Theodoto W. Ressa, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Division of Teacher Education
College of Education at Wayne State University
291 Education Bld., 5425 Gullen Mall
Detroit, MI 48202
E-mail: gn1621@wayne.edu,
Tel.: 313-577-3358
Cell: 614-843-1121

OBJECTIVE
Research in Education: Teacher Education, Inclusive Education, Special Education, Disability
Studies, Multicultural and Equity Studies in Education.
EDUCATION
Ph.D. in Education August 7, 2016.
The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
M.A. in Special Education March 21, 2010
The Ohio State University

B.Ed. in Special Education & English and Language Arts October 4, 2002
Maseno University (Kenya)
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Areas of Research Interests
Education, teacher education, disability and transnational and intercultural culture, the United
States’ and Kenya’ education systems in the era of neo-liberalization globalization and their
impact on disabled people, disability rights movement, human rights, and social justice,
educational and assistive technologies.
PUBLICATIONS
Peer Reviewed Journals
22 Ressa, T. W., & Danforth, S. (2023). Disability, race, and origin intersectionality in the
doctoral program: Ableism in higher education. Scandinavian Journal of
Disability Research, 25(1): 147–159. https://doi.org/10.16993/sjdr.911 [Impact
Factor 1.76, H-Index 23, Rank 9591, SJR 0.522, Reads 97, Views 1730,
Downloads 181, Citations 4] 2
21 Ressa, T. (2023a). The educational costs of chrono-curriculum and academic chronopolitics on the schooling of disabled college students in Kenya. Journal of College
Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 0(0).
https://doi.org/10.1177/15210251231179205 [Impact Factor 2.0, Views 638,
Downloads 80] 20 Ressa, T. (2023b). An evolving disabled professor training highly qualified teachers
committed to disability rights and social justice. International Journal of
Educational Methodology, 9(1), 183-196. https://doi.org/10.12973/ijem.9.1.183
[Impact Factor 0.516; Views 737, Reads 142, Downloads 323, Citations 3] 19 Ressa, T. W. (2023c). Intersectionality of disability, race, and immigration: Disabled
faculty, character assassination, and the emergence of territorialism in universities.
Whiteness and Education. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23793406.2023.2271002
[Impact Factor 1.6, H-Index 10, Views 148, Reads 23] 18 Ressa, T. (2022a). How media literacy education through multimedia tools can empower
learners with autism. Advances in Literary Study, 10(4), 357-371.
https://doi.org/10.4236/als.2022.104029 [H-INDEX 5, Views 1623, Reads 119,
Downloads 261, Citation 5] 17 Ressa, T. (2022b). Use of integrated teaching approaches to enhance students with autism
spectrum disorder’s functional and educational skills. Advances in Social Sciences
Research Journal, 9(8), 405-416. https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.98.12937 [Views
8, Reads 115, Citations 3] 16 Ressa, T. (2022c). Disability, race, and immigration intersectionality: Disempowering the
disabled through institutionalized ableism in American higher education. The
Educational Forum, 17-32. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131725.2022.2065711
[Impact Factor 1.3, H-INDEX 28, Views 1055, Reads 97, Citations 3] 15 Ressa, T. (2022d). Dreaming college: Transition experiences of undergraduate students
with disabilities. Psychology in the Schools, 59(6), 1175-1191.
https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22675 [Impact Factor 2.338, H-INDEX 80, SJR 0.666,
Views 391, Reads 88, Citations 8] 14 Ressa, T. (2022e). COVID-19 and schooling of disabled children and youth in Kenya:
The locus of education in the disaster risk reduction process. Open Journal of
Social Sciences, 10(12), 125-144. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2022.1012009
[Impact Factor 1.63; H-Index 45, H5-index 36, Views 837, Reads 45, Downloads
189, Citations 2] 13 Ressa, T. & Andrews, A. (2022). High school dropout dilemma in America and the
importance of reformation of education systems to empower all students.
