Curriculum Vitae
Biography
I have been a faculty member at UND since 1975 and am currently Professor and Program Coordinator of the undergraduate Rehabilitation and Human Services Program within the College. I really enjoy working at UND and I find teaching, conducting research, and providing professional service activities quite invigorating. I also have found Grand Forks to be a great place to live and raise a family.
I enjoy being active in my profession. I am currently Co-Coordinator of the Committee on Rehabilitation Accreditation (CoRA), the President of the International Network of Special Projects in Inclusive Rehabilitation Education and Disability (INSPIRED), and the Secretary/Treasurer of the National Rehabilitation Counselors Association. In the past, I served as President of the National Council on Rehabilitation Education (NCRE) and the Chair of the Council on Rehabilitation Education’s (CORE) Committee on Undergraduate Education. I also serve as a Vocational Expert for the Social Security Administration and am occasionally asked to provide testimony for Social Security Disability hearings and other forensic rehabilitation matters.
On a personal level, I enjoy reading, music, and sports. I am a member of the Grand Forks Community Chorale and I direct a church choir. I try to play basketball several times a week and enjoy watching all kinds of sports on TV. I met my wife, Cathy, at UND and we have been married since 1976. She recently retired from the Department of Medical Lab Science at the UND Medical School. We have three adult children: Sarah, Becca, and Andrew.
Undergraduate Courses
RHS 200 – Helping Skills in Community Services (3 cr)
RHS 250 - Contemporary Issues in Rehabilitation (3 cr)
RHS 350 - Overview of Disabilities (3 cr)
RHS 375 - Community Living Topics (3 cr)
RHS 450 - Vocational Assessment and Job Acquisition (3 cr)
RHS 455 - Rehabilitation Process (3 cr)
RHS 493 - Senior Capstone Seminar (3 cr)
RHS 497 - Internship in Rehabilitation (9 cr)
Graduate Courses
Coun 502 - Professional Issues in Counseling (1 cr)
Coun 503 - Professional Issues: Internship and Job Preparation (1 cr)
Coun 506 - Rehabilitation Counseling: Foundations and Ethical Issues (3 cr)
Coun 507 - Life-Span Development in Counseling (3 cr)
Coun 561 - Consultation in Counseling (2 cr)
Coun 562 - Consultation Lab (1 cr)
Coun 995 - Scholarly Project (2 cr)
I maintain an active research agenda that focuses on a wide variety of disability and rehabilitation issues. While not always recognized, disability is an important aspect of diversity in our society. Rehabilitation practice is an important part of our commitment to social justice and human rights in our communities. In my work, disability is broadly defined and includes physical disabilities, mental illnesses, developmental disabilities, substance abuse, brain injuries, etc. I have been especially interested in attitudes toward persons with disabilities, how they are formed, how they are maintained, and how they can be changed. Adlerian Psychology serves as the theoretical underpinning of my understanding of how attitudes develop, with special recognition of the importance of early memories.
My research has also explored more effective ways of providing rehabilitation education, both at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Rehabilitation professionals play a critical role in providing services leading to employment and independent living for individuals with disabilities. These professionals deserve the best possible education in order to develop the skills they need. I believe that if the quality of rehabilitation education is going to improve, more research is needed. My focus has been on the development of accreditation standards for undergraduate rehabilitation and disability studies programs and on techniques that can enhance the relationships between undergraduate and graduate rehabilitation education. Much of this has been driven by the following research question: How can the training needs of workers in the profession of rehabilitation (e.g., appropriate skills and values, ethical behavior, good paying jobs, distribution and supply of personnel, continuing education, etc.) be met in such a way that professional needs do not overshadow the critical needs of the clients and consumers with whom these professionals work and for whom they exist to serve?
Since 2010...
Perry, D., Anderson, J., Olson, B., & Shabb, C. (in progress). “A New Scale to Measure the Relationship Between Early Memories and Attitudes Toward Persons with Disabilities.”
Thompson, J., Nygard, A., & Perry, D, (In progress). “Impact of Rational and Experiential Cognitive Processing on Attitudes toward People with Disabilities.”
Perry, D., Marmé, M., & Uthke, J. (2017). “Early Recollections and the Formation of Attitudes toward Persons with Disabilities.” Submitted to the Journal of Individual Psychology.
Perry, D., Schiro-Geist, C., & Willmering, P. (September, 2016). “Accreditation: Ethical opportunities and options.” Presented at international conference: “Accentuate the Positive: Redefining Education, Practice, and Research,” sponsored by the Rehabilitation Counselor Consortium; Memphis, TN.
Perry, D., Marmé, M., & Uthke, J. (May, 2016). “The impact of early recollections on attitudes toward disability.” Presented at international conference: “Born to Connect” sponsored by the North American Society for Adlerian Psychology; Minneapolis, MN.
Perry, D., Erickson, J., & Kormanik, J. (April, 2015). “Improving attitudes of healthcare workers toward persons with disabilities.” Presented at the 15th Annual National Rehabilitation Educators Conference; Newport Beach, CA.
