trained as a primary/special education teacher in Queensland in the late 1960s and has taught profoundly deaf students, as well as students with a range of disabilities, at pre-school, primary and
secondary levels in segregated and integrated settings in both the United Kingdom and Australia.
has a Bachelor's degree
in Education, a Master's degree in Education, a Master's degree in Special Education and a PhD (Linguistics and Communication Disabilities) from the University of Illinios (USA).
worked as a teacher, consultant
and school principal in Queensland and London schools, before accepting a position in the New South Wales Department of School Education in 1984.
was the NSW
Director of Special Education and Equity Programs (Aboriginal Education, Migrant Education, ESL, Early Childhood Education, Disadvantaged Schools etc) with the Department of School Education in New South Wales until April 1993.
received the NSW Government’s
Teaching Service Medal and
was also granted Life Membership
of the Australian Teachers of the Deaf Association in
1993.
lectured at the tertiary level at
the University of New South Wales where, in 1993 and 1994,
she established the Certificate
of Learning Disabilities and The Certificate of Integration
Studies respectively.
has appeared as an expert legal witness and disability advocate in court cases both locally and overseas over the last 10 years.
has worked as a consultant for the United Nations a government advisor in Cyprus and for the Australian Government on overseas development projects in Papua New Guinea.
has been associated in Honorary capacities with the Macquarie University , the Children's Hospital Sydney, the University of Western Sydney and the Beijing ENT Institute in the People's Republic of China.
since 1996 has headed her own educational consultancy company working extensively in Hong Kong , New Zealand , Sth Africa, Malta, Cyprus and the UK as well as throughout Australia.
works extensively as a specialist
consultant with schools as well
as with government, NGOs, private agencies and
parent groups and with parents as an advisor, keynote speaker, staff developer and long-range planner.
from 2004-2007 was involved in one of the largest national projects investigating the inclusion
of students with disabilities in regular classrooms in Australia. Results are available on www.dest.gov.au/schools/losd
is an editorial
board member of Reaching Today’s Youth: The
International Journal of Community Care.
co-edited "Accepting
the Literacy Challenge” (Scholastic ) with
Dr Alan Watson in 2000 and has contributed reviews and
chapters to an extensive range of texts and monographs since 1979.
is a Visiting Professor of Special
Education to San Francisco State University (USA).
is married to Kevin Robinson, a
soccer-mad engineer, and they share family
joys with three amazing adult children and four grandchildren, Benjamin, twins William and Thomas and newborn ----------------(awaiting arrival any day now!).
