Carly Christensen

Carly Christensen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education at the Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia. She is also the Director of Undergraduate Programs and Co-Lead for the Inclusive Education Research Stream at the Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship (CIIC). Contact her at carly.christensen@ubc.ca.

Her research centers on inclusive education, disability justice, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). She challenges traditional special education frameworks that pathologize disability, advocating instead for curricula and pedagogical practices that affirm disability as an intersectional identity. Her work addresses systemic exclusion, isolation, and surveillance faced by disabled students, framing inclusive education as a transformative and healing process.

Dr. Christensen collaborates with the Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship (CIIC) to advance research on inclusive classrooms and equitable educational systems. Her teaching includes courses like EPSE 312 (Introduction to the Study of Exceptional Children) and EPSE 512 (Critical Issues in Special Education), reflecting her commitment to reimagining educational practices through justice-oriented lenses.