Erika Fundelius

Erika Fundelius is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational & Counselling Psychology, and Special Education at the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Education. She joined UBC in July 2023 after completing her doctoral studies at Florida State University. Her primary teaching focus is in the visual disabilities program where she prepares educators to work with students who have visual impairments.

With over twenty-five years of experience in education, Dr. Fundelius has worked as a paraprofessional, substitute teacher, preschool teacher, general education teacher, and teacher of students with visual disabilities. She has also served as an orientation and mobility specialist in an adult rehabilitation setting, providing her with extensive practical knowledge across educational contexts.

Her research focuses on self-determination within and beyond the Expanded Core Curriculum, professional development for teachers of students with visual disabilities, and consent education. Her work examines how cultural considerations influence perspectives on physical touch and consent in educational settings. She employs methodologies including single-case design, mixed methods, and survey research, grounded in Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, Social Constructivism, and Cognitivism.

Dr. Fundelius is actively involved in several professional organizations and initiatives:

• US Department of Education; Federal Review Panel of the American Printing House for the Blind
• Shared Vision; Collaboration Network of BC Visual Impairment and Deafblind organizations
• Council for Exceptional Children-Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities [DADD]; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion [DEI] Committee

She is currently accepting MA and PhD students beginning with the 2025/26 academic year and is working on research projects including:

• SNAAP: Preserving self and personal autonomy to support long term quality of life outcomes for people with disabilities
• Personnel Prep: Book club using lived experiences of individuals with visual impairments
• Personnel Prep: Barriers and enablers to balancing the expanded core curriculum
• Perceptions, understanding, and practices of self-determination among TSVIs (Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments)