NATRI Staff and Advisory Boards

Ted S. Hasselbring
Co-Principal Investigator

Ted S. Hasselbring is the William T. Bryan Professor and Endowed Chair in Special Education Technology at the University of Kentucky. Over the past twenty years Dr. Hasselbring has conducted research on the use of technology for enhancing learning in students with mild disabilities and those who are at-risk of school failure. He has authored more than one hundred book chapters and articles on learning and technology and serves on the editorial boards of six professional journals. He is also the author of several computer programs, including Scholastic's Read 180. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Kentucky in January, 2000, Dr. Hasselbring spent 17 years as a professor and Co-Director of the Learning Technology Center at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Hasselbring is a graduate of Indiana University, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1971, the Master of Arts in Teaching Degree with a major in Biology in 1972, and an Ed.D in Special Education in 1979.

Margaret E. Bausch
Co-Principal Investigator

Margaret E. Bausch is an assistant professor in the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling. Prior to joining the NATRI staff, Dr. Bausch spent more than 15 years as a Disability Program Specialist where she was involved in all aspects of research and product development. She has also been involved in the graduate and undergraduate training programs in Special Education Technology. Dr. Bausch received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary and Special Education at Eastern Kentucky University, a Master of Science Degree in Special Education Learning Disabilities and an Ed.D. in Special Education Technology from the University of Kentucky in 1999. She is also a RESNA certified Assistive Technology Practitioner.

Melinda J. Ault
Project Director

Melinda Jones Ault currently is the Project Director for NATRI. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree and Master of Science degree from the University of Kentucky in elementary and special education. She is a certified elementary education and special education teacher, was a former classroom teacher, and has worked in educational research for 19 years. Ms. Ault is co-author of a textbook on instructional strategies for students with moderate to severe disabilities, and a rating scale of developmental appropriateness in K-3rd grade inclusive classrooms. Her research interests are instructional methodology for persons with severe disabilities and the inclusion of students with disabilities into general education classrooms.

Irene Villarreal-Stewart
Research Associate

Dr. Irene Villarreal-Stewart recently completed her Ed.D. in Instructional Systems Design from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Kentucky, College of Education. Irene's dissertation work on "interactivity as an instructional design element for interactive, multimedia designs," using qualitative methodology was supported by NATRI as she worked part-time in the capacity of qualitative data analyst. Irene continues to work for NATRI, full-time now, using NVivo to organize, shape, and retrieve interview and observation data thematically.

She received her bachelor's degree in Biology and Chemistry with a minor in Math from the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas on a full scholarship. In San Antonio, Irene taught Secondary Biology, Chemistry, and Math Courses for over 16 years. Moving to Kentucky in 1980, she earned a master's degree in Science Teacher Education from the University of Kentucky and at the same time, Kentucky Teacher Certification. As a unique experience, Irene created and received Kentucky State accreditation for a one-room school of 16 children ranging in age from 5 to 16 years for the Cornucopia Learning Institute formerly in St. Mary Kentucky. In the department of Curriculum and Instruction, Irene has taught teaching strategy courses to education and nursing students and has been involved in the "field studies" part of teacher education.

F. "Darrell" Mattingly, Jr.
Webmaster

Darrell Mattingly joined the staff in 2000. Darrell received two Bachelor’s Degrees in 1995 from The University of Kentucky—Computer Science and Mathematical Science with a minor in statistics. He has experience working as a teaching assistant and a research assistant at the University of Kentucky. He is the co-author of "The Consumer Guide for Assistive Technology" for the Vocational Rehabilitation Department in Kentucky. He is currently the server administrator and webmaster for the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling at the University of Kentucky and the Commonwealth Center for Instructional Technology and Learning.

Nita Kaufman
Multimedia Specialist

Nita Kaufman is a Multimedia Specialist in the Special Education and Rehabilitation Department at the University of Kentucky. She has worked in this department since coming to Kentucky in 1990. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland majoring in Fine Arts and has worked in the field of Graphic Art and Design for nearly twenty-nine years. Her career has encompassed a wide-range of projects including: logo designs, brochures, annual reports, video capture and editing, interactive multimedia projects on CD-ROM, to her current involvement in design and production of web sites, with an emphasis on designing accessible sites.

