Katherine E. McDonald, Ph.D.
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Department of Psychology |
Biography
Katherine McDonald received her B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies from Cornell University and her Ph.D. in Community and Prevention Research Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Prior to pursuing doctoral studies, Dr. McDonald lived in community with individuals with and without intellectual disabilities at La Corolle (a community of L’Arche) outside of Geneva, Switzerland.
Dr. McDonald’s teaching, research and service center on using ecological theory and social action to understand and promote the community integration of individuals with disabilities. More recently, her research interests have expanded to include the empirical study of human research ethics, with an emphasis on issues related to vulnerable groups.
Dr. McDonald’s current research includes a study of how individual and contextual factors influence conditions of access to participation in social science research. Dr. McDonald is also working in conjunction with Dr. Brigida Hernandez of DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, on a participatory action research study. The research involves a partnership between city government, business, and university researchers to address unemployment among individuals with disabilities.
Dr. McDonald’s earlier research used an ecological perspective to examine the community college experiences of low-income ethnic minority students with learning disabilities. She has also identified cultural narratives related to learning disability, race/ethnicity and gender and individual acts of resistance to oppressive narratives engaged in by these young adults.
Dr. McDonald is actively involved in the practice of program evaluation
and has worked with the Chicago Public Schools and the Illinois Departments
of Public Aid and Human Services.