Dr. Katherine Vroman joined Rider University’s College of Education in Human Services in the fall 2021 semester. Her primary focus is teaching courses in the special education program. In doing so, she hopes to continue her family’s legacy of advocating for students with disabilities to be included in their schools and communities. Vroman’s mother, Cheryl Jorgensen, was a pioneer in the area of inclusive education and remains active in the field today.
"I think the perceptions of who college is for or not for has really changed for the better over the past few decades," Vroman says. "Looking at a population of learners to whom we would have historically said, ‘College is not for you,’ can invite other conversations about what it means to be a diverse learner in higher education for students in all walks of life.”
I think the perceptions of who college is for or not for has really changed for the better over the past few decades.
Vroman went on to earn her Master of Education in International Educational Development with a focus in inclusive education from Boston University, and then a Doctor of Philosophy in Cultural Foundations of Education/Disability Studies from Syracuse University.
Among her many roles, she has been a school-based consultant, a leader of parent and professional training, and a youth advocacy campaign manager to help young people build more inclusive communities in their lives. She has also held adjunct lecturer positions at Syracuse University, The University of New Hampshire, Montclair State University and The College of New Jersey, and most recently, she worked at the New Jersey Coalition for Inclusive Education, a nonprofit focused on helping educators better serve students in inclusive settings.
Vroman brings to Rider a wide range of experience in the areas of inclusive education and disability research training. Her research focuses primarily on students with intellectual disabilities such as Down syndrome, and how to better support them in inclusive settings. For her doctoral dissertation, she looked at the experiences of 10 such students who were enrolled in an inclusive college program.
"I love my colleagues, and I love our department," Vroman says. "Rider really prioritizes relationship building and connecting with students. That was a huge factor in why I chose Rider and why I’m liking it now that I’m here.”
Rider really prioritizes relationship building and connecting with students.
She is excited to be a part of Rider’s Department of Teacher Education, where she can help address what she calls the biggest question in education: “How can we serve an increasingly diverse population of students and meet all of their needs while also supporting our teacher candidates to do the best by everyone in their classroom?”
Although Vroman has only been at Rider for a short time, she says it already feels like home. Her advice to students entering the special education field is to remember that it’s “not a field that’s going away any time soon.” There is often a lot of red tape and paperwork that comes with working in special education, so students need to be knowledgeable not just with the education side but also legal, healthcare, technology practices and more.