Associate Professor of Special Education Jamie Pearson Receives Council for Exceptional Children Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities Social Justice Award

Jamie Pearson, an associate professor of special education in NC State’s College of Education, has received the Council for Exceptional Children Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (DADD) Social Justice Award. 

The award honors individuals who embody the values of DADD, work to support students with disabilities and engage in work that has a lasting impact on students with autism or intellectual or developmental disabilities. 

“It is such an honor to have been selected for this award,” Pearson said. “I have committed my career to addressing disparities that Black autistic students and their families face in schools and communities, so I was thrilled to be recognized for this work. It was even more special to receive this award from DADD because I consider this division to be my professional home.”

Pearson is the founder of Fostering Advocacy, Communication, Empowerment, and Support (FACES), which aims to strengthen advocacy and increase service access and utilization among Black families of children with autism. 

In 2021, she received a U.S. Department of Education’s IES Research Training Programs in Special Education Early Career Grant to refine, scale and test the FACES parent-training intervention when delivered by community-based parent educators. 

As the grant enters its final year, Pearson said she and her team have trained seven community-based partners to become FACES facilitators who are now beginning to offer the program as part of a trial across North Carolina as well as in Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; and Washington, D.C.

The ongoing impact of FACES, as well as Pearson’s commitment to support students with disabilities in other areas of her scholarship, were cited in her nomination for the award. 

“It’s incredibly exciting to see the intervention being implemented in many different settings and with so many amazing FACES families. I would not be able to do this work without our FACES families’ partnership, engagement and belief in this work. I dedicate this award to them,” she said.