International Journal of Modern Education Studies, 6(2), 423-447.
https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/ijonmes/issue/74984/1235888
3
[Views 376, Reads 1339, Downloads 759, Citations 2] 12 Ressa, T. (2021a). Chrono-curriculum and the miseducation of American disabled
students. International Journal of Educational Research, 110, 1-11.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2021.101883 [Impact factor 3.2, CiteScore 4.9, HINDEX 69, Reads 26] 11 Ressa, T. (2021b). (Mis)schooling of children with disabilities in post-independent
Kenya. International Journal of Progressive Education, 17(2), 124-138.
https://ijpe.inased.org/makale/2070 [Impact Factor 1.1, H-Index 8, Views 81,
Downloads 507, Citations 3] 10 Ressa, T. (2021c). Histrionics of autism in the media and the dangers of false balance and
false identity on neurotypical viewers. Journal of Disability Studies in Education,
1-26. https://doi.org/10.1163/25888803-bja10009 [Impact Factor 0.4, Views
11420, Reads 362, Downloads 16132, Citations 13] 9 Ressa, T. (2021d). Review of schooling of learners with disabilities and the manifestation
of the hidden curriculum of time. Journal of Educational Research and Practice,
11, 95–111. https://doi.org/10.5590/JERAP.2021.11.1.07 [Downloads 611, Reads
84, Citations 1] 8 Ressa, T. (2021e). The entwinement of disability and paediatric chronic pain and their
impact on the high school education of students with disabilities. Journal of
Education and Human Development, 10(1), 81-91.
https://doi.org/10.15640/jehd.v10n1a7 [Impact Factor 0.4, H-INDEX 4, Reads 6] 7 Ressa, T. W. (2021f). The COVID-19 pandemic, its consequences, and the recovery:
Implementation of disaster education and management is key to the schooling of
children with disabilities. International Journal of Modern Education Studies,
5(1), 22-48. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1308334.pdf [Reads 17, Citations
12] 6 Angode, C., & Ressa, T. (2021). The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on students with
special needs: A case study of Kakamega County, Kenya. Insights into Learning
Disabilities, 18(2), 121-141. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1315658 [Impact Factor
1.714, Reads 59, Citations 9] 5 Goldstein, A., & Ressa, T. (2021). Autism in contemporary TV shows: Perception of
educators and impact on children with autism. International Journal of Humanities
and Social Science, 11(6), 1-10. https://www.ijhssnet.com/journal/index/4730
[Impact Factor 1.13, Reads 2338, Citations 2] 4 Ressa, T. W., Daniels, D. E., & Wells-Jensen, S. (2021). Time as a hidden curriculum:
Qualitative study of challenges faced by students with mobility, speech, and visual
disabilities in P-12 settings. International Journal of Research and Reviews in
4
Education, 6(3), 250-263. https://doi.org/10.24331/ijere.927574 [Impact Factor
0.90, Views 357, Reads 271, Downloads 2010, Citations 6] 3 Ressa, T. W., & Goldstein, A. (2021). Autism in the movies: Stereotypes and their effects
on neurodiverse communities. Journal of Disability Studies, 7(2), 75-84.
http://pubs.iscience.in/journal/index.php/jds/article/view/1197 [Citefactor Index-8,
Reads 318, Citations 8] 2 Ressa, T. (2020). COVID-19 Pandemic: Inadequate digital infrastructure and shortage of
technically-trained teachers hinder schooling of children with disabilities in
Kenya. Kenya Studies Review, 8(2), 43-62. https://kessa.org/volume-8-issue-2-
2020/ [Reads 3, Citations 1] 1 Ressa, T. & Norris, M. (2020). Swim or sink in the graduate school: Disability and
outdoor leisure activities. International Research and Review, 9(2), 20-42.
https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1271015 [Impact Factor 0.39, Reads 4, Citations 1] Book Chapter
Ressa, T. W. (May 2022). Dis-citizenship: Claiming disability rights and taking on inequity to
promote shared prosperity. In N. Berman & R. Monteleone (Eds.) Disability and social
justice in Kenya: Scholars, policymakers, and activists in conversation (pp. 137-160).
University of Michigan Press.
Ressa, T. W. (2021). Disability and media literacy education and empowerment of disabled
people. In M. Aydoğmuş (Ed.). New trends and promising directions in modern
education – New perspectives 2021 (pp. 88-103). Palet Yayinlari.
Danforth, S. & Ressa, T. (2013). Treating the incomplete child: How the science of learning
disabilities was built for exclusion. In Kanter, A. S., & In Ferri, B. A. Righting
educational wrongs: Disability studies in law and education (pp. 127-150). Syracuse
University Press.
In January-August 2010, I, Ressa, collected data which involved reviewing and analyzing
articles and co-writing the chapter. My co-author edited the chapter.
Books
Ressa, T. (2011). Word prediction: A technology for learning disabled Publishing house. LAP
LAMBERT Academic Publishing. ISBN 978-3-8465-5244-5.
Dissertation and Thesis
Ressa, T. W. (2017). The path to college: Transition experiences of students with disabilities.
Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences. ProQuest
Information & Learning.
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Ressa, T. W. (2009). The effects of a word prediction program on the number of words written
by a learner with disabilities. [Master’s thesis, The Ohio State University]. ProQuest
Information & Learning.
Accepted Peer-Reviewed Articles
Ressa, T. (under review). Autism in the media and media consumers: Addressing risks of appeal
to crowd fallacy through critical media literacy. The Review of Disability Studies: An
International Journal.
Ressa, T. (In press). Disability, Race, and Origin Intersectionality in the Doctoral Program:
Ableism in Higher Education. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research. [Impact
Factor 1.76, h-Index 23, Rank 9591, SJR 0.522] Accepted Book Chapter
Manuscripts in preparation for publication
1. Ressa, T. (under review). Autism in the media and media consumers: Addressing risks of
appeal to crowd fallacy through critical media literacy. The Review of Disability
Studies: An International Journal.
2. Ressa, T. (under review). Disrupting normative science: Creating disability awareness and
increasing disabled population in STEM programs and industry. Societal Impacts.
Research in Progress, Not Funded
1) You don’t belong: Students with disabilities and Kenya education system. This article will
be submitted to an international journal in March 2022.
2) The internalized intersectional oppression in institutions of higher learning. This article
will be submitted in the Critical Education journal by April 2022.
3) Students with disabilities: The academe and the hidden curriculum of time. This article
will be submitted to a journal in May 2022.
4) I am in the process of analyzing data from the State of Michigan and national databases
for the forthcoming study on college and career readiness in Detroit.
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Ressa, T. (2025, February 7). Access and social participation of college students with
disabilities in American higher education. Aramid International Education
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Consortium Conference. Crown Plaza Hotel Forty Mayer, Florida USA.
(Hybrid)
Ressa, T. (2024, May 29-31). STEM Education: Using Qualitative Research and
Pedagogical Approaches and Frameworks to Improve Access to STEM
Education for Disabled Learners [Paper Presentation]. 20th International
Congress of Qualitative Inquiry Panel Presentations. Urbana-Champaign,
Illinois, USA. (Virtual)
Ressa, T., & Kim, D. (2024, April 11-14). Access and Participation of College Disabled
Students in American Higher Education [Paper Presentation]. American
Educational Research Association, Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
Ressa, T. (2023, June 14). Kenya’s Teacher Education Programs for Global Education
Systems. Kibabii University 6th Virtual Bi-Annual International Conference,
June 14-15, 2023.
Ressa, T. (2023, May 17-20). A Case Study on the Educational Costs of ChronoCurriculum and Academic Chrono-Politics on the Schooling of a Disabled
College Student in Kenya [Paper Presentation]. 19th International Congress of
Qualitative Inquiry Panel Presentations. Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA.
Ressa, T. (2022, December 1-3). Portrayals of Autistic People in the Media and the
Importance of Public Media Literacy. 2022 TASH Conference. Sheraton Grand
at Wild Horse Pass in Phoenix, Arizona.
Ressa, T. (2022, May 25-6). Inclusive Education, and Assistive and Education Technologies:
Enhancing Information and Communication Technologies to Leverage Learners with
Disabilities. Inclusive Africa Conference 2022. TradeMark Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya.
(Virtual/Physical) https://www.inclusiveafrica.org
Ressa, T. (2022, May 26). Disadvantaged children and youth school dropouts: How Kenya’s
United Nations Vision 2030 is eluding Kenya. Turkana University College.
(Blended/Hybrid) https://tuc.ac.ke
Monteleone, B., Wangari, F. N., Onyango, P., & Ressa, T. (2022, April 8-12). Exploring the
Possibilities of Kenyan Disability Studies [Roundtable Session]. Society for Disability
Studies Annual Conference. (Virtual/Physical). https://conference.disstudies.org
(I was part of the Organized Presentations Panel, where I talked about the
institutionalization of Disability Studies in Kenyan society and its social institutions such
as schools and colleges in order to address prevalent ableism.)
Ressa, T. (2021, December 3). Intersectionally of disability of disability and race, gender, class:
Access, diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education systems in the United States
and Kenya [Paper Presentation]. Shaping an Inclusive Future for All: Leading with
Determination. The United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Dubai
Expo 2020, United Emirates.
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Ressa, T. (2021, June 23). COVID-19 and schooling of disabled children and youth in Kenya:
The locus of education in the disaster management and recovery process [Paper
Presentation]. 4th Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA)
Annual Regional Conference. (Virtual/Physical).