Willmering, P., Duncan, J.C., Perry, D., Robertson, R., Shefcik, T., Darensbourg, B. (March, 2014). “Preparing future professionals: Everything you ever wanted to know about undergraduate accreditation but were afraid to ask!” Presented at the 14th Annual National Rehabilitation Educators Conference; Manhattan Beach, CA.
Duncan, J.C., Perry, D., Robertson, R., Shefcik, T., Darensbourg, B. (March 2014). “Program evaluation: Using disruptive technology to change the way we evaluate.” Presented at the 14th Annual National Rehabilitation Educators Conference; Manhattan Beach, CA.
Maneev, V., & Perry, D. (April, 2013). “Essential qualities of academic advisors who advise graduate students with disabilities.” Poster Presentation, NCRE Spring Training Conference, NCRE; San Francisco, CA.
Perry, D., & Marmé, M. (October, 2013). "Undergraduate Accreditation Site Visitor Training." Presented at the NCRE Fall Training Conference, Arlington, VA.
Perry, D. (April 2013). "Preparing Program Coordinators for Accreditation." Presented at the NCRE Spring Training Conference, NCRE; San Francisco, CA.
Perry, D., Schiro-Geist, C., Marmé, M., & Robertson, R. (2012, April). “Global standards of rehabilitation education: Spanning the next horizon.” Presented at the Spring Training Conference of the National Council on Rehabilitation Education; San Francisco, CA.
Perry, D., Conci, C., Elsagher, J., & Maneev, V. (2012, April). “Adlerian lifestyle assessment: Applications to rehabilitation counseling.” Poster Presentation, Spring Training Conference of the National Council on Rehabilitation Education; San Francisco, CA.
Perry, D., Marmé, M., Schiro-Geist, C., Robertson, R., & Barrett, K. (2011, October). “Rehabilitation professional development: A sustainable international model.” Presented at the Fall Training Conference, sponsored by the National Council on Rehabilitation Education, the Rehabilitation Services Administration, and the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation; Washington, DC.
Bruce, A., Perry, D., Marmé, M., & Schiro-Geist, C. (2011, June). “Learning and sustainability: The new ecosystem of innovation and knowledge.” Presented at the European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN) conference; Dublin, Ireland.
Perry, D. (2011, April). “Applying Adlerian psychology to rehabilitation counseling: Early recollections.” Presented at the Spring Training Conference of the National Council on Rehabilitation Education; Manhattan Beach, CA.
Schiro-Geist, C., Perry, D., Robertson, R., & Evenson, T. (2011, April). “CORE’s Commission on Undergraduate Standards and Accreditation: Town meeting on participatory research.” Presented at the Annual Spring Training Conference of the National Council on Rehabilitation Education; Manhattan Beach, CA.
Wagner-Williams, C., Robertson, R., Perry, D., & Eberhard, S. (2011, April). "Undergraduate Ethics." Presented at the Annual Spring Training Conference of the National Council on Rehabilitation Education; Manhattan Beach, CA.
Perry, D., Marmé, M., Barrett, K., Schiro-Geist, C., Robertson, R., & Evenson, T. (2010, October). “Accreditation of undergraduate programs in rehabilitation: Creating multi-level partnerships,” presented at the Fall Training Conference, sponsored by the National Council on Rehabilitation Education, RSA, and CSAVR; Arlington, VA.
Perry, D. (2010, June). “Applying Adlerian psychology to rehabilitation counseling,” presented at the Annual Conference of the North American Society of Adlerian Psychology; Minneapolis, MN.
Perry, D., & Bard, C. (2010, April). “Applying Adlerian psychology to rehabilitation counseling,” presented at the Spring Training Conference of the National Council on Rehabilitation Education; Manhattan Beach, CA.
Perry, D., Barrett, K., Marmé, M., Schiro-Geist, C., Robertson, R., & Evenson, T. (2010, April). “Undergraduate accreditation,” presented at the Spring Training Conference of the National Council on Rehabilitation Education; Manhattan Beach, CA.
I have been a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor since 1979. In 2017, I became a Diplomate of the American Board of Vocational Experts. I am a member of several professional organizations, such as NRA, NRCA, IARP, and NCRE. In 2015, I received a Commitment to Excellence Award from the National Council on Rehabilitation Education.
I grew up in Missoula, Montana and received my Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Montana. I attended Florida State University in Tallahassee and received a Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. My Ph.D. is from UND in Counseling with a Psychology minor. I have been a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor since 1979 and a Diplomate with the American Board of Vocational Experts since 2017.
Most of my professional experience has been in academia. However, before coming to UND I worked as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor in Bismarck, ND and in Atlanta, GA. I have also worked part-time as a vocational rehabilitation consultant since 1985. As a consultant, I perform vocational assessments of people with disabilities and help them determine career options. I also occasionally provide Vocational Expert testimony in Social Security disability adjudication. In addition, I have provided opinions to the Veteran's Administration regarding veterans who are applying for disability compensation.