Emilee Baker (She/ Her) is a doctoral student studying Inclusive Education at Syracuse University. Emilee has completed certificates of advanced study in Disability Studies and Women and Gender Studies. She is an interdisciplinary qualitative researcher and scholar interested in teacher education, inclusive and social justice education, and bridging gaps between inclusive education. Her dissertation will bridge the divide between inclusive education and environmental education for youth with disabilities. Broadly, her research centers and thinks critically about intersectionality, inclusive and decolonizing research methods, and centering the voices of multiply marginalized communities. She is a teaching assistant for the School of Education, a former special education teacher and currently a research assistant for Center for Disability and Inclusion.
Nikkia Borowski (she/her) is a doctoral student studying Inclusive Education and Disability Studies at Syracuse University. She works as a graduate teaching assistant, teaching classes in the department of Teaching and Leadership. Nikkia also serves as co-president of the Graduate Student Council. Nikkia supports the Center on Disability and Inclusion as well as the Taishoff Center as a research assistant. A member of the American Educational Research Association, her research centers the experiences of multiply marginalized people with disability labels, particularly people who type to communicate and use multiple language varieties. Nikkia is working on several research projects with colleagues in the School of Education and across different universities.
Domenic Gallo (he/him) is a 5th year in the Industrial Design program at Syracuse University and a research intern for the Center on Disability and Inclusion. The topic of his current research is the development of AI tools for those with speech assistance needs. His focus is on creating intuitive user interfaces, flexible intelligent systems, and exploring new applications of emerging technologies for use by the disability community. This project has also received funding from the SOURCE Undergraduate Research Office and the Intelligence++ Design Competition.
Nate Hughes is a fourth year doctoral student at Syracuse University studying inclusive education. He identifies as Autistic/Neurodivergent and is originally from Massachusetts, where he previously worked with youth at a local Independent Living Center as a peer mentor. There, Nate helped high school students (ages 14-22) achieve their self-determined independent living goals. His current research involves studying the experiences of Neurodivergent college students at a historically inclusive university. Nate’s future research interests include causes and prevention of out-of-district placements, the relationship between Autism and Intersectionality and Neurodiversity-affirming classroom practices.
Terrance King
Meaghan Krazinski is a neurodivergent PhD student in special education at Syracuse University where she is also completing two Certificates of Advanced Study in Women’s and Gender Studies and Disability Studies. She holds a Master of Science in Special Education and is a former special education teacher. She currently is working on research around counter-narratives of online learning from disabled students during the pandemic; a systematic literature review around inclusive higher education; an arts-based research project around neuroqueerness; and serving as an editor for an edited collection of research around Autistic gender, sexuality, and relationality. She has presented and published on the topics of neurodivergence and gender, and inclusive education. Her research interests include neurodiversity and neuroqueerness, neurodivergent college student experiences, feminist and arts-based research methods, and inclusive education.
Teukie Martin
Sara Jo Soldovieri (she/her), M.Ed is a 4th year doctoral student studying Inclusive Special Education and Disability Studies at Syracuse University. She works as a graduate researcher and graduate teaching assistant in the Department of Teaching and Leadership. She also supports the Center on Disability Inclusion (CDI),Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education and InclusiveU. A member of the American Education Research Association (AERA), her work centers students labeled as having “complex support needs” in inclusive settings, inclusive higher education, education policy, decentering whiteness in education, disability justice, transition from inclusive education to competitive employment and pre-service inclusive educator training. She is recognized nationally as an inclusive education scholar and advocate-having worked to create and implement over 1,500 inclusive Individualized Education Plans (IEP) with complex support needs. She is the former Manager of Inclusive Education Programming for the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS). A trained inclusive special education teacher she holds teaching certifications in k-6 general education, k-6 inclusive (special) education, and 7-12 inclusive (special) education. Sara Jo directly supports students, families, school districts and policy makers by providing advice, professional development training and consultation.