Goldstein, A., & Ressa, T. (2021, June 14). Autism and media case study: Challenging
neurotypical educators’ perceptions of autism in teacher preparation programs (Poster
Presentation). CARE Conference. (Virtual).
Ressa, T., & Musyoka, M. M. (2021, May 24). Parents and students with disabilities during
COVID-19 in Africa [Paper Presentation]. Virtual Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for
International Scholars 35th Annual International Conference.
Ressa, T. (2021, May 13). African people with disabilities as guinea pigs: African scholars
becoming academic betrayers [Paper Presentation]. African Studies Conference 2021
University of Pittsburgh. (Virtual).
Ressa, T. (2021, January 28). COVID-19 pandemic: Inadequate digital infrastructure and
shortage of technically-trained teachers hinder schooling of children with disabilities in
Kenya [Paper Presentation]. Kenya Scholars & Studies Association (KESSA) (Virtual).
Ressa, T. (2021, January 6). The COVID-19 pandemic, its consequences, and the recovery:
Improving digital infrastructure as key to the schooling of children with disabilities
[Paper Presentation]. International Journal of Modern Education Studies and Necmettin
Erbakan University, Turkey Education E-Talk. (Virtual).
Ressa, T. (2020, October 8). Inclusion of students with disabilities graduate school: Changing
the culture of higher education institutions. National Association for Multicultural
Education (Virtual Conference).
Ressa, T. (2020, September 23-24). I participated in the NVivo Virtual Conference with the
theme Qualitative Research in a Changing World which provided insightful information
of doing research online especially during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Ressa, T. (2020, September 11-12). Schooling in the era of pandemics: Educational
(dis)empowerment of children with disabilities [Paper Presentation]. Kenya Scholars and
Studies Association Dallas, Texas (Conference Cancelled)
Ressa, T. (2020, August 13). Intersections of Disability and Immigrants [Roundtable Session].
Embracing the Difference Globally: The ABILITY Event. St. Cloud State University,
Minnesota (Virtual).
Ressa, T., & Musyoka, M. M. (2020, May 15). Individuals with Disabilities in Higher Education
Institutions in Kenya [Paper Presentation]. Virtual Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for
International Scholars 34th Annual International Conference.
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Ressa, T. & Danforth, S. (2020, Apr 17-21). Cruelty, Harm, and Acquiescence: Disability
Microaggressions in a University Graduate Program [Roundtable Session]. AERA
Annual Meeting San Francisco, CA http://tinyurl.com/ws3rkog (Conference Canceled).
Ressa, T. (2018, April 17). A discerning eye for deficit and disability through photography to
reveal a physiognomy of disability in Kenya [Paper Presentation]. American Educational
Research Association Conference, New York, NY.
Ressa, T. (2017, June 16). A physiognomy of disability in Kenya: How inaccessible
infrastructures disable students [Paper Presentation]. Disability and Social Justice in
Kenya Conference. The Methodist Resort and Conference Centre, Nairobi, Kenya.
Ressa, T. (2017, June 15). Disability and Citizenship: Claiming our space [Paper Presentation].
Disability and Social Justice in Kenya Conference. The Methodist Resort and Conference
Centre, Nairobi, Kenya.
Ressa, T. (2016, April 14). The path to college: Narrative experiences of students with
Disabilities: Part 2 [Poster Presentation]. The 16th Annual Multiple Perspectives
Conference on Access, Inclusion & Disability, The Ohio State University, Columbus,
Ohio.
Ressa, T. (2015, April 13-14). The path to college: Narrative experiences of students with
disabilities: Part 1 [Poster Presentation]. The 15th Annual Multiple Perspectives on
Access, Inclusion, & Disability: Celebrate Our Progress and Write Our Future History at
the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
Ressa, T. (2014, November 23). Day of early childhood: Promoting difference as a strength
through children’s literature [Paper Presentation]. National Council of Teachers of
English, Washington, DC., Conference.
Ressa, T. (2014, August 26). Issues of culture in higher education [Poster Presentation].
Advanced Graduate Students Panel, the College of Education and Human Ecology, The
Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
Ressa, T. (2014, April 10-12). Promoting difference as a strength through children’s literature.
[Poster Presentation]. The Ohio Early Care and Education Conference, Columbus, Ohio.
Ressa, T. (2014, February 3-4). Krip Hop: HipHop & Disability [Paper Presentation]. HipHop
Literacies Conference, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
Ressa, T. (2013, April 16-17). Krip-Hop [Poster Presentation]. The 13th Annual Multiple
Perspectives on Access, Inclusion, & Disability at The Ohio State University, Columbus,
Ohio.
Ressa, T. (2013, March 30-15). ‘“Turning back from the precipice’: African education and the
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struggles for quality” [Paper Presentations]. The 57th Comparative and International
Education Society Conference at Hilton Riverside in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Ressa, T. (2013, March 30-15). Disability life narratives [Paper Presentations]. The 57th
Comparative and International Education Society Conference at Hilton Riverside in New
Orleans, Louisiana.
Ressa, T. (2012, April 24 -25). Neoliberalization Globalization: U.N. Treaties Intersect with
Capitalism to Situate Persons with Disabilities [Paper Presentation]. The Twelfth Annual
Multiple Perspectives Conference on Access, Inclusion & Disability at the Ohio State
University, Columbus, Ohio.
Ressa, T. (2012, February 15-16). Krip-Hop: Understanding of the language and imagery of
disabled people beyond the representation of deficit [Paper Presentation]. Hip-hop
Literacies Conference: “Pedagogies for Social Change” at The Ohio State University,
Columbus, Ohio.
Conferences Participation
Ressa, T. (2024, October 24). From disabling to enabling: Reimagining education system
through a critical disability studies framework for inclusive education. Universita Di
Siena. (Virtual Seminar)
Ressa, T. (2022, January 7). Disaster Management & Recovery Process: Inclusion, Belonging,
& Education of Disadvantaged Children During in Times of Disasters [Paper
Presentation]. Nanjing Xiaozhuang University Disadvantaged Children Seminar
(China). Hyflex seminar 07:00–09:30 pm EST.
Ressa, T. (2020, October 9-10). I was a participant at the Inclusive Africa Virtual Conference,
the first-ever Inclusive Africa Conference 2020 brought together a speaker faculty of 38
global and local knowledgeable experts, from 11 different countries representing
different sectors to feature panel discussions about accessibility in; ICT Policies in
Africa, financial services, Mobile accessibility, Inclusive Design, social media, and
Higher, Primary and High School Education.
Ressa, T. (2020, June 6-August 31). I participated in the Association of People Supporting
Employment First (APSE) Virtual Conference, which brought together more than 1,000
key influencers and stakeholders representing individuals with disabilities, communities,
agencies, and services to network and discuss state-of-the-art strategies to ensure
equitable employment for all citizens with disabilities.
Ressa, T. (2020, April 6-7). I participated in the Virtual Multiple Perspectives Conference
hosted by the Ohio State University.
Ressa, T. (2018, June 12-14). I participated at the Michigan Postsecondary Education and
Employment Collaborative workshop for students with intellectual disabilities in
Kalamazoo, MI. This is part of the Institute for Post-Secondary Education initiative
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focused on starting post-secondary education programs on college campuses after the
enactment of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008. I am interested in exploring
this at Wayne State University.
Ressa, T. (2017, April 27-May 1). I participated at the American Educational Research
Association Annual Conference held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San
Antonio, Texas. The theme: Knowledge to Action: Achieving the promise of equal
educational opportunity.
Ressa, T. (2017, April 19-22). I participated in the Council of Exceptional Children Conference
held at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts.
Ressa, T. (2017, April 8). I participated at the Rhode Island Writing Project 2017 Annual Spring
Conference held at the Roger Williams University Bristol, RI
Ressa, T. (2017, April 1). I participated at the PreK-12 Pre-Service Teacher Candidate Rhode
Island Council for Exceptional Children Conference at North Kingstown High School,
RI, U.S.A.
Ressa, T. (2016, November 17-18). I participated at the Assistive Technology Conference of
New England at Crowne Plaza Hotel, 801 Greenwich Ave, Warwick Rhode Island
02886.
Ressa, T. (2016, September 17). I participated in the Rhode Island Department of Education
Conference: Building the pathway to student success. Rhode Island Convention Center, 1
Sabin Street Providence, RI 02903.
Invited Seminars or Lectures Presented:
Ressa, T. (2022, January 7). Disaster Management & Recovery Process: Inclusion,
Belonging, & Education of Disadvantaged Children During in Times of Disasters [Paper
Presentation]. Nanjing Xiaozhuang University Disadvantaged Children Seminar (China).
Hyflex seminar 07:00–09:30 pm EST.
Ressa, T. (2020, August 13). Intersection of immigration, race, and disability in post-ADA
era. Embracing the Difference Globally: The ABILITY Event of the Rehabilitations
Study Program (Virtual), St. Cloud State University, MN.
