational research and program evaluation.

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Shavonne Coleman, MFA

Director of Training                                                       

Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, with expertise in voice performance and opera, dedicated to innovative teaching methods.

Student Fellows

Our Student Fellows receive training experience, assist with research, and collaborate with the Leadership Team and the Faculty Cadre.

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Soren, MA

College of Liberal Arts 

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Lily Alvarez, BA

College of  Education 

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Madeline O’Grady, BS

College of Education

Nicole smiles at the camera with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a black top and lanyard against a blue background.
Nicole Garcia

Cockrell School of Engineering

Ola smiles at the camera with long braided hair, glasses, a black off-the-shoulder top, and a necklace against a blue background.
Olamide Irabor-Musa

College of Liberal Arts

Zaima smiles at the camera with long, wavy dark hair, wearing a peach-colored top and a silver necklace against a blue background.
Zaima Chowdhury

College of Education

Faculty Cadre

Our Faculty Cadre comes from five different colleges at the University of Texas at Austin, bringing a diverse wealth of expertise and experience.

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Maura Borrego, PhD

Cockrell School of Engineering

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North Cooc, EdD

College of Education

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Denisa Gàndara, PhD

College of Education

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Earl Huff, Jr., PhD

School of Information

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Alison Kafer, PhD

College of Liberal Arts

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Jen Moon, PhD

College of Natural Sciences

Research Associates

Our Research Team members conduct key disability research that will contribute to the development of solutions, and work closely with all teams.

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Ryan Mata, PhD

University of Minnesota

Danielle N. Susi smiles at the camera with long, wavy brown hair, round glasses, and a black top against a blue background.
Danielle N. Susi, PhD

University of Utah

ohn Zilvinskis smiles at the camera with a bald head, beard, dark-framed glasses, and black shirt against a blue background.
John Zilvinskis, PhD

University of Binghamton

Maddie Holland smiles at the camera with long, curly brown hair, wearing a light-colored blazer and gold necklace against a blue background.
Maddie Holland, PhD

University of Texas

Jennifer L. Jones Barbour smiles at the camera with straight blonde hair, dark-framed glasses, and a black-and-white polka-dot top against a blue background.
Jennifer L. Jones Barbour, PhD

University of Illinois

Grace Ko smiles at the camera with long, straight dark hair and a black top against a blue background.
Grace Ko, PhD

University of Texas

Anna-Mari Fall looks at the camera with shoulder-length dark hair and black-framed glasses against a blue background.
Anna Mari Fall, PhD

The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk

Research Assistants

Dalton smiles at the camera with shoulder-length brown hair, a beard, glasses, and a blue suit with a floral tie against a blue background.
Dalton Kendrick, MSEd

College of Education

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Jaxsen Day, MEd

School of Information

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Joshua Andrade

School of Social Work

Julie Ball looks at the camera with long, dark brown hair and a red top against a blue background.
Julie Ball, MA

School of Communications

usan Xu looks at the camera with long dark hair, bangs, and clear-framed glasses against a blue background.
Sarah Xu

College of Natural Sciences

onathan Davis smiles at the camera with short, light brown hair, round dark-framed glasses, and a light-colored shirt against a blue background.
Jonathan Davis

Gallaudet University

Communications and Evaluation

Our Communications and Evaluation Team disseminates the Center’s research, evaluates its reach and impact, and uses data to strengthen efforts.

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Mytra Berry, BBA

Director of Communications

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Preksha Pankaj Welankiwar, MS

Social Media Coordinator

Desiree smiles at the camera with short reddish-brown hair, layered necklaces, and a brown jacket against a blue background.
Desirée Lama, PhD

Content Development Specialist

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Tia-Nikki Ivanko, PhD

Course Developer

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Christy Murray, MA

Evaluation Expert

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