Mary Jo Archambault

Mary Jo Archambault serves as Associate Professor and Coordinator of Recreational Therapy Programs within Southern Connecticut State University's College of Health and Human Services. With over 20 years of professional experience in therapeutic recreation, she directs academic programs in recreation, tourism, and sport management while maintaining active research and grant leadership.

Her academic credentials include:

• Associate's degree in Therapeutic Recreation and Disabilities from Manchester Community College
• Bachelor's degree in Management from Charter Oak State College
• Master's degree in Therapeutic Recreation from Southern Connecticut State University

Dr. Archambault's research examines inclusion barriers for students with disabilities in higher education through adapted sports frameworks. Her scholarship demonstrates consistent focus on changing societal perceptions via community-based recreation interventions, leveraging contact theory to address disability stigma. Current work emphasizes practical applications in campus recreation settings and veteran adaptive sports programming.

Her publications from 2017-2021 reveal strong thematic continuity in disability inclusion research, with increasing emphasis on measurable learning outcomes in therapeutic recreation education and interprofessional approaches to care. Recent works integrate quantitative assessments of attitude change with qualitative analysis of program implementation challenges.

As principal investigator on multiple federal grants, Dr. Archambault directs significant adaptive sports initiatives:

• Co-PI on 2023-2024 VA Adaptive Sport Grant ($107,742)
• Co-PI on 2022-2023 VA Adaptive Sport Grant ($148,310)
• Co-PI on 2020-2021 VA Adaptive Sport Grant ($91,681)
• Co-PI on 2019-2020 VA Adaptive Sports Grant ($86,206)
• Co-PI on 2017-2018 VA Adaptive Sports Grant ($38,901)

She co-founded SCSU's Institute for Adaptive Sports and Inclusive Recreation, developing community partnerships for wheelchair basketball leagues, adaptive aquatics programs, and veteran sports camps while training student therapists in inclusive recreation delivery.