Author Biography
Laura Bowden Carpenter has been a professional educator for more than 30 years. She has worked as a Special Education teacher as well as a university professor, teacher educator, researcher, and administrator in higher education. Dr. Carpenter holds a doctorate from The University of Alabama in Special Education. Her specific areas of interest are assistive technology, teaching and learning strategies for students with disabilities, and recreational opportunities for persons with disabilities. Dr. Carpenter engages in a variety of service opportunities in organizations providing services to persons with disabilities and their families. Dr. Linda Johnston currently serves a Professor and Director of the School of Education at the University of Tennessee @ Chattanooga. She holds the Doctorate in Special Education from the University of Alabama. She previously served on the staff of the Alabama State Department of Education in the area of special education. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Tennessee @ Chattanooga, she was Assistant Director of the Southeast Regional Resource Center through a grant with the U.S. Department of Education, where she provided technical assistance to State Departments of Education in the area of special education services.Professor Lawrence A. Beard has more than 30 years of K-12 and higher education teaching experience in special education. He earned a B.A. in Psychology and a B.S. in special education from The University of Alabama. Upon taking a teaching position working with preschool children with multiple and severe disabilities, he continued his education and earned a M.A. in multiple disabilities, his Ed.S. in intellectual disabilities, and his Ed.D. in multiple disabilities from The University of Alabama. He teaches a variety of graduate and undergraduate classes in collaborative teaching, and serves as the academic advisor for graduate degree candidates in the area of collaborative teaching.
