Dr. Joanne M. Van earned her Ph.D. in Education with an emphasis in Disability Studies from Chapman University. Her research interests include teacher education and special education, teaching and learning for students with disabilities and international inclusive education. Dr. Van Boxtel has over 14 years of experience with the Long Beach Unified School District where she served as the district’s special education curriculum leader and professional development specialist. She has presented both nationally and internationally on various disability topics and inclusive practices and she has provided training to teachers and specialists on inclusive education in Romania and El Salvador. Currently, Dr. Van Boxtel is the project director for Cal Poly Pomona’s Integrated Teacher Education Program (ITEP) and the co-director of Project SEEDS: Special Educators of Excellence in Diverse Settings. She is also engaged in a research project with Upland Unified School District where she is examining Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in practice.
