Asbury Special Education Scholars Write Book for Practitioners

February 5, 2024

Dr. Ruby Owiny ’96 co-authored a book (with Dr. Kyena Cornelius) about evidence-based instruction in special education with chapters from contributors Dr. Allie Rhodes ’97 and Dr. Victoria Slocum. Centered around the 22 High-Leverage Practices (HLPs) developed by the CEEDAR Center at the University of Florida and the Council for Exceptional Children, The Practical Guide to High-Leverage Practices in Special Education: The Purposeful “How” to Enhance Classroom Rigor is available here.

“This how-to book connects evidence-based practices with HLPs in a practitioner-friendly manner to provide higher quality educational opportunities for students with disabilities,” said Owiny, who serves as Assistant Professor of Special Education at Minnesota State University, Mankato. “This book is important for practitioners, parents, and church workers to help ensure that students learn the content we’re trying to teach them, whether it’s from the state standards or biblical principles, in a public school, a private school, Sunday School, or youth group.”

Rhodes (Professor of Special Education at Asbury University) collaborated with Owiny to write a chapter based on HLP 19: Use Assistive and Instructional Technology.

“My background includes communication for students with disabilities,” Rhodes said. “Dr. Owiny and I combined our expertise (with mine in assistive technology and hers in instructional technology) to write this chapter.”

Slocum (Director of Academic Accessibility Resources at Asbury University) partnered with Rhodes to write a chapter based on HLP 13: Adapt Curriculum Tasks and Materials for Specific Learning Goals.

“Our chapter focuses on accessibility, notably selecting materials (and the means of representation of the material) practitioners use for students,” Slocum said. “Practitioners must determine what students need to do and how to make that work for them, whether that be video prompting, accessibility software, text-to-speech and speech-to-text software, note-taking devices and apps, and other tools.”

Owiny reflects on the Asbury professor that positively impacted her.

“I remember Dr. Verna Lowe saying that no student should be denied access to college or a career because of their disability and a lack of appropriate instruction K-12,” she said. “We have a responsibility to ensure that all students made in God’s image have the instruction, resources, and care to walk in their God-given potential.”

Owiny received her M.A. in Learning and Behavior Disorders P-12 from Asbury University and her Ph.D. in Special Education Personnel Preparation from the University of Kentucky. Rhodes received her M.A. in Learning and Behavior Disorders P-12 from Asbury University and her Ph.D. in Special Education Personnel Preparation from the University of Kentucky. Slocum received certifications in Learning Disabilities and Cognitive Disabilities & Behavior Disabilities from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and her Ph.D. in Special Education Personnel Preparation from the University of Kentucky.

Asbury University offers Traditional and Online Undergraduate programs in Education; the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree for initial certification; and M.A. programs in English as a Second Language Endorsement, Learning and Behavior Disorders, Literacy Specialist P-12, and Principal Licensure. Additional degree programs include the Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degree in Principal Licensure with Instructional Supervisor (dual licensure) and certifications for Director of Pupil Personnel, Instructional Supervisor, and School Superintendent. Learn more: https://www.asbury.edu/academics/departments/education/majors-minors/.