Elizabeth Harkins Professor • Special Education, Professional Counseling and Disability Studies View CV Elizabeth A. Harkins (Monaco) (she/her/disabled), Ed.D., is a former special education administrator, classroom teacher, and family advocate. She has worked with autistic students and students with developmental disabilities in a variety of settings. Trained in Intergroup and Interfaith Relations, she is now an associate professor of Disability Studies and Special Education in the Department of Special Education, Professional Counseling, and Disability Studies at William Paterson University. Dr. Harkins also serves as the program director of the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Advanced Master’s program.Dr. Harkins' current scholarship is focused on social justice in special education, specifically intersectional pedagogy, and sociocultural sustainability and disability studies in education. Rooted in Black feminist theory and culturally relevant pedagogy, Dr. Harkins' work examines the awareness and effects of multiple, intersecting sociocultural markers across special education communities, policies, and pedagogy.Dr. Harkins is on the Fulbright Specialist Roster and has served multiple roles on the Board of Directors for the Council for Exceptional Children’s (CEC) Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (DADD). Currently, she is the president for DADD. Dr. Harkins also serves on the Publications Committee for CEC. She earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership and Supervision from American International College. She holds two MEds in Special Education from Lesley University, and a BA in Comparative Literature from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.In her free time, she is fueled by the arts, her dogs, and plants. 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; 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
