Disability Studies Minor Coordinator Laura Eisenman

Laura Eisenman

Disability Studies Faculty Coordinator and Advisor
Professor
302-831-0532

Bio:

Laura is a professor in UD’s School of Education, where she is a faculty member in the master’s program in exceptional children and youth, the Ph.D. specialization in sociocultural and community-based approaches, and the Ed.D. in educational leadership. Laura teaches graduate and undergraduate courses about the transition to adult life for students with disabilities and introductory courses on disability studies in UD’s Disabilities Studies minor, which CDS administers.

Laura’s research interests include understanding the social and community experiences of young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, exploring the meaning of disability in educational contexts and integration of disability studies perspectives in interdisciplinary pre-service professional programs. Recently published work include Eisenman, L.T., & Subih, M. (2022). Developing diversity competencies in an undergraduate disability studies course. Journal of Teaching Disability Studies, 3. https://jtds.commons.gc.cuny.edu/developing-diversity-competencies-in-an-undergraduate-disability-studies-course/ and Eisenman, L.T., Rolon-Dow, R., Freedman, B., Davison, A., & Yates, N. (2020). “Disabled or not, people just want to feel welcome”: Stories of microaggression and microaffirmation from college students with intellectual disability. (Special Issue: Ableism in the Academy). Critical Education, 11(17), 1-20. Retrieved from http://ojs.library.ubc.ca/index.php/criticaled/article/view/186499. She is co-editor of Negotiating Disability: Disclosure in Higher Education (Fall 2017, University of Michigan Press).

Laura received her doctorate in special education from Vanderbilt University and a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling from the University of South Florida. Before UD, she worked as a counselor and administrator in community programs for adults with disabilities.

Laura lives in Wilmington, Del., with her spouse and two dogs, and wishes she lived closer to her grandson in Florida. Local passions include popcorn with a good movie.