Ressa, T. (2019, October 16). My Journey Across Ridges”: An Interview with Theodoto
Ressa (Guest Speaker). EDU 772 Internatnl Perspect Disabiliti at Attallah College of
Educational Studies, Chapman University California.
Ressa, T. (2019, April 4–5). The Pre-Conference Seminar for Early Career Scholars with
Disabilities/Disabled Scholars. Toronto, CA.
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Ressa, T., Coyle, J. & Fialka-Feldman, M. (2019, March 21). Inclusive postsecondary
education. Michigan Developmental Disabilities Institute (Virtual).
Discussant:
Ressa, T. (2023, July 17–22). Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Making Space for Disability.
National Association of Multicultural Rehabilitation Concerns. DoubleTree by Hilton
Hotel. Tulsa, OK.
Ressa, T. (2023, July 20). State of the Science Conference. DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel. Tulsa,
OK.
Ressa, T. (2022, November 14). Dis-citizenship: Claiming disability rights and taking on
inequity to promote shared prosperity. Book Launch, Disability and Social Justice in
Kenya Scholars, policymaker, and activists in conversation. (Face-to-Face & Online)
Department of Disability Studies, The University of Toledo, OH.
Ressa, T. (2022, October 12). Disability culture and the barriers and opportunities in higher
education. Theodoto Ressa’s Brown Bag Talk. Sponsored by the Wayne State University
Humanities Center. YouTube. https://humanities.wayne.edu/brown-bag-series
Ressa, T. (2019, April 4–5). I was one of the speakers at the AERA and the Spencer Foundation
that focused on a formal mentoring and professional development opportunity to address
the unique challenges faced by scholars with disabilities seeking to become tenure-track
faculty members. This program was developed to meet the long-standing
underrepresentation of disabled scholars in the academy. Up to 20 early career scholars
and doctoral candidates participated in the Pre-Conference Seminar for Early Career
Scholars with Disabilities/Disabled Scholars, a two-day seminar to be held in Toronto,
CA before the start of the 2019 AERA Annual Meeting. This seminar aimed at
connecting doctoral/junior scholars with virtual mentors to support their professional
development and networking.
Ressa, T. (2014, March 6-12). I participated in the 34th World Federation of UNESCO Clubs,
Centers and Associations 2014 International Conference and Executive Board Meeting,
New York.
Ressa, T. (2014, February 28-March 2). I participated in the American Association of Colleges
for Teacher Education (AACTE) Conference in Indianapolis, IN.
Ressa, T. (2011, May 27). 16th Annual Diversity Forum- The Evolving Challenges of Diverse
Students at Predominately White Institutions: From Enrollment to Graduation and the
Success of One College at the OSU
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Ressa, T. (2011, May 4th). The Eleventh Annual Multiple Perspectives Conference on Access,
Inclusion & Disability at OSU, where I participated in Ethel Louise Armstrong
undergraduate and graduate student poster competition.
Other Scholarly Work
Nava-Baltimore, A. (Fall 2022). Theo Ressa. (pp. 28-33). Melange Magazine.
https://joom.ag/Onzd/p28, https://joom.ag/Onzd
(This Melange Magazine features Theo Ressa’s work in the communities of the United
States and Kenya.)
Ciccone, J. K. (2021). Empowering people with disabilities, in the United States and abroad.
INSPIRE Magazine.
(This INSPIRE Magazine of the College of Education and Human Ecology of The Ohio
State University features Theo Ressa’s work in the communities in Kenya and United
States.)
Campus Talks:
Ressa, T. (2022, November 14). Dis-citizenship: Claiming disability rights and taking on
inequity to promote shared prosperity. Book Launch, Disability and Social Justice in
Kenya Scholars, policymaker, and activists in conversation. (Face-to-Face & Online)
Department of Disability Studies, The University of Toledo, OH.
Ressa, T. (2022, October 12). Disability culture and the barriers and opportunities in higher
education. Theodoto Ressa’s Brown Bag Talk. Sponsored by the Wayne State
University Humanities Center. YouTube. https://humanities.wayne.edu/brown-bagseries
On August 19, 2013, and August 26, 2014, I participated in the College of Education and Human
Ecology Advanced Graduate Students Panel that discussed issues of culture in the college.
On April 23, 2012, I presented on “Mainstreaming, Inclusion, and Early Intervention” at the
Speech and Hearing Science 510, Disability Studies in Context, SHS 510 class (of 29 students)
at Pressey Hall 035. And on June 29, 2011, at 6-78 pm, I gave a similar presentation. Jacqueline
Wiegand taught this class.
