Nicole Smith

Nicole Smith serves as a Lecturer in Child Development & Family Studies within the Department of Family & Consumer Sciences at California State University, Long Beach's College of Health & Human Services, focusing on inclusive educational frameworks.

Her academic credentials include:

• Ph.D. in Education from Claremont Graduate University
• M. Ed in Special Education from California State Polytechnic University
• B.A. in Social Ecology from University of California, Irvine
• A.A. in Liberal Arts from Mt. San Antonio College

Dr. Smith's research pioneers universal design for learning as a social justice mechanism, emphasizing person-centered pedagogy and collaborative models for student engagement. Her work critically examines social integration of neurodiverse students, those with disabilities, and diverse gender/ethnic identities in higher education through innovative instructional strategies that bridge theory and classroom practice.

Her 2014-2020 publications reveal a concentrated focus on autism support in postsecondary settings, spanning life skills development, peer-mediated interventions, and training frameworks. These works collectively advance disability studies through interdisciplinary lenses of educational psychology, social justice, and inclusive pedagogy, with recurring themes in student autonomy and institutional collaboration.