Profile

Eleazar Vasquez III is the director of the Toni Jennings Exceptional Education Institute and professor of exceptional student education at the University of Central Florida. His research has been continuously funded since 2008 with more than $82 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) the U.S. Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE)  and Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS). The goal of this research is to understand how K-12 and postsecondary students with and without disabilities can effectively learn science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) content using innovative technologies (e.g., AR, VR, video gaming, and mobile applications) through interdisciplinary collaborations, lean startup models, and universal design for learning framework.

Dr. Vasquez currently holds joint appointment with the Learning Science Cluster at UCF, affiliate faculty status with Lockheed Martin/UCF Academy, and SREAL synthetic reality lab. Nationally he serves on Executive Board member for Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), the Universal Design for Learning Implementation and Research Network (UDL-IRN), and a technical reviewer for NSF and IES.

• Autism
• Executive Function
• Technology

• Ph.D. in Disability Disciplines, 2008
  Focus: Behavior Analysis and Special Education
  Utah State University: Logan, UT
• Masters of Arts in School and Behavioral Psychology, 2003
  Stephen F. Austin State University: Nacogdoches, TX
• Bachelor of Science, 2000
  Stephen F. Austin State University: Nacogdoches, TX
  College of Education

The nexus of my research is evaluating the impact of innovative technologies on academic and behavioral outcomes for individuals with disabilities in STEM content areas.

• Executive function
• Technology
• Autism

• Center for Innovation Design and Digital Learning
• Toni Jennings Exceptional Education Institute
• Inclusive Education Services

Faculty Cluster Initiatives

• Learning Science Cluster

Funded Projects

DebriefScape Suite: Personalized Dashboard and Open Education Resources for STEM Coaches to Support Special Education Teachers

• Principal Investigator: Lisa Dieker, Ph.D.
• Co-Principal Investigators: Rebecca Hines, Ph.D., Charles Hughes, Ph.D. and Trey Vasquez, Ph.D.
• Sponsor: National Science Foundation
• Award Period: 10/1/2021 to 9/30/2026
• Total Award: $346,815

Preparing Next Generation Special Education Leadership Scholars

• Principal Investigator: Lisa Dieker, Ph.D.
• Co-Principal Investigators: Michelle Taub, Ph.D. and Eleazar Vasquez, Ph.D.
• Sponsor: U.S. Department of Education
• Award Period: 1/1/2019 to 12/31/2023
• Total Award: $1,250,000

Preparing Special Educators in Autism Spectrum Disorders

• Principal Investigator: Eleazar Vasquez, Ph.D.
• Co-Principal Investigator: Matthew Marino, Ph.D.
• Sponsor: U.S. Department of Education
• Award Period: 1/1/2016 to 12/31/2021
• Total Award: $1,250,000

Technology Enhanced Learning Enabled by Partner Organizations, Research, and Teaching Success

• Principal Investigator: Matthew Marino, Ph.D.
• Co-Principal Investigator: Lisa Dieker, Ph.D. and Trey Vasquez
• Sponsor: U.S. Department of Education
• Award Period: 1/1/2019 to 12/31/2023
• Total Award: $923,306

Preparing Special Education Teachers and Speech-Language Practitioners in Autism Spectrum Disorders

• Principal Investigator: Eleazar Vasquez, Ph.D.
• Co-Principal Investigator: Jacqueline Towson, Ph.D.
• Sponsor: U.S. Department of Education
• Award Period: 1/1/2019 to 12/31/2023
• Total Award: $500,000

• UCF Sabbatical Award Type 1B 2021-2022
• UCF Research Incentive Award (RIA) 2021