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Tara Flanagan (she/her) has worked in the field of disability for 29 years and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology at Ï㽶ÊÓƵ. She served for seven years as the Chair of the Joint-Board Senate Subcommittee on Persons with Disabilities that is comprised of a wide array of students, faculty and staff members across Ï㽶ÊÓƵ who are invested in recommending university policy and in promoting a more inclusive environment. She also served for seven years as the Graduate Program Director in Inclusive Education. She recently served as the Chair of the Social Inclusion Working Group for the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences’ Autism Assessment for a National Autism Strategy.

She is the Director of SPARC (Social Policy, Advocacy, Research, Community), a research team whose mandate is to promote social inclusion by emphasizing self-determination, community, and participatory approaches to research and practice (50+ SPARC supervisees have graduated in MA, MEd, and PhD programs). Her scholarly interests and research grants are in the areas of social inclusion, inclusive employment, transition from school to the community, self-determination, and quality of life among individuals from disability and other equity-seeking groups.

Tara is a recent empty-nester but was a single primary parent throughout her professional trajectory. In her previous mentorship experience, Tara has focused on empowerment and finding a work/school-life balance.