Mitzi Waltz

Mitzi Waltz is a Lecturer at the Athena Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, within the Faculty of Science. Her research focuses on disability and society, particularly autism, participatory policymaking, and the rights of disabled individuals. She holds a PhD in Medical Humanities and a Master’s in History from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Her work addresses issues like healthcare disparities, independent living, and inclusive education. Key projects include the IMAGE initiative on autistic graduates’ employability and studies on autism and housing. She coordinates the Research Masters in Global Health and teaches courses on disability, global health, and public policy. Collaborations span institutions across Europe and involve topics such as mental health, leprosy stigma, and cross-country crisis intervention models. Her research emphasizes participatory methods and advocacy, with outputs including peer-reviewed articles, edited books, and policy reports.

• Education:
• PhD in Medical Humanities (University of Sunderland, 2006)
• Master’s in History (VU Amsterdam, 2023)
• Bachelor’s in Journalism (San Francisco State University, 1988)

Research Interests: Her work bridges disability studies, history, and public policy. Key areas include autism advocacy, gender and disability intersections, participatory research, and systemic barriers faced by disabled individuals in healthcare, housing, and political participation. She critiques media representations and challenges exclusionary practices in policy design.

Grants & Projects: Funded initiatives include ZonMW grants on healthcare disparities for autistic women, Amsterdam Public Health projects on migrant mental health, and collaborations with the Dutch Ministry of Interior on political participation barriers. She also leads evaluations of accessibility campaigns and vocational training programs.

Labs/Teams: Active in the Athena Institute’s interdisciplinary disability research groups and collaborates with organizations like Disability Studies in Nederland and the National Autistic Society. She chairs the editorial board of Autism Policy and Practice.