The Department of Applied Disability Studies at Brock University is home to internationally renowned faculty who research various topics – areas such as, but not limited to: early identification/intervention, mental health, challenging behaviour, feeding disorders, ASD, ID, FASD, other developmental and physical disabilities, parents with learning difficulties, disability rights, behavioural interventions, cognitive behavioural interventions, medication, and parent and staff training.
The Department of Applied Disability Studies and its faculty have many research projects underway – we encourage you to reach out to any one of the faculty for more information and potential research opportunities!
Additionally, Faculty in the Department of Applied Disability Studies supervise Masters level graduate students every year – students are afforded a number of exciting learning opportunities through out their course of study. These opportunities include research, training, conference attendance, and much more. We encourage all potential Masters students to research our Faculty for their interests.
The Department of Applied Disability Studies at Brock University would like to congratulate Dr. Valdeep Saini as the recipient of the 2021 ONTABA Research Award.
This award is intended to recognize an individual who is currently conducting research in the field of behaviour analysis, with the aim of contributing meaningfully to the behaviour analysis literature, and the clinical applications of behaviour analysis to a diversity of situations.
The Department of Applied Disability Studies at Brock University would like to congratulate Dr. Valdeep Saini the recipient of the 2020 ONTABA Teaching Award and to Dr. Rosemary Condillac who received the ONTABA President’s Service Excellence Award.
The Department of Applied Disability Studies at Brock University would like to congratulate Maurice Feldman, Professor and Graduate Program Director/Chair of Brock University’s Department of Applied Disability Studies, he has received the prestigious Hull-Roeher Award of Merit from the Ontario Association on Developmental Disabilities (OADD) for contributions in education, humanitarianism, research and service related to developmental disabilities.
Innovative Research Award – Organizational Behavior Management 2023
Authors HANNA VANCE, Valdeep Saini, and Emily Guertin were selected by the OBM Network to receive this years Innovative Research Award.
This award is provided to authors of the most innovative research published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior Management each year.
Pictured is Hanna Vance (right) accepting the award from Andressa Sleiman (left), Director of Operations at the OBM network.
This study was Hanna’s master’s thesis, completed in the Department of Applied Disability Studies at Brock University.
You can read the paper here: https://lnkd.in/gqEYMxbY
Distinguished Graduate Student Award – M.A. Fall 2020
Congratulations to CARLY MAGNACCA recipient of the Distinguished Graduate Student Award – highest academic average, M.A. – awarded by Brock University Faculty of Graduate Studies.
Carly Magnacca is also the recipient of the Board of Trustees Spirit of Brock Medal – Fall 2020 – this medal is awarded to a graduating student that exemplifies the spirit of Sir Isaac Brock, one who demonstrates leadership, innovation, courage, inspiration, and community involvement – well deserved!
Carly Magnacca recently completed her Masters of Arts in Applied Disability Studies with a specialization in Applied Behaviour Analysis under Dr. Kendra Thomson.
Distinguished Graduate Student Award – M.A.
Congratulations to REBECCA HANSFORD recipient of the Distinguished Graduate Student Award – highest academic average, M.A. – awarded by Brock University Faculty of Graduate Studies.
Rebecca Hansford recently completed her Masters of Arts in Applied Disability Studies with a specialization in Applied Behaviour Analysis. During this time, her research interests focused primarily on understanding psychotropic medication patterns and other health-related outcomes among adults with intellectual and or developmental disabilities (IDD). With support from her supervisor, Dr. Rosemary Condillac, Rebecca completed various projects related to adults with IDD who experienced deinstitutionalization in Ontario. Some of these projects included evaluating the impact and or limitations of certain measures and exploring the influence of challenging behaviour on psychotropic medication usage. Her thesis examined longitudinal psychotropic medication use among with IDD who relocated from facility to community settings in Ontario.
Rebecca plans to continue researching health outcomes among adults with IDD. She will be attending Queen’s University in Fall 2020 to start her PhD in Public Health Sciences with a specialization in Epidemiology. She is very thankful for all the support she received from the professors at Brock University and her classmates throughout her Masters and is excited for the next chapter in her career development.
Distinguished Graduate Student Award – M.ADS
Congratulations to CINDY THOMPSON recipient of the Distinguished Graduate Student Award – highest academic average, M.ADS – awarded by Brock University Faculty of Graduate Studies.
Cindy Thompson graduated summa cum laude from the University of Ottawa’s Baccalaureate in Applied Science, Computer Engineering in 2000. Over the next 10 years she worked as an engineer and team lead for aerospace and defence companies. In 2013, Cindy was introduced to the science of applied behaviour analysis and chose to pursue additional educational opportunities in this field. She graduated from Algonquin College’s Autism and Behavioural Science program in 2016. In 2017, she began Brock University’s Master of Applied Disability Studies (MADS) degree, specializing in Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA). Cindy graduated from the MADS program in June 2020 receiving the Distinguished Graduate Student Award for having the highest academic average in the program. One month after graduation, Cindy passed her examination and became a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA).
“The best part about the MADS program was getting to know my classmates. I enjoyed learning through their experiences, especially those experiences that were different than mine. I’ve become good friends with many of them and I look forward to our future collaboration as professionals. Though the MADS program focused on the application of ABA in the disabilities field, our knowledgeable professors gave us the tools we needed to become great scientists so that we could apply ABA principles to any setting. I learned that ABA could be applied to resolve safety issues in the workplace, address environmental challenges, increase sports performance and improve the efficiency of any type of organization.
I very much enjoy teaching other people skills that assist and empower them to make the changes they value. With my degree and BCBA certification I plan on helping others – whether they are individuals, parents, managers, or company owners – make lasting changes in their lives that benefit them, their family and their organization. I am excited for the possibilities the future will bring!”
Brock University and The Department of Applied Disability Studies is pleased to announce that Dr. Julie Koudys has been appointed to the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc.® Board of Directors as their International Representative.
The BACB’s Board of Directors is responsible for establishing the organization’s mission and vision, and overseeing its management. They are elected directors traditionally serving a three-year term – they serve in an unpaid, volunteer capacity, and represent a cross section of stakeholders that includes practitioners, consumers, employers, faculty, and administrators.
The Department of Applied Disability Studies is proud to have Dr. Koudys representing Brock University – thank you.
