Elizabeth Harkins Professor • Special Education, Professional Counseling and Disability Studies View CV Elizabeth A. Harkins (she/her), Ed.D., is an associate professor of Disability Studies and Special Education at William Paterson University, in the Department of Special Education, Professional Counseling, and Disability Studies, where she directs the Special Education Advanced Master's program. Since 2024, she has held a university-wide appointment as a Faculty Fellow in the Honors College. Her teaching spans Disability Studies, the Honors College, and the Doctor of Education program, and she chairs and serves on doctoral dissertation committees. Dr. Harkins came to the professoriate as a special education teacher, an administrator, and a family advocate, working alongside autistic students and students with developmental disabilities across a range of settings. She is also trained in Intergroup and Interfaith Relations.Dr. Harkins' research asks what it would mean to practice special education as a project of justice rather than compliance. Drawing on DisCrit, Black feminist theory, and culturally sustaining pedagogy, she uses critical qualitative methods to examine intersectionality in disability policy and practitioner preparation, neurodiversity and autism, and disability inclusion in special and higher education, including culturally sustaining practices at Hispanic-Serving Institutions, where her work is grounded in her own campus.As a disabled scholar, Dr. Harkins is invested in the conditions that make it possible for disabled academics to enter and remain in the field. Her work in this area includes mentoring, advocating for accessible practice within professional organizations, and insisting that disability be understood as a source of expertise rather than only its subject matter.Dr. Harkins is on the Fulbright Specialist Roster (2022–2026). Her professional service includes multiple roles on the Board of Directors of the Council for Exceptional Children's Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities, a seat on CEC's Publications Committee, and an associate editorship at Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, a leading peer-reviewed journal in autism and developmental disabilities research. She earned her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from American International College, holds two MEds in Special Education from Lesley University, and a BA in Comparative Literature from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.Outside the work, she is fueled by the arts, travel, and the dogs and people she loves. Degrees EdD , American International College , MEd , Lesley University , BA , University of Massachusetts, Amherst , Specialization Intersectional pedagogy, Disability Studies, Autism, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Special Education Licenses and Certifications 10/31/2014 Supervisor/Director, State 04/30/2014 Severe Disabilities (3-22), State 05/31/2011 Moderate Disabilities (grades 5-12), State 12/31/2024 Mental Health First Aid, Representative Publications Culturally Inclusive Pedagogies and Practices; High Leverage Practices; Council for Exceptional Children; 2024 Neurodiversity-Affirming Interventions in the Science of Reading; Intersectional identity perspectives in higher education; Minority Perspectives on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Higher Education; Palgrave Macmillan; 2026 Guidance for the Antiracist Educator Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies for Disability and Diversity; 2023 Leading with an Equity Lens: Addressing the Intersection of Racism and Ableism in Public Schools; 2022 Representative Presentations Can Neurodiversity have a seat at the table? Diverse perspectives on autism research Divison on Autism and Developmental Disabilities International Conference Divison on Autism and Developmental Disabilities , 2023 Outside in or inside out: Intersectionality in disability policy. Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) National Conference, Council for Exceptional Children , 2024 Assessing Our Awareness: Tools for Developing Teachers' Cultural Competence. Council for Exceptional Children Critical Conversations Webinar series , 2021 Assessing Our Awareness: Tools for Developing Teachers' Cultural Competence. Council for Exceptional Children Critical Conversations Webinar series , 2021 Disability, intersectionality and belonging in special education: Socioculturally sustaining practices. Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) National Conference Council for Exceptional Children , 2024 Fellowships, Grants and Research INTERSECT: Framing an Intersectionality Based Analysis for Disrupting Disparities in Autism Diagnosis Grant Assessing PreK-12 Teachers' Level of Awareness Regarding Students' Intersectional Identities Assigned Release Time Email 973 720 3576 By appointment
