Heather Feldner

Dr. Feldner focuses on advancing participation and health together with people with disabilities and their families by examining early, equitable access to mobility and assistive technology within home and community environments. Her research centers on the design and implementation of assistive technology and the effects of technology upon activity and participation, and within a variety of personal and environmental contexts, including how perceptions of disability and identity emerge and evolve through technology use. She is especially interested in conceptualizations of accessibility and how technology design facilitates or hinders access. Her current work incorporates a multidisciplinary, mixed methods approach rooted in a participatory action framework and draws from her background as a pediatric physical therapist, doctoral work in disability studies, and postdoctoral research in user-centered rehabilitation and design in mechanical engineering. 

Areas of scholarly interest:   accessible technology, disability identity, children with disabilities, mobility, intersections between DS and rehabilitation/medical fields

Research methodologies:   qualitative, participatory, mixed-methods