Ashley L. Milo
Recruitment Coordinator

Ashley L. Milo is a graduate student at the University of Kentucky working toward an assistive techology degree and works as a research associate on the University of Kentucky Assistive Technology (UKAT) project. As a researcher on the UKAT project, Ashley has been involved with training, follow-up consultation, data collection and synthesis. Also, Ashley serves on a committee which directs the toy lending library at the Bluegrass Technology Center for Persons with disAbilities.

Ashley received her Bachelor of Science Degree in 1998, from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University with a double major in Special Education and Elementary Education. Ashley taught students with learning disabilities in the areas of math and technology for two years in Atlanta, GA. Her second year of teaching she helped to initiate a laptop program for all of the LD students grades 4 - 6. Not only was she the math teacher, she also became the technology coordinator and specialist.

A. Edward Blackhurst
Technology Consultant

A. Edward Blackhurst serves as a major consultant for NATRI. He is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling at the University of Kentucky. During his 33 year tenure at UK, he directed 25 major research, personnel preparation, and service projects, 17 of which dealt with topics related to technology.

Dr. Blackhurst has had considerable experience related to a wide variety of applications of technology in special education, dating back to his first publication on that topic in 1965. During the ensuing years, he has published numerous articles and book chapters on technology, culminating in a 1997 retrospective on the topic for a Council for Exceptional (CEC) journal that commemorated CEC's 75th anniversary. He is Past-President of the Teacher Education Division of CEC and is the recipient of the Excellence in Teacher Education award from that organization. He also is Past-President of the Association for Special Education Technology, the precursor to the Technology and Media (TAM) Division of CEC. He received TAM's award for Distinguished Leadership upon his retirement.

A functional model to guide delivery of assistive technology services was developed in a project that was under Dr. Blackhurst's direction. It serves as the conceptual underpinning for many of NATRI's activities. He also contributed to the design of the NATRI project and is assisting with the design and generation of content for the NATRI Web site and the design, implementation, and interpretation of several of the studies that are being conducted by NATRI.

Edward "Skip" Kifer
Evaluation Consultant

Dr. "Skip" Kifer joined the faculty in 1972, coming to Lexington from the University of Chicago and the Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistical Analysis (MESA) specialization. At Chicago he was a Resource Colleague with a Ford Foundation Teacher Training Program, a member of the College Admissions staff, and a statistical consultant to the Department of Education. While associated with the University of Kentucky, he has been a Spencer Foundation Fellow at the University of Stockholm and a visiting professor at both SUNY Buffalo and UCLA. Last year he was the AERA Senior Research Fellow at the National Center for Education Statistics.

"Skip" teaches courses in the quantitative sequence and an introductory evaluation course. His research interests are testing and evaluation broadly construed. He has written test reviews for the Buros Mental Measurement Yearbook, chapters on attitude measurement and construction of attitude measures, and played a major role in designing, implementing, and reporting the results of the Second International Mathematics Study. He was also one of five persons who planned the Commonwealth's assessment system and serves both on its national technical committee and a technical committee that oversees international evaluation studies.

Marci Chitwood
Research Assistant

Marci Chitwood received her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and her Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education from Northern Kentucky University. Her Kentucky teaching certifications are in Elementary Education and Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education. Marci has worked as an interventionist for young children with moderate to severe disabilities ranging in ages birth to five for Kentucky's Early Intervention System (First Steps) and for Kentucky's Preschool Programs serving young children with special needs. She instructs courses as adjunct faculty at Northern Kentucky University on topics in Early Childhood Special Education. Marci is pursuing her doctoral work at the University of Kentucky in the areas of Early Childhood Special Education and Assistive Technology. Her interests include issues in use and availability of assistive technology for very young children with special needs and supporting families of those children with technical assistance.

