Harley named Chair of Special Education

		Harley named Chair of Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling

Debra Harley

Debra Harley has been named chair of the University of Kentucky Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling. She has been a member of the departmental faculty since arriving at the university in 1993.

“This is going to be a new and exciting experience for me, and my main goal is to continue making this department as seamless as possible” said Harley. “Although our program is made up of two unique disciplines [rehabilitation counseling and special education], I want our students to feel like they are part of one cohesive program.”

The department is charged with preparing special education teachers and administrators, as well as rehabilitation counselors. Graduates of the program offer educational and rehabilitation services to individuals living with physical disabilities and learning and behavioral disorders such as dyslexia, attention deficit disorder or autism.

Harley explained that there is a national shortage for special education teachers and rehabilitation counselors; both in the classroom and on the collegiate level.

“People are retiring faster than universities can generate doctoral-level professionals,” said Harley. “However, our particular department continues to grow. We have an increased number of faculty and students who are also receiving grant money to conduct research. This trend allows us to be more productive and help meet the growing need for specialized teachers and counselors.”

According to Harley, the increased size of her department and the additional research also makes UK’s Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling more competitive with benchmark programs across the country as the university strives for its Top 20 status.

During her tenure at UK, Harley has been a faculty member in the UK Honor’s Program, the Center on Research on Violence Against Woman, and the African American Studies Research program. She also served as the director of the Women’s Studies Program.

Harley earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from South Carolina State University in psychology and rehabilitation counseling, respectively. She earned her Ph.D. in special education and rehabilitation counseling from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

The Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The rehabilitation counseling program, which is accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education, is the only rehabilitation counseling degree-granting program in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.