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About Amy Parker

Amy Parker, EdD, COMS, is an Associate Professor and the coordinator of the Orientation and Mobility Program in the Special Education Department at Portland State University. In 2009 she completed her doctorate in special education, with an emphasis in deafblindness and a certification in orientation and mobility, through a leadership and enrichment fellowship funded by the Office of Special Education. Using participatory methodologies with community stakeholders, she has worked to design accessible multimedia learning modules for national technical assistance and personnel preparation. Her research interests include orientation and mobility for individuals with complex disabilities, communication interventions, participatory action research with people with disabilities and their families, and community-based partnerships to create social change.

Since coming to Portland State in 2017, Dr. Parker has engaged in dialogues about campus improvements, opportunities to share knowledge about Orientation and Mobility (O&M) and inclusive design, and to advance that equitable structures and practices have benefits for communities as a whole. In 2023, she was awarded the Researcher of the Year for the College of Education.

Positions

February 2017 - Present Assistant Professor and the Coordinator of the Orientation and Mobility Program, Portland State University Special Education
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Present Faculty Member, Portland State University College of Education
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February 2012 - January 2017 Coordinator of Professional Development and Products, Western Oregon University ‐ National Center on Deaf-Blindness
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August 2009 - February 2012 Research Assistant Professor, Texas Tech University
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Curriculum Vitae




Grants

2017 - 2019 DeafBlind Young Adults in Action Leadership Program
Lavelle Fund for the Blind, Inc
$75,000.00
2017 - 2018 A Comprehensive Examination of Electronic Wayfinding Technology for Visually Impaired Travelers in an Urban Environment
National Institute for Transportation and Communities
Colleague(s): Martin Swobodzinski
$20,000
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Professional Service and Affiliations

2017 - Present Product Development Lead, American Printing House for the Blind
2017 - Present Honorary Membership, WTS Portland Chapter
2012 - 2017 Coordinator of Professional Development and Products, National Center on Deaf-Blindness, Western Oregon University
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Honors and Awards

  • Texas Tech University Alumni Association’s New Faculty Member Award: College of Education, April, 2010.
  • National Center for Leadership in Visual Impairments (NCLVI) Doctoral Fellowship, Pennsylvania College of Optometry, 2006-Present.
  • Delta-Gamma Foundation Scholarship for American Foundation for the Blind, Josephine Taylor Leadership Conference, March, 2007.

Education

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2009 Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Texas Tech University ‐ Special Education (Deafblindness and Orientation & Mobility)
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1999 Master of Science in Social Work (M.S.S.W.), University of Tennessee, Knoxville ‐ Social Work
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Peer Reviewed Articles (21)

Research Reports (4)