Workshops:
February 3, 2014, I participated in the College of Education & Human Ecology (EHE) Office of
Research and Graduate Studies Student Research Forum, where I presented my research
proposal titled Transition of students with disabilities from high school to college. On January
31- February 2, 2014, I participated in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion Dissertation Boot
Camp, which aimed to prepare ABD for Ph.D. Also, I participated in the Teaching Orientation
with the University Center for the Advancement of Teaching on August 13-15, 2013. The
workshop for Graduate Teaching Assistants addressed university policies, learning integrity, and
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pedagogy. On April 12-13, 2013, I participated in the Symposium Global Human Rights,
Sexualities, Vulnerabilities (OSU) to discuss global trends in human rights. On May 2, 2012, I
participated in the Graduate Interdisciplinary Seminar on Literacy & (Dis)Ability) organized by
the Humanities Institute (OSU). Then I participated in the discussion of the movie Voices from
El-Sayed at the Gateway Film Center on February 29, 2012. The documentary featured a
Bedouin village located in the Negev, Israel that houses the most significant concentrated
percentage of Deaf people in the world. The entire village communicates via sign language. I
participated in the Webinar Conference on September 6, 2012. Also, on October 20, 2010, I
participated in the workshop on Technology in the classrooms, including eLearning.

UNIVERSITY TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Assistant Professor of Inclusive Education, College of Education at Wayne State University. I
teach inclusive education and special education courses to special education and general
education teacher candidates, from fall 2017-present.
A Visiting Assistant Professor of Inclusive Special Education in the School of Education at
Roger Williams University in Rhode Island, where I taught Inclusive Special Education,
Psychology of Education, and Senior Theses Research courses, from Fall 2016-May 30, 2017.
TEACHING AREAS/COURSES PREPARED TO TEACH
Inclusive Education
Special Education
• Inclusive teaching
• Transition of students with disabilities
• Exceptional Children— Categories and characteristics of students with special needs.
• Federal Disability laws and Education legislations and policies (including re-authorized
laws): IDEIA of 1997, ADA of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act 1973, ESSA
(NCLB) of 2015
Disability Studies (in Education)
Assistive Technology – media, eLearning
Multicultural Education and Global Education
• Equity in education— access, school reforms, and transformation
• Culture –social and disability, popular culture
• Local (USA) and global education trends
English Language Arts
• Literacy— Disability & reading, writing, and speaking
Research method courses in quantitative and qualitative research.
PRE-KINDERGARTEN-12th GRADE TEACHING EXPERIENCE
As a licensed teacher by the Teachers Service Commission (Kenya), I taught English Language
Arts at Nangina Girls High School (July 2006-July 2007) and Ndenga Secondary School (May
2003- June 2006).
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GRANTS, AWARDS, HONORS, DISTINCTIONS & SCHOLARSHIPS
Last 3-Yr SELECTED AWARDS
• 2023-24 Visiting Disability and Rehabilitation Equity Researcher Mentorship Program
(VERMP) -LU2-RRTC Fellowship
• 2023— $700.00 Wayne State University College of Education travel grant to attend the 2023
American Educational Research Association conference in Chicago City, ILL.
• 2022 WSU College of Education Teacher Award.
Extra Training
Fall 2016, I took an online teaching course, and between September-December 2007, I took
English classes at OSU, and I was awarded a Certificate in Intensive English Language. In
April 2007, I was awarded a Certificate in Computers Proficiency-Nairobi (Kenya). In
February 2007, I was awarded a Certificate in Writing Effective Reports & Presentation
Skills-Nairobi (Kenya).
UNIVERSITY SERVICE
Winter 2020. I have been involved in the Office of Teaching and Learning support systems that
helped instructors migrate to online instruction as a result of COVID-19 pandemic.
Winter semester 2019. Judge, 9th Annual Graduate and Postdoctoral Research Symposium,
Wayne State University.
March 6, 2018, I was part of the Judges that reviewed graduate students’ presentations at the
Graduate and Postdoctoral Research Symposium on Tuesday, March 6. The Graduate and
Postdoctoral Research Symposium is an annual event that displays the research and scholarly
work of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars across disciplines at Wayne State. Over 150
master’s and Ph.D. students and postdoctoral scholars participate in the event.
