Boston College Professor Susan M. Bruce, chair of the Lynch School of Education and Human Development’s Teaching, Curriculum, and Society department, whose career has focused on how students with severe disabilities communicate, has received the 2022 Distinguished Service Award from the Division of Visual Impairments and Deafblindness of the Council for Exceptional Children.
The annual award, bestowed since 1984, recognizes remarkable contributions and exemplary leadership and commitment to the field of education and rehabilitation of students with visual impairments and deafblindness.
Susan Bruce (Caitlin Cunningham)
“For several decades, Susan Bruce has been at the forefront of research on visual impairments and deafblindness,” said Stanton E.F. Wortham, the Charles F. Donovan, S.J., Dean of the Lynch School. “It's wonderful to see her important contributions recognized with this lifetime achievement award from a preeminent organization in the field.”
Bruce, a Boston College faculty member since 2001, has spent more than 35 years teaching and consulting in adult services, schools, and university settings that serve children and adults who are blind/visually impaired or deafblind. Her major research interest is communication development and intervention, particularly how deafblind learners develop symbolic expression. She has conducted numerous action research studies on assessment, and published more than 60 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and policy papers primarily focused on individuals who are blind/visually impaired or deafblind.
She is a past recipient of the Virginia M. Sowell Award for outstanding contributions in deafblindness/multiple disabilities from the Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired.
The Council for Exceptional Children is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving the success of children and youth with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. The Division of Visual Impairments and Deafblindness advances the education of individuals with visual impairments and to promote related educational, scientific, and charitable purposes.
Phil Gloudemans | University Communications | April 2022