Elizabeth A. Lahm
Technology Consultant

Dr. Lahm is the Director of the Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative, which is a statewide technical assistance project funded by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Before moving to Wisconsin she taught in classrooms for students with severe disabilities for eight years in Minnesota and California. She received her Bachelors degree from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota and her Masters degree at the California State University at Los Angeles. In 1988 Liz completed her Ph.D. in Special Education Technology at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She has directed assistive technology research projects in for-profit and university settings. Most recently she was the coordinator of the assistive technology graduate program at the University of Kentucky. She was also Principal Investigator of several research and development projects in assistive technology, both within the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling and the Interdisciplinary Human Development Institute at UK. Liz is a RESNA certified Assistive Technology Practitioner.

Michael M. Beharmann
GMUResearch Manager

Dr. Behrmann received his Ed.D. in Special Education from Teachers College, Columbia University in 1978. As part of his post doctoral activities, Dr. Behrmann was a participant in the Professional Leadership Program on assignment to the Governmental Relations Unit of the American Educational Research Association. In 1979, he came to George Mason University's Special Education Programs as Coordinator of the Graduate program in Severely Multi- Handicapped. He began his research with assistive technology in special education in 1981 and designed and implemented a masters degree program in Assistive/Special Education Technology in 1986, followed by a doctoral program in Assistive/Special Education Technology. In 1998 he implemented a 15 credit Assistive Technology Certificate Program.

He has been responsible for obtaining numerous federal, state and local as well as foundation grants and contracts for training, technical assistance and research. He is currently the Helen A. Kellar Professor of Special Education in the Graduate School of Education and the Director of the Helen A. Kellar Institute for Human disAbilities at George Mason University. He is currently the coordinator of the special education programs, professor in charge of the programs in Assistive/Special Education Technology in Instructional Technology and in Severe Disabilities in Special Education.

Dr. Behrmann's current professional activities include the directorship of a state funded training and technical assistance center (TTAC) for Superintendent's Region 4 of Virginia; a technical assistance project in the Department of Rehabilitation's Northern Region for the Virginia Assistive Technology System (VATS); two state grants to prepare teachers in the area of mild disabilities and severe disabilities. He is also continuing to develop LiteracyAccess Online, an accessible web site to enable parents, teachers and tutors to teach literacy skills to children with disabilities, a federally funded Steppingstones grant and the Kellar Instructional Handheld System, a wireless data collection system for children with severe disabilities. He is also working on a state funded web based professional development site, TTAC Online to expand the capacity of VADOE’s 8 regional TTACs to online services. The KIHd also is a primary subcontractor under Dr. Behrmann to the University of Kentucky's National Assistive Technology Research Institute. Dr. Behrmann was also a charter member for CEC's Technology and Media Division (TAM).

Jennifer K. Bell
Study Manager

Jennifer K. Bell is, currently, employed as an AT specialist in Clark County Public Schools and teaches AT courses at University of Kentucky in the evenings. She is the past project director for the University of Kentucky Assistive Technology (UKAT) Project. Jennifer received her bachelors degree from the University of Kentucky in elementary and special education. She is a certified elementary education and special education teacher, and was a former classroom teacher to students with emotional and behavioral disabilities as well as physical and multiple disabilities. Jennifer received her masters degree from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington in Educational Administration and Supervision. She is certified as a principal and supervisor. Jennifer received her Ed.D. at the University of Kentucky. Her dissertation focused on the NATRI research topic of assistive technology policies. Jennifer has coauthored several articles on instruction and a book chapter featuring a case study of AT use by a student with disabilities. Her research interests include service delivery issues in assistive technology, AT policy and technical assistance support, and inclusion of assistive technology in instructional methods for students with disabilities.

Deb Case
Study Manager

Deb Case received her doctoral degree from the University of Kentucky. She is the project manager of the NATRI Essential Elements of Assistive Technology Assessment Delphi study. She was previously employed as acting project director for the University of Kentucky Assistive Technology (UKAT) Project, a toolkit of materials to guide individuals through the assistive technology process from consideration through follow-along. Deb received her M.Ed. in Early Childhood Special Education from the University of Cincinnati and has her Assistive Technology Practitioner certification from RESNA. Her academic interests include individuals with multiple/severe disabilities, assistive technology, and assessment.

