Christiana Okyere Folson

Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor of Child and Youth Studies Christiana Okyere Folson standing in front of a tree.

cokyere@brocku.ca
905-688-5550 x5579

Dr. Christiana Okyere Folson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Child and Youth Studies and holds a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Science from Queen’s University. Following her Ph.D., she was selected for the Hegarty postdoctoral fellowship which provides training for post-doctoral researchers that have interests in the areas of intellectual and neurodevelopmental disabilities in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education at Michigan State University. She also worked as a Research Associate at Can Child in the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University on Partnering for Change (P4C) – a tiered needs-based model for the delivery of occupational therapy services to children in schools.

Broadly, her research seeks to promote the full inclusion of children and youth with disabilities and their families. Dr. Okyere Folson works to achieve this by engaging with children and youth with disabilities, their families and stakeholders across the education, employment and policy sectors. She explores perspectives and examines processes and outcomes of school and community-based services/interventions/programs. Ultimately, Dr. Okyere Folson’s goal is to decrease systemic barriers often experienced by children and youth with disabilities and their families and advance their inclusion, equity and well-being globally.  

Research Interests

  • Racialized children and youth with disabilities  
  • Intellectual and developmental disabilities 
  • Families of children and youth with disabilities 
  • Inclusive education, equity and social justice  
  • School and community-based services/interventions/programs 
  • Qualitative research methodologies 
  • School to work transition for children and youth with disabilities 
  • Community based participatory research 
  • Research with children and youth 

Publications

  • Sung, C., Okyere, C., Connor, A., & Chen, J. (2024). Perceptions of Autistic Young Adults Participating in Employment Readiness Skills Training. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 1-16. https://dpo.org/10.1007/s10803-024-06527-8
  • Fisher, M., Sung, Connie., Okyere, C., Park, J., & Choi, H. (2023). Employment Outcomes and Support Needs of Michigan PROJECT SEARCH graduates with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Mixed-Method Study. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.3233/jvr-230042
  • Rispoli, K., C., Lee, Gloria., Okyere, C., Norman, M., Nelson, S. (2023). Parents Expectations for Post-Secondary Transitioning Among Youth with ASD: Exploring the Role of Family Mental Health. Contemporary School Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-023-00466-4
  • Lee, H.Y., Lee, K. L., Curtiss, S., Kuo, H.J., Chun, J., & Okyere, C. (2022). Perspectives of Autistic Emerging Adults, Parents, and Practitioners on the Transition to Adulthood. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-022-02430-x
  • Park, J., Sung, C., Fisher, M. H., Okyere, C., & Kammes R.R. (2022). The Psychosocial and Vocational Impacts of Covid-19 on People with and without Disabilities. Rehabilitation Psychology, 67(3), 381-390. https://doi.org/10.1037/rep0000420
  • Fisher, M. H., Sung, C., Kammes, R. R., Okyere, C., & Park, J. (2022). Social support as a mediator of stress and life satisfaction for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities: JARID, 35(1), 243-251.  https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.12943
  • Okyere, C., Sung, C., Park, J., Kammes R., & Fisher, M. H. (2021). The Impacts and Experiences of COVID-19 on Employment for individuals with Disabilities. The Journal of Rehabilitation, 87(1), 25-32.
  • Sung, C., Okyere, C., Fisher., M. H., Park, J., & Kammes, R. R. (2021). Determining Factors of Psychosocial Wellbeing among People with Disabilities during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Mediating Role of Social Support. Journal of Rehabilitation, 87(1). https://doi.org/10.1891/re-21-18
  • Okyere, C., & Aldersey, H.M., & Lysaght, R. (2020). Strategies for engagement of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities: Reflections from a study in inclusive schools in Accra, Ghana. International Journal of Research & Methods in Education, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/1743727x.2020.1796959
  • Jansen-van Vuuren J., Okyere, C., & Aldersey, H.M. (2020). The role of occupational therapy in Africa: A scoping review. American Occupational Therapy Journal, 50(3), 3-21.
  • Okyere, C., & Jansen-van Vuuren, J. (2020). Developmental Disabilities and Women’s Issues: Roles and Responsibilities In (Brown, I., & Percy, M.) The publisher of Developmental Disabilities in Ontario, 4th edition, Delphi Graphic Communications.
  • Okyere, C., Donnelly, C., & Aldersey, H. M. (2019). Using the ICF-CY to support inclusive education in Ghana. Exceptionality Education International, 29(1), 16-31. https://doi.org/10.5206/eei.v29i1.7777
  • Okyere, C., Aldersey, H. M., & Lysaght, R. (2019). The experiences of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities in inclusive schools in Accra, Ghana. African Journal of Disability (Online), 8, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.4102/ajod.v8i0.542
  • Okyere, C., Aldersey, H. M., & Lysaght, R. (2019). The experiences of teachers of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities in inclusive schools in Accra, Ghana. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 19(4), 283-294. https://doi.org/10.4102/ajod.v8i0.542
  • Sulaiman, S. K., Aldersey, H. M., Fayed N., Kaka, B., & Okyere, C. (2019). The Quality-of-life assessment scales in polio survivors: a scoping review. Quality of Life Research Journal, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-019-02185-x
  • Okyere, C., Aldersey, H. M., Lysaght, R., & Sulaiman, S.K (2018). Implementation of inclusive education for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities in African countries: a scoping review. Disability & Rehabilitation, 41(21), 2578-2595. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2018.1465132 

Courses

  • CHYS 2F15 – Principles of Service-Learning in Child and Youth Studies
  • CHYS 3P20 – Learning Disabilities
  • CHYS 3P35 – Developmental Disabilities: Issues of Social Inclusion
  • CHYS 5F01– Research Methods for Child and Youth Study