Dr. Amy Accardo, Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary and Inclusive Education
Tell us about the DEI research that you are doing:
My research is guided by my professional goal to make a meaningful impact promoting independence and providing access to equitable education opportunities for individuals who identify as neurodivergent and/or on the autism spectrum. I model an asset based approach to considering the impact of ability differences on inclusive communities, striving to dismantle ableism, remove barriers, and promote access to equitable opportunities for ALL individuals. Current projects include eliminating the research to practice gap teaching writing to autistic students in our K-12 schools, and increasing access to meaningful college degree programs for the growing number of autistic young adults (https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04205-8).
What made you want to undertake this work?
Our students! Talking to students who face unnecessary barriers to college access and college readiness motivates me to strive for change. I am also guided by my personal experiences as a university faculty member, autism consultant, parent advocate, and former middle school special education teacher.
Why would our students at Rowan University be interested in this work?
Rowan University students are diverse and our neurodivergent students are strong self-advocates leading change. Through collaboration we have a larger impact (re)developing practices and policies that promote access to equitable life opportunities.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about your work?
Student reported barriers to college success we are working to remove are most commonly reported as non-academic, and include mental health (anxiety, stress and fear), the impact of having a disability, and lack of understanding from college professors.
This is a Wordle™ of findings from our recent multi-university study in which students shared that development of a social network is one key to college success.