OSERS Features Work of Its Doctoral Scholars

The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) features the work of Ashley Grays and Sharde Theodore, two doctoral scholars from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), in its monthly Voices from the Field blog. Ashley Grays is pursuing a Ph.D. from the University of Central Florida in exceptional student education with a focus on the use of technology to improve equity for marginalized students in early childhood programs. Contrasting the support given to children in affluent child care settings with those she encountered in her own life, Ashley became determined to change the status quo. As she explains, “It’s a personal quest to ensure that zip codes don’t become destiny-defining factors and to ensure that every story has the chance to be a great one right from the first chapter.” On the other hand, Sharde Theodore focuses her research interest on the recruitment and retention of diverse faculty in higher education. “The discovery of Project INCLUDE, an OSEP-funded doctoral program focused on preparing faculty to support diverse students with disabilities, felt serendipitous,” she says. 

Read their Voices from the Field interviews here.