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.
Deeply Connected to Disability
Leadership Team
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, as well as her experience developing innovative research models that use collaboration to achieve student-centered insights and findings.
Dr. Cawthon, who is deaf, is Professor at the College of Education and The University of Texas at Austin, Director of the Collaborative for Access & Equity, Director of Research & Evaluation for Drama for Schools, and Co-Editor of Perspectives on Deafness at Oxford University Press. She was also the founding director of the National Deaf Center for Postsecondary Success.
A sought-after speaker, author, and thought leader, Dr. Cawthon’s research has been funded by over $50 million in federal and other grants. | MORE NEWS
Tracey Bradnan
Director of Communications
Desirée Lama
Coordinator of Student Partnerships
Student Fellows
Our Student Fellows receive training experience, assist with research, and collaborate with the Leadership Team and the Faculty Cadre.
Soren Aldaco
College of Liberal Arts
Lily Alvarez
College of Education
Madeline O’Grady
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.
Evaluation Team
Our Evaluation Team collects our analytics, evaluates our progress and collaborate closely with the Leadership Team and Faculty Cadre to improve our research strategies.
- Greg Roberts, PhD
- Kim Rodriguez, MA
- Adah Barenburg
Communications Team
Our Communications Team manage our outreach, develop communication plans, and work closely with all teams to disseminate our research findings.
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Tracey Bradnan, Director of Communications
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Mytra Berry, Digital Marketing Manager
Research Team
Our Research Team members conduct key disability research that will contribute to the development of solutions, and work closely with all teams.
- Ryan Mata, MA, Doctoral Research Affiliate
- Janelle Hedstrom, UT Austin Education Librarian
- Anna Mari Fall, PhD, Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk
- Pierce Capelli, Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk
- Mike Bohlig, PhD, College of Education | CCSSE