American scholar, educator, and activist.
Scholarship
Throughout my scholarship, I have sought to establish authentic collaboration with community partners and key interest-holders to promote pragmatic, yet transformative solutions to the multiple marginalization experienced by disabled individuals and their families throughout their lifetime. My research praxis focuses on critically examining the systemic social, environmental, and political forces governing accessibility to sport and physical activity as well as capturing the seen and unseen influences of “society” on individual actions. Using a pragmatic ontology and radical epistemology, I situate my work within ‘DisCrit’ scholarship—engaging both qualitative and quantitative methods—to produce research that closely aligns with the self-identified community needs so that individuals have greater agency in their physical pursuits and practitioners can better provide equal opportunities to community members at the intersection of multiple marginalization.
Recent
Journal Articles
Books & Book Chapters
Presentations
Teaching Effectiveness
In the essay, “We Make the Road By Walking: Conversations on Education and Social Change,” Paolo Friere posits that educators possess a moral imperative to refrain from remaining neutral. I am resolute in my commitment to instilling in my students fundamental skills such as creative problem-solving, self-reflection, and critical analysis of their environment. I do so with honesty and transparency. To me, not maintaining neutrality implies that I will equip my students with the knowledge and understanding necessary to confront the realities they face. I strive provide my students with perspectives on the concepts discussed in class, but I ground them in empirical evidence, scientific principles, and practical applications. However, as an educator, I recognize that my role extends beyond mere information dissemination. Learning is a collaborative endeavor. I have consistently been drawn to this process, as well as the inherent uniqueness of each day that is associated with being in the academic setting. In essence, this can be characterized as a “punk pedagogy”; a philosophy and practice that is rooted in: (1) critical assessments of policies and practices; (2) a self-reliant ethos and a preference for action; and (3) radical acceptance of my students and their expertise. In conjunction with the challenges inherent in instructing students from diverse backgrounds and experiences, this intellectual demand further intensifies my passion for teaching and educating individuals who will become future global leaders. I have discovered that harnessing this diversity within the classroom not only enhances my teaching capabilities but also facilitates a deeper learning experience for my students. My experience in both physical education and adapted physical education has instilled in me a profound philosophy of inclusion, which entails creating learning experiences that align with the needs of my students rather than molding them to meet the objectives of the class. In my classroom, I strive to adopt a radical pedagogy, a teaching approach that transcends conventional methods and fosters genuine engagement from my students. As bell hooks elucidated in Teaching to Transgress, this entails the unequivocal acknowledgment of each student’s presence and the genuine valuation of their personhood within the classroom environment. To achieve this, I believe it is crucial to incorporate the background knowledge and experiences of my students into the curriculum by providing relatable examples. After all, if the information is accessible and pertinent to my students, they are far more likely to retain and apply it effectively in the future. Ultimately, my aspiration is for my students to leave my classroom with the confidence to confront the structural and societal barriers they may encounter in their future professions through thoughtful critical analysis.
Courses Taught
Course Innovation
