MJ Ellis Distinguished Lecture Series, 2004

"Supporting Persons With Disabilities in Postsecondary Education Settings: Looking Beyond Basic Compliance"

April 30th, 3:00-4:30 p.m. (reception to follow)
Huff Hall Auditorium

Robert Stodden, Ph.D.

Director and Professor, Center on Disability Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa

Abstract

Because the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) focuses on creating equal access rather than supporting programmatic success, rarely have postsecondary education institutions focused upon the quality of services, supports, and accommodations provided to persons with disabilities. For the past five years the National Center for the Study of Postsecondary Educational Supports at the University of Hawaii at Manoa has focused upon collecting data regarding the quantity and quality of educational support provision in postsecondary education settings.

Dr. Stodden will discuss recommendations and strategies for assessing the quality of supports and services for optimizing admission, retention, completion, and subsequent employment rates for students with disabilities in postsecondary education.

Biography

Robert Stodden is the current past president of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) board of directors. Professionally trained in Psychology, Special Education, and Rehabilitation, he is a leader in the fields of special education, postsecondary education, and employment for persons with disabilities. Since 1988, he has served as the founding Director of the Center on Disability Studies and professor of special education at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He also serves as the originator and director of the National Center for the Study of Postsecondary Educational Supports (NCSPES) and the National Technical Assistance Center (NTAC) for the Employment of Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders with Disabilities at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Over the past 25 years, Dr. Stodden has served as principal investigator/director for more than 100 research and training projects focused upon improving the quality of life for all persons with disabilities. He has served as a consultant within numerous foreign countries and for more than 20 different states within the United States.

In 1995, Dr. Stodden was selected as a Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation Senior Policy Fellow, working in the United States Senate to develop and draft policy language for major pieces of disability legislation. He serves on policy committees of the National Association of Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers, and as a member of the Board ot Directors for Division on Development Disabilities, International Council for Exceptional Children (CEC).