Zach Rossetti
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About Zach
Rossetti’s research focuses on social interactions and friendships between students with and without intellectual and/or developmental dis/abilities (I/DD), specifically the contexts and dynamics of relationships and how educators and families may facilitate social opportunities. His research also examines experiences of families with children with I/DD by centering on participation and language access in IEP meetings, community participation, family-professional partnerships of immigrant families, and sibling roles and relationships.
Contributions
Publications
Provides suggestions for structural change to improve family-school collaboration and outcomes for children with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. Examines persistent systemic barriers in relation to culturally responsive family-professional partnerships and family advocacy expectations.
Examines nondisabled students’ perspectives on friendship through focus group interviews with first to eleventh graders in several schools in the northeastern United States, and finds that students with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities were not viewed as potential friends and that students with and without intellectual and/or developmental disabilities had few opportunities to build authentic connections.
Employs a statistical analysis to examine how motivation, special education knowledge, empowerment, types of advocacy activities, and civic engagement impact parents of individuals with disabilities and their ability to access appropriate school services for their children.
Outlines the work of a diverse group of researchers and advocates who propose 6 big-picture, equity-based goals to drive future research related to inclusion, belonging, and intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
Illustrates how youth with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) engage in self-advocacy and civic engagement in special education through focus groups. Finds that youth with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities engage in self-advocacy at school outside of their individualized education program meetings with minimal involvement in civic engagement, and that parent advocacy and positive relationships with educators support self-advocacy efforts.
Examines how nontraditional education impacted the educational experiences of students with extensive support needs during the COVID-19 pandemic via remote learning. Demonstrates that nontraditional education was highly unsuccessful and unable to replace traditional in-person learning, and highlights challenges and advantages of at-home learning to inform future recommendations of instructional practices for students with extensive support needs.
Illustrates parents’ perspectives regarding how the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) mandates parent participation in their children’s education programs. Finds that although parents’ had a comprehensive understanding of the advocacy expectation, they often felt overwhelmed due to the expectation being more difficult than it needed to be.
Exhibits narrative portraits of six immigrant families and their children with disabilities, including their cultural histories and personal perspectives regarding assessment, diagnosis, Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings, and other instances in which families engaged with the special education process.