Since fall 2017, I have been a member of the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Institute. This
year, 2018, I was on the panel that organized the screening of Intelligent Lives film on October
18, 2018, at the Community Arts Center auditorium and analyzed the movie after showing.
Last 3-Yr College/Department Committee Membership
• 2024-present: Special Education Coordinator
• 2023-present: A member of the College of Education Executive Committee.
• 2022 November-present: a member of the TED Search Committee for the assistant/associate
professor of English.
Last 3-Yr Other Professionally Related Service
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• Served as a reader for the 2024 Mandela Washington Fellowship application cycle,
September-November 2023.
• Served as a reader for the 2024 American Educational Research Association Conference,
August-September 2023.
• I translated WSU faculty’s research tools (e.g., surveys) used in schools in Michigan with
refugees/immigrants from English to Kiswahili, a lingua franca in East, Central, and Southern
Africa in winter 2024.
• I engaged in networking time to connect with the Mandela Washington Fellows visiting WSU
on issues of civic engagement and citizenship today, July 26, 2023.
• Keynote speaker at the Turkana University College 2023 Annual Conference held in Kenya
on May 25-6, 2023 (Hybrid). Conference Theme: Promoting Sustainable Development in
the Post-Pandemic Era Through Research and Innovation.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
2017-present. I am very much involved in the disability community here in Detroit Michigan
(USA) and in Kenya. Some of the activities I am involved include disability awareness focusing
on promoting social justice for persons with disabilities. This inclusion promotion of inclusion
and belonging of disabled people in the Michigan and Kenyan communities. The following links
provide information of my engagement with the disability communities in both countries.
• Theo Ressa is featured in The Ohio State University INSPIRE magazine: Empowering
people with disabilities, in the United States and abroad – INSPIRE (osu.edu)
POSITIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
From July 20, 2020, a guest reviewer of the journal International Journal of Qualitative
Studies in Education, which is an Open Access Journal, Print ISSN: 0951-8398 Online ISSN:
1366-5898.
From December 21, 2019, a guest reviewer of the journal Critical Education, which is an Open
Access Journal, ISSN: 1920-4175.
From October 10, 2019, a guest reviewer of the journal Disability Studies Quarterly, which is
an Open Access Journal, ISSN: 1041-5718; eISSN: 2159-8371.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
• Aramid International Education Consortium
• Society of Disability Studies
• CEC-Council of Exceptional Children 2016-present
• NAEYC- The National Association for Education of Young Children 2014-present
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• AERA- American Educational Research Association 2013-present
o Div C – Learning and Instruction Incl w/Membership
o Disability Studies in Education SIG
• CIES- Comparative and International Education Society 2012-present
• NAME- National Association for Multicultural Education 2011-present
• APSE-Association of People Supporting Employment First 2020-present
• NCUR- National Council of Undergraduate Research 2021-present
• National Association of Multicultural Rehabilitation Concerns
• Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps (TASH)
ORGANIZATIONS
• OSU’s Abilities: An Alliance of Students with and without Disabilities 2009-August, 2016
• DSGSA-Disability Studies Graduate Students Association (OSU) 2011-August, 2016
• UDPK-United Disabled Persons of Kenya 2000-present
ADVOCACY GROUPS
• AAPD-American Association of People with Disabilities 2011-present
TECHNOLOGICAL SKILLS
• Technology (use of the computer, media technology, web design, transcribers, recording, &
photos)
• Qualitative and quantitative research approaches (use of SPSS, transcription software)
PERSONAL SKILLS
• Organization and management (including group facilitation, moderation, and analysis)
• I adapt to new surroundings, employ analytic methods, and clearly express myself.
• Able to maintain my opinions and be responsible for the outcomes but also conscientious and
tolerant of others opinions
• I confidently pay careful attention to issues
• I am practical, systematic, and careful when dealing with issues
• I am competent, consistent, and cooperative
LANGUAGE SKILLS
• English — Fluent in speaking, reading, and writing
• Kiswahili — Native and fluent in speaking, reading, and writing
• Samia (Luhyia) – Native and fluent in speaking, reading, and writing
• Luo — Native and fluent in speaking, reading, and writing
• Kenyan Sign Language – Can understand and sign with a dictionary
• French — Can read and speak with a dictionary
• Discourse analysis – Very competent in discerning meanings
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HOBBIES/INTERESTS
• Handcycling, wheelchair racing, watching movies, safari, walking in the woods and botanical
gardens, mentoring children, reading, dancing, singing, debating, writing articles, swimming,
playing racquet, tree planting, visiting a zoo, paying hospital visits, praying and attending
church.