KU News Release

July 16, 2007
Contact: Mary-Margaret Simpson, Beach Center on Disability, (785) 864-7603; or Karen Henry, Life Span Institute, (785) 864-0756.

KU special education doctoral student wins national award for parent-teacher research

LAWRENCE — Research by University of Kansas student showing that parents of kindergartners with and without disabilities are more alike than different when it comes to how they view their relationships with their children’s teachers has won national and peer recognition.

This spring, Nina Zuna, a doctoral student in special education from Eudora, won the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Student Award in recognition of her research. In addition, the KU Professionals for Disability recognized her with the 2007 Judy Tate Outstanding Doctoral Student Medallion Award.

“I was drawn to this topic because of my strong philosophy of inclusion — that is, for children with disabilities to be educated alongside their peers without disabilities,” said Zuna, who will receive her degree in August.

Following graduation, Zuna will be a research associate at KU’s Beach Center on Disability, a federally funded research and training center exploring the impact of public policy on families of children with disabilities.

For her dissertation, Zuna wanted to know whether disability alone influenced how pleased parents were with educators. Through her research, she found it did not make any difference. Most earlier studies in her field were limited to either parents of children with disabilities or parents of those without disabilities — but not both.

“While this research was about families, it is also important to note that generally in society a lot of misconceptions exist about individuals with disabilities, particularly about individuals who require significant support to live independently or who have a mental health diagnosis,” she said.

Zuna, who switched from a career in health care a few years ago to begin working with children with autism, is focused on improving quality of life and supportive networks for families of children with disabilities.

“I strongly feel that disability is a natural part of life,” Zuna said. “Living with a disability is not about having a disability but instead about having the economic, medical and social resources to live your life as you see fit.”

Her academic advisers are Ann and Rud Turnbull, the Ross and Marianna Beach Distinguished Professors of Special Education. The Turnbulls are co-founders and co-directors of the Beach center, which is affiliated with KU’s Life Span Institute and Department of Special Education.

Zuna is the daughter of F.M. and the late Anna Trujillo of Leesville, La., and a graduate of Leesville High School. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisiana-Monroe and a master's degree in special education in 2000 from the University of Hawaii-Manoa. Before entering KU’s doctoral program, Zuna taught special education classes in the Olathe School District.

KU’s Department of Special Education was ranked best in the nation among public universities by U.S. News and World Report in its annual “America’s Best Graduate Schools” survey.

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