BBI Fellows
Dr. Katherine McDonald, Ph.D,
Assistant Professor – Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics
Faculty Fellow - Burton Blatt Institute
Dr. Katherine (Katie) McDonald is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health, Food Studies and Nutrition in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics and a Faculty Fellow at the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University. Dr. McDonald received her B.S. with Distinction in Human Development and Family Studies with a minor in French from Cornell University and her Ph.D. in Community and Prevention Research Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Prior to joining the faculty at Syracuse University, Dr. McDonald was an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Portland State University (Portland, Oregon).
Dr. McDonald's work, research and service use ecological theory and social action research to understand and promote the community integration of individuals with disabilities. Her current research spans two core areas of inquiry. (1) Respectful, Inclusive Research Practices for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Dr. McDonald has several projects involving the empirical study of human research ethics, with an emphasis on the research participation of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Her long-term goal is to contribute an empirical perspective to respective, inclusive research practices for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. To date, these studies have focused on instrument development and the isolation of important variables from the perspectives of three critical stakeholder groups: adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, researchers and IRB members. (2) Participatory Action Research Addressing Disparities: Dr. McDonald also conducts collaborative research with community-based organizations and community members on health, education and employment disparities experienced by individuals with disabilities. One long-standing collaboration is the Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE). AASPIRE conducts research on the needs of autistic adults through academic-autistic partnerships, including studies on access to quality healthcare and the online autistic community. With the Southeast ADA Center, Dr. McDonald conducts research on understanding facilitators and persistent barriers to community participation among adults with disabilities. Other research projects involved collaborations with government and business collaborators to address the employment of individuals with disabilities and program evaluation capacity building with social service agencies serving ethnic and racial minorities with disabilities.
Dr. McDonald is also involved in the teaching and practice of program evaluation and previously lived in community with individuals with and without intellectual disabilities in a community of L'Arche. Dr. McDonald is the past Chair of the Disability Action Group for the Society for Community Research and Action, division 27 of the American Psychological Association. She has also served on the Boards of Directors for L'Arche Nehalem, l’Arche Chicago, and the Arc of Multnomah-Clackamas County as well as on the Institutional Review Board at University of Illinois at Chicago and Portland State University. Dr. McDonald received the Stevens-Shapiro Fellowship from the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disabilities (IASSID) and was an International Visiting Fellow at the University of Western Sydney in Australia.
Selected Publications
- McDonald, K., Kidney, C., & Patka, M. (2012). “You need to let your voice be heard”: Research participants’ views on research. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research.
- Nicolaidis, C., Raymaker, R., McDonald, K., Robertson, S., Dern, S., & Ashkenzy, E. (2011). Collaboration strategies in non-traditional CBPR partnerships: Lessons from a geographically-dispersed partnership with autistic self-advocates. Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action, 5, 143-150.
- Hernandez, B. & McDonald, K. (2010). Exploring the costs and benefits of workers with disabilities. Journal of Rehabilitation, 76, 15-23.
- Soffer, M., McDonald, K. & Blanck, P. (2010). Poverty among adults with disabilities: Barriers to promoting asset accumulation in individual development accounts. American Journal of Community Psychology, 46, 376-385.
- McDonald, K., Kidney, C. Kimmel, A., Nelms, S., Parker, M., & Keys, C. (2009). Perspectives on risks and protections for the inclusion of adults with intellectual disabilities in social science research. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 6, 244-252.
- Hernandez, B., McDonald, K., LePera, N., Shahna, M., Wang, T.A., & Levy, J. (2009). Moving beyond misperceptions: The provision of workplace accommodations. Journal of Social Work in Disability and Rehabilitation, 8, 189 – 204.
- Hernandez, B. McDonald, K., Divilbiss, M., Horin, E., Velcoff, J., & Donoso, O. (2008). Reflections from employers on the disabled workforce: Focus groups with healthcare, hospitality, and retail administrators. Employee Rights and Responsibilities Journal, 20, 157-164.
- McDonald, K. & Keys, C. (2008). How the powerful decide: Access to research participation for those at the margins. American Journal of Community Psychology, 42, 79-93.
- McDonald, K., Keys, C. & Henry, D. (2008). The gatekeepers of science: Attitudes toward the research participation of adults with intellectual disabilities. The American Journal on Mental Retardation, 113, 466-478.
- McDonald, K & Myrick, S. (2008). Principles, promises, and a personal plea: What is an evaluator to do? American Journal of Evaluation, 29, 341-351.
- Hernandez, B., & McDonald, K. (2007). Exploring the Bottom Line: A Study of the Costs and Benefits of Workers with Disabilities. Chicago: DePaul University.
- McDonald, K., Keys, C. & Balcazar, F. (2007). Disability, race/ethnicity and gender: Themes of cultural oppression, acts of individual resistance. American Journal of Community Psychology, 39, 145 – 161.
- McDonald, K. & Keys, C. (2005). L’Arche: The successes of community, the challenges of empowerment in a faith-centered setting. Journal of Religion, Disability, & Health, 9, 5 - 28.
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