Bresnahan-Halstead Center Graduate Research Assistant
The primary mission of the Bresnahan-Halstead Center is to work for the advancement of knowledge and quality service for individuals with disabilities and their families through research, evaluation, professional development, technical assistance, partnerships, and student scholarships/financial assistance.
A graduate research assistantship is awarded to a doctoral student interested in obtaining a Ph.D. degree in Special Education. The Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA) is for 20 hours a week for three semesters and includes full tuition and fees (not health insurance). The purpose of the assistantship is to assist the staff of the Bresnahan-Halstead Center and the faculty in the School of Special Education to complete activities aligned with the mission of the Bresnahan-Halstead Center.
The necessary background includes teaching experience with students who have significant support needs. In addition, the position requires full-time, on-campus enrollment in the Ph.D. program in the School of Special Education.
Current Recipient
The position is currently filled by Anitha Muthukumaran, a doctoral student at the University of Northern Colorado. She is working as a teacher of students with visual impairments and/or blindness in Douglas County school districts. She also has multiple years of experience working with students with multiple disabilities. Her main area of research interest is to create more technology-based inclusive practices in schools for students with visual impairments.
Last Year's Recipient
The Bresnahan-Halstead Center provided a Graduate Research Assistantship to Sara Movahedazarhouligh. She was a second-year doctoral student focused on early childhood special education. As a GRA, she assisted the Bresnahan-Halstead Center with two research projects including:
- Social-emotional learning in children and youth with deafness/hard of hearing
- Special education directors' needs assessment survey
