Kristina Rios

Kristina Rios serves as an Assistant Professor in the Literacy, Early, Bilingual and Special Education department at California State University, Fresno's Kremen School of Education and Human Development. Her work bridges academic research with practical applications in special education, particularly focusing on underserved populations.

Her educational background includes a PhD in Special Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2020), an M.A. in Special Education from California State University, Bakersfield (2016), and a B.A. in Liberal Studies from the same institution (2013). Prior to academia, she worked as a special education teacher in Delano, CA.

Dr. Rios' research centers on Latinx family advocacy for children with significant disabilities, examining systemic barriers in educational systems and developing culturally responsive interventions. Her signature project, Familias Incluidas en Recibiendo Mejor Educación Especial (FIRME), is a 12-hour bilingual advocacy training program designed to enhance parental knowledge, empowerment, and service access while reducing stress. Her scholarship reveals critical patterns in how cultural identity, language barriers, and geographic isolation compound challenges for Latinx families navigating special education systems.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications shows consistent focus on disability justice frameworks applied to Latinx communities, with methodological strengths in mixed-methods designs and community-based participatory research. Her work increasingly addresses rural disparities and telehealth adaptations, reflecting evolving service delivery challenges.

Dr. Rios teaches graduate courses including SPED 233 (Special Educator as Researcher), SPED 235 (Master's Seminar in Program Development), and SPED 236 (Advanced Pedagogy for Disabilities). Her teaching directly incorporates findings from her FIRME intervention program and advocacy research.

Her research program demonstrates significant collaboration with Dr. Meghan Burke and other scholars, producing high-impact publications in journals like Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Current projects focus on legislative advocacy pathways and longitudinal effects of empowerment training.