Dr. Michelle Schladant serves as an Associate Professor at the University of Miami MillerSchool of Medicine and is the Associate Director of the Mailman Center for Child Development. With over 28 years of experience, Dr. Schladant’s career has centered on assistive technology (AT) and early childhood special education, leading initiatives that impact diverse families with young children who have disabilities.
Dr. Schladant’s career began in special education, where her passion for working with children with disabilities flourished.
“It was the first day in my classroom...working with students with disabilities, where I fell in love with children with disabilities and was introduced to assistive technology,” Dr. Schladant said.
This early experience with assistive technology sparked her drive to further support inclusion for students with significant disabilities. Over the years, Dr. Schladant has developed an AT program at the Mailman Center, built through grant writing and innovative leadership. She secured nearly $5 million in federal and state funding to support her work, and as the principal investigator, she continues to lead research efforts that aim to improve AT and augmentative communication interventions for children with disabilities.
Her research, which takes a community-based participatory approach, engages teachers, caregivers, and community members to design inclusive and culturally responsive professional development models.
“What I saw in the use of assistive technology was that using these types of tools really helped in the area of inclusion...It can create a more inclusive world where everybody has the tools and supports that they need to be successful,” Dr. Schladant said.
This work has informed policy changes that expand access to AT and promote equity at both local and national levels.
In her role at the Mailman Center, Dr. Schladant has also helped steer the center’s strategic focus toward strengthening community-academic partnerships, with the goal of nurturing early childhood education.
“I was granted special permission to write this grant that actually brought a regional demonstration center to the Mailman Center, which really started the assistive technology program that we have here today,” Dr. Schladant said.
Dr. Schladant’s contribution to the MindEd networking event offered students and professionals an opportunity to connect and explore interdisciplinary collaborations.
“It was a great opportunity to network, not only with students but also with other professionals across the university and industry,” Dr. Schladant said.
She highlighted the importance of showing students how an education degree can open diverse career pathways.
“I work at the medical school, my training is in special education, and I’m working with physicians, psychologists, and in the medical field, bringing my background into an interdisciplinary environment,” Dr. Schladant said.
Her dedication to creating a more inclusive world drives her efforts.
“My vision is to create a more inclusive world, where people with disabilities are visible, that they are fully part of everything we do, that they have a voice,” Dr. Schladant said.
She believes that inclusion should start early in life.
“I believe that early childhood inclusion can shape a more inclusive society later on by starting with very young children and training preschool teachers on how they can adapt their classrooms to support children with disabilities,” Dr. Schladant said.
