Director

Karen Erickson, Ph.D., Director, Center for Literacy and Disability Studies and associate professor in the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Department of Allied Health Sciences, School of Medicine.  Dr. Erickson directs several research and development efforts addressing the literacy learning and communication needs of persons with disabilities of all ages.  Current research efforts involve infants and toddlers with visual impairments, school-aged students who struggle to read and write, school-aged students with complex communication needs, and children, adolescents, and young adults with multiple disabilities including deafblindness. Formerly a teacher of students with significant disabilities, including many who used augmentative and alternative communication, Karen is knowledgeable in literacy, assistive and instructional technologies, augmentative communication, and the learning characteristics of students with significant disabilities. She is the author or coauthor of a number of literacy instructional programs and products. Dr. Erickson was the 2004 recipient of the National Down Syndrome Congress Educator Award and the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication Distinguished Literacy Lectureship Award. 

Faculty

Gretchen Hanser, MS OTR/L,Associate Director for School-Aged Services, Project Director, Literacy and Communication Model Demonstration Classroom Project, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Deafblind Grant. Ms. Hanser is an expert in assistive and instructional technologies, especially for students with the most significant disabilities.  As a school-based occupational therapist and assistive technology specialist, Ms. Hanser develops innovative solutions for the most difficult to support students.  While she works full-time as the Project Director of the innovative Model Demonstration Classroom Project, Ms. Hanser is also completing her dissertation in the field of education with an emphasis on literacy instruction for children with complex communication needs and physical impairments.  Upon completion of her dissertation, Ms. Hanser will receive her Ph.D. in Education from the University of New Hampshire.

Patsy Pierce, Ph.D., Associate Director for Early Childhood Services, Assistant Professor, Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Pierce is a licensed Speech/Language Pathologist who holds a Birth-Kindergarten teaching license and a Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Dr. Pierce has worked extensively with children with severe speech and physical impairments for more than 20 years. She was an instructor in the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences at UNC-CH from 1985-1994, and served as the Education Director at the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies at UNC-CH from 1990-1994. Since that time Dr. Pierce has served as the State Assistive Techology Consultant and Director of Professional Services for the N.C. Dept of Health and Human Services, Director of the Developmental Evaluation Center in Durham, Professor at Meredith College, and a consultant with the NC Department of Public Instruction, Exceptional Children's Program, and the NC More at Four Program.

Patricia B. Porter, Ph.D., Associate Director for Administration and Development, Professor, Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of North Carolina. Dr. Porter is a certified Speech/Language Pathologist and holds a Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a former classroom teacher and a school and hospital communication disorders specialist with a focus on persons with severe physical and cognitive disabilities. Dr. Porter served as Clinical Director of the Center for Disorders of Development and Learning of the UNC School of Medicine and participated in the establishment of the Augmentative Communication Team, the first such interdisciplinary assessment and intervention team in the state. She developed and directed the first university class in Augmentative and Alternative Communication in North Carolina. Dr. Porter served as Chief of the Developmental Disability Services Section for the NC Dept of Health and Human Services for fourteen years. During that time, North Carolina experienced the greatest growth in community programs and services for persons with developmental disabilities in the history of the state; far exceeding the national average. She has published many book chapters, journal articles and instructional materials. Dr. Porter is participating on the team to develop improved literacy assessment and instruction for students with severe speech and physical disabilities.

David Yoder, Ph.D., Senior Associate/Director Emeritus, is co-founder of the Center with David Koppenhaver and served as the first Center Director. Dr. Yoder holds a Ph.D. in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology from the University of Kansas and is a Professor in the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, UNC Department of Allied Health Sciences, School of Medicine. Dr. Yoder's current research is focused on the literacy needs of persons with severe speech and physical impairments, and assistive technology for adults with disabilities. In 2000, he received the Don Johnston/AbleNet Literacy Award "honoring professionals who raise expectations for AAC and literacy experiences for persons with disabilities." Dr. Yoder is presently the Executive Director of the Council for Allied Health in North Carolina.

Affiliated Faculty

David Koppenhaver, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Language, Reading, and Exceptionalities, Appalachian State University. Dr. Koppenhaver holds a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). He is the former director of the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies and has worked for the past 20 years with preschool- and school-aged children who have a wide variety of literacy learning difficulties. He currently teaches undergraduate classes in reading methods, special education, and instructional technology. He has written and lectured widely on literacy instruction for children with significant disabilities and was the recipient of the 1998 International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication/Don Johnston, Inc. Distinguished Lecturer Award. He collaborated with Karen Erickson and David Yoder in organizing a collection of AAC/literacy case studies for the book Waves of Words: Augmentative Communicators Read and Write and co-edited an issue of Topics in Language Disorders with Jan Bedrosian (Western Michigan University) on literacy and AAC interventions for persons with autism.

Stephanie Spadorcia, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Literacy and Language, Lesley University, Cambridge, MA. Dr. Spadorcia holds a Ph.D. in special education and literacy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She was a teacher of adolescents with disabilities and continues to have research interests in the areas of the compatibility of reading materials and instruction, high-interest, low-level texts for struggling readers, and assessment and instruction of literacy skills for children with disabilities. Dr. Spadorcia is a key collaborator for numerous research, professional development, and dissemination activities conducted at the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies including ABC-Link.

Sally Clendon, Ph.D. Sally is a Research Associate in the Disability Initiative in the Faculty of Health Sciences where she is involved in research and coordinates the Graduate Programs in Developmental Disability. Sally began her clinical career working as a speech-language pathologist in New Zealand schools, providing direct intervention and working collaboratively with parents, teachers, and support staff. During this time, Sally developed a strong interest in improving access to the curriculum and to literacy learning for children with severe disabilities. In 2006, Sally obtained her Ph.D. in Speech and Hearing Sciences at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with Dr. Karen Erickson in the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies. Her current research focuses on analysing the language used by children without disabilities when they write about self-selected topics. The information gained from the research will assist speech-language pathologists and teachers to plan more effective vocabulary sets and language representation systems for children with complex communication needs who use AAC. In addition to this research, Sally continues to collaborate with her colleagues in the Centre for Literacy and Disability Studies. She is part of a research team that is developing a web-based literacy assessment tool for children with significant disabilities.

Vicky Roy, Ph.D. Vicky is a RDI ® Program Certified Consultant who is currently living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She has partnered with Access to Better Communication in Baton Rouge, LA to provide RDI ® program consultation to families of children with a diagnosis of autism. In addition to her work with families, Vicky has conducted workshops and inservice trainings focused on early language and literacy development and relationship based intervention for children with autism and other developmental disabilities. Vicky completed her dissertation examining interest and engagement during storybook reading with very young children. Vicky is currently involved in conducting research in literacy and communication development for school-aged students with developmental disabilities with the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies. She is also collaborating with the Lousisana Department of Education and the University of New Orleans to develop a personnel preparation program focusing on literacy for children with signicicant disabilities.