Power of SUNY

UB Doctorate Students Improving Special Education Access

Six University at Buffalo doctorate students in the University at Buffalo/Buffalo State College Joint Doctoral Program in Special Education will receive up to $40,000 a year apiece to become leaders in special education teacher training.

The students will be trained to prepare future teachers to use media, technology and communication tools that will help students with disabilities. They will then assume leadership positions in special-education teacher training programs at colleges and universities, where they will teach teachers how to provide greater access for students with disabilities, consistent with principles of universal design for learning, and deliver technology-rich instructional environments.

The funds are part of a highly competitive four-year $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education designed to address a national and local shortage of highly skilled special-education teacher-educators. Eighty percent of the grant goes directly for student scholarships.  The grant was awarded in November 2010.

The money each student receives will be used for tuition, fees, books and compensation to leave their jobs while they are being trained. Once through the training, these students will become part of a cadre of professionals with the skills, knowledge and abilities to train special-education teachers and to teach them how to provide greater access to the curriculum for students with disabilities. If an established pattern continues, these future teachers will remain in the Buffalo area and directly contribute to the quality of life for special-education teachers.