Linda J. Gassaway
Study Manager

Linda J. Gassaway is a third year doctoral student in the Assistive Technology program. In addition to being a project manager on NATRI, Linda is also a project director for the Assistive Technology Expert System. She received her MA. Ed in mental retardation in 1994 from East Carolina University and her Assistive Technology Practitioner certification in 1999 from RESNA. Her academic interests include individuals with moderate to severe disabilities, assistive technology, and communication disorders.

Joy Zabala
Study Manager

Joy Zabala is a nationally-recognized consultant in assistive and instructional technology, She holds the Assistive Technology Practitioners certificate from RESNA and is the developer of the SETT Framework, a collaborative decision-making tool which supports consideration, development, implementation and evaluation of AT devices and services for students with disabilities. Zabala is co-founder of the QIAT Coalition, which is developing the AT Quality Indicators, and serves as its facilitator. She has developed and taught several AT courses on the Web under the sponsorship of the National Center for the Improvement of Practices in Special Education (NCIP) and represented the field of education when RESNA designed its ATP certification program. She received her doctoral degree from the University of Kentucky focusing her dissertation on the validation of the Quality Indictors of Assistive Technology.

YooSun Chung
Research Assistant

Yoosun Chung received her doctoral degree from George Mason University with a focus in assistive technology. Her research interests are individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices, individuals with disabilities and Internet, and individuals who have cerebral palsy. Her dissertation topic is the perspectives of individuals who use high-functioning AAC devices at the postsecondary level. She received her bachelor's degree from the George Mason University in Computer Science and her master's degree from the Cornell University in Computer Science.

Anna Evmenova
Research Assistant

Anna Evmenova is a doctoral student at George Mason University with a focus in assistive/instructional technology and learning disabilities. She is originally from Russia and has a bachelor's and a master's degrees in English and German as Second Languages from Saratov State University, Saratov, Russia. Anna also received a master's degree in learning disabilities and an assistive technology graduate certificate from East Carolina University, Greenville, NC. She is certified and has experience teaching in public schools both in Russia (ESL teacher) and US (learning disabilities teacher). Her research interests include assistive technology, instructional technology, and students with high-incidence disabilities including those with learning disabilities as well as teacher training and preparation programs.

Elizabeth Hammond-Bagley
Research Assistant

Elizabeth Hammond-Bagley received a her doctoral degree from the University of Kentucky with a focus in research, learning disabilities and assistive technology in 2006. She served as a research assistant on several of the NATRI studies. Elizabeth received her Bachelors and Master degrees from the University of Florida with majors in learning disabilities and mental retardation. Elizabeth has worked as an algebra teacher and a technology coordinator in Atlanta, Georgia.

John Lowdermilk
Research Assistant

Dr. Lowdermilk brings to NATRI 14 years experience working in healthcare and education. Including teaching high school children with emotional/behavioral disorders and physical disabilities. Dr. Lowdermilk spent five years working in the Emergency Department of East Texas Medical Center (ETMC). During his time with ETMC, he had the opportunity to work with children with chronic illnesses including cancer, multiple disabilities, burns, psychiatric behavioral problems, and many other conditions. Dr. Lowdermilk evaluated and provided treatment plans patients for these children. He was interacted with their families, providing information on treatment options and available ancillary services.

After leaving medicine, Dr. Lowdermilk continued his education while working as a Distance Education Developer at the University of Texas and later at Collin County Community College and the University of North Texas. During his employment at Collin County Community College, he was a one of the founding members of the Technology Learning Center, which provided technical expertise to faculty involved in teaching distance and online education classes.

While attending the University of North Texas on a U.S. Department of Education, Doctoral Leadership Grant in Emotional and Behavioral Disorders under Dr. Lyndal M. Bullock, he worked for Dr. Bullock’s Institute for Learning and Behavioral Differences. As a developer of Distance Education classes for Dr. Bullock, Dr. Lowdermilk also taught an undergraduate distance education course in special education and was actively involved in designing Distance Education courses for preservices teachers in the areas of Traumatic Brain Injury and Functional Behavioral Assessment.

