Assistant Professor of Education (2008)

Education

• BSW, Illinois State University
• MSW & Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Contact

Email: cgilson@moravian.edu
Phone: 610-625-7015
Office: PPHAC, Room 318

Areas of Research and/or Expertise

Special education, postsecondary education for students with disabilities, disability rights, and qualitative methodologies

Biography

Christie L. Gilson, assistant professor of education, has authored studies published in the Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, the Hong Kong Special Education Forum, and Disability Studies Quarterly, among others. Her research interests include the transition of students with disabilities from high school to adult life and disability studies.

She teaches diversity and inclusion courses for teachers in training, thesis workshops for graduate students and writing courses for freshmen.

Dr. Gilson received the 2013 Alumni Humanitarian Award from the University of Illinois Alumni Association for her significant contributions of volunteer leadership and service. One of her primary areas of interest is the use of language to promote social justice, inclusion and access to education for everyone.

In June 2012, Dr. Gilson began a three-year term on the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board after being nominated by President Barack Obama. In 2006, she was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to study higher education for students with disabilities in Hong Kong.

In 2009, Dr. Gilson was the keynote speaker at "Accessing the World through International Exchange," held October 30 in Berkeley, California. Hosted by Mobility International U.S.A., the workshop was designed to encourage people with disabilities to study, teach, or volunteer abroad. She also presented results from her doctoral dissertation at two conferences. At the International Association of Special Education's eleventh biennial conference in Alicante, Spain, she offered an acclaimed workshop, "The Socialization of Included Students with Disabilities: Vignettes from Hong Kong," on July 13. She also attended the thirty-second annual conference of the Association on Higher Education and Disability in Louisville, Kentucky, where she presented "Attitudinal and Physical Access to Tertiary Education in Hong Kong" on July 23.

Publications

• Chen, H., Ran, M.-S., Wong, Y.-C., & Gilson, C. L. (2009). Stress among Shanghai University students: The need for social work support. Journal of Social Work, 9(3).