Opportunity of a Lifetime: Earn Your Doctorate

With a Specialization in the Education of Students
who have a Sensory Impairment

(Blind/Visually Impaired, Deaf/Hard of Hearing,
or Deafblindness)

We are pleased to announce the funding of the National Leadership Consortium in Sensory Disabilities (NLCSD) by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs.  The consortium consists of 25 universities with doctoral programs that have an emphasis in one or more of the three sensory impairment areas: blind/visually impaired, deaf/hard of hearing, and deafblindness. 

Fellowships are available to US citizens/permanent residents who must first be accepted into a doctoral program.

The NLCSD Fellows will participate together in a structured added-value enrichment program in addition to their individual Universities’ Doctoral Programs of study in Special Education. The added-value NLCSD Research Based Conceptual Model will supplement the research curriculum provided at the NLCSD parent Universities.  During the Fellows’ studies, there will be an ongoing, on-line asynchronous, wiki based research forum which will provide opportunities to critically examine research issues in the field, engage in discussion with faculty and researchers across the country, and engage collaboratively In designing, implementing and disseminating research.

The enrichment program will be designed by the NLCSD University Consortium with input from a Public Advisors Council (PAC) that includes national professional, consumer and parent organizations representing the three sensory disability areas as well as other national professional organizations in higher education and special education. The enrichment program will include opportunities to participate in research and issue-based seminars through, interactive web technologies and resources, opportunities for externships, face-to-face meetings and national conferences.  NLCSD will offer a once in a lifetime opportunity to pursue individual doctoral studies and be part of a larger collaborative community of learners. 

Participating NLCSD Consortium Members as of 01.06.2010
IHE Name Email D/HH B/VI DB
Boston College Susan Bruce brucesu@bc.edu     DB
California State University,
Los Angeles		 Cheryl Kamei-Hannan ckameih@calstatela.edu   B/VI  
Florida State University Sandra Lewis slewis@ fsu.edu   B/VI  
George Mason University Holly Lawson hlawson2@gmu.edu   B/VI  
Michael Behrmann mbehrman@gmu.edu
Georgia State University Susan Easterbrooks seasterbrooks@gsu.edu D/HH    
Illinois State University Stacy Kelly skelly@ilstu.edu   B/VI  
Maribeth Lartz mnlartz@ilstu.edu D/HH    
Michigan State University Claudia M.Pagliaro pagliaro@msu.edu D/HH    
Northern Illinois University Gaylen Kapperman gkapperman@niu.edu   B/VI  
The Ohio State University Tiffany Wild wild.13@osu.edu   B/VI  
Peter Paul paul.3@osu.edu D/HH    
Portland State University Jim Bickford bickford@pdx.edu   B/VI  
San Francisco State University Amanda Lueck amandal@sfsu.edu   B/VI  
Teachers College,
Columbia University		 Robert Kretschmer rek16@columbia.edu D/HH    
Texas Tech University  
Candace Hicks Candace.hicks@ttuhsc.edu D/HH    
Nora Griffin- Shirley n.griffin-shirley@ttu.edu   B/VI  
Roseanna Davidson roseanna.davidson@ttu.edu     DB
University of Alabama Mary Jean Sanspree Sanspree@uab.edu     DB
University of Arizona Shirin Antia santia@u.arizona.edu D/HH    
Jane Erin jerin@u.arizona.edu   B/VI  
University of Louisville TBN     B/VI  
University of Minnesota Susan Rose srose@umn.edu D/HH    
University of
North Carolina at Greensboro		 Mary V. Compton mvcompto@uncg.edu D/HH    
University of Northern Colorado John Luckner john.luckner@unco.edu D/HH    
Kay Alicyn Ferrell kay.ferrell@unco.edu   B/VI  
Silvia Correa-Torres Silvia.Correa-Torres@unco.edu     DB
University of Pittsburgh George Zimmerman gjz@pitt.edu   B/VI  
The University of Utah/ College of Education Catherine Nelson Cathy.Nelson@utah.edu     DB
Vanderbilt University Anne Marie Tharpe anne.m.tharpe@vanderbilt.edu D/HH    
Deborah Hatton Deborah.Hatton@Vanderbilt.Edu   B/VI  
Washington University
in St. Louis		 William Clark clarkw@wustl.edu D/HH    
Western Michigan University Robert Wall Emerson robert.wall@wmich.edu    B/VI  
TOTALS     12 15 5
The NLCSD Leadership Team
Kathleen M. Huebner
NLCSD Project Director
Salus University
1-215-780-1361
kathyh@salus.edu 		Brooke C. Smith
NLCSD Project Coordinator
Salus University
bsmith@salus.edu
John Killoran
NLCSD Liaison to the Deafblind Community
Western Oregon University/NCDB
killorj@wou.edu		 Brenda Schick
NLCSD Liaison to the 
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Community
University of Colorado - Boulder
brenda.schick@colorado.edu
Glinda Hill
OSEP Projector Officer
glinda.hill@ed.gov		 Tina Fitzpatrick
Administrative Assistant
Salus University
Tfitzpatrick@salus.edu

Ammended June 1, 2010