Jacy K. Bell, PhD

Dr. Bell is the director at the Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities, a federally designated University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). She joined the Sonoran Center as staff in 2007. She teaches several of the core courses offered through the Sonoran Center and conducts community-based research and programs that centers the lived experience of people with disabilities and their families. Dr