Since coming to the University of Kentucky as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow on Integration of Instruction about Technology into Special Education, Dr. Lowdermilk have been actively involved in special education, particularly investigating the area of children with chronic diseases and working as a qualitative researcher for the National Assistive Technology Research Institute.

He began as an assistant professor at the University of Texas Pan American in the Fall, 2006.

Elizabeth McLaren
Research Assistant

Elizabeth McLaren is a doctoral student at the University of Kentucky with a focus in early childhood special education, emotional and behavioral disorders, and consultation. Elizabeth came to UK after receiving a BA in Human Development and Social Relations from Earlham College in Richmond, IN. She has received her MS in early childhood special education from UK. Elizabeth has worked with young children with and without special needs in child care, Head Start/Early Head Start, self-contained, and private school settings. Elizabeth has returned to UK after working at a nonprofit agency as the training coordinator teaching and coordinating continuing education classes for early childhood education teachers.

Seunghun Ok
Research Assistant

Seunghun Ok is a doctoral student at George Mason University (GMU) with the focus of his study in Assistive Technology. He is interested in assistive technology application for people with disabilities, especially for those in Korea, his home country, where assistive technology is not in place yet.

He is working as a graduate research assistant at the Helen A. Kellar Institute for Human disabilities (KIHd), at George Mason University. He is involved in several grant projects in addition to this NATRI project, including LiteracyAccess Online (LAO), and Training and Technical Assistance Center (T/TAC). Previously he worked as special educator for adolescents and adults with mental retardation in community rehabilitation centers in Korea and also as a researcher at the Korea Mission Research Center for the Disabled.

Seunghun completed his undergraduate work at Seoul National University with a BS in computer science and received his MS in special education from Illinois State University.

Edward Richard
Research Assistant

After working in the advertising and communication media industry for several years in Toronto and Montreal, Ed Richard completed studies in computer programming, music and education at McGill and Dalhousie Universities. This was followed by graduate studies at York University (Toronto) with an interdisciplinary program in Special Education (Planning and Administration of Community-Based Education).

Ed has been involved in K-12 education for twenty years. This includes classroom teaching, school administration, Provincial Department of Education consultant in technology, coordinator of Assistive Technology and Special Education Policy and Guidelines. At the University of Prince Edward Island, Ed coordinated the Faculty of Education Resource Centre and taught courses in Education Technology, Communication, Psychology and Distance Education .

Currently, Ed is a doctoral student at the University of Kentucky in Special Education.

For more detailed information, you are invited to visit my web-site at: http://sweb.uky.edu/~ejrich2/

Brianna Stegall
Research Assistant

Brianna Stegall is a doctoral student at George Mason University with a focus in assistive technology and early childhood special education. She has a bachelor's degree in psychology with a minor in early childhood education. Brianna taught kindergarten for several years prior to obtaining her master's degree in early childhood special education from James Madison University. Her research interests include assistive technology, education policy, and early childhood special education.

Gregory Taylor
Research Assistant

Gregory Taylor is a Doctoral student in the Department of Special Education focusing on teaching, research, and educational technology. Gregory came to UK after receiving his Bachelor and Masters degree in Special Education from the University of Florida. Gregory has research interests in the effective use of technology to increase educational outcomes for students with learning and behavioral disorders. Gregory has worked directly with children ages four to nineteen with severe emotional and behavior disorders in residential treatment centers across the country, worked as a network technician for the University of Florida and served as a self-contained classroom teacher in Marietta, Georgia.

Cheryl Temple
Research Assistant

Cheryl has been an Assistive Technology Specialist with Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia since 1994. As such, she coordinates technology training for special education teachers, on-site technology inservices at schools throughout the district, and technology assistance to students in special education programs. Cheryl previously worked as a learning disabilities teacher, communication disorders teacher, and Title 1 reading tutor. She is a regular presenter at the national Closing the Gap Computer Technology conference held annually in Minneapolis and frequently conducts teacher training for the United States Department of States Office of Overseas Schools.

Cheryl holds a B.S. in Education from Illinois State University and a M.Ed. in Special Education Technology from the George Mason University in Farfax, Virginia. She received her doctoral degree in assistive technology at George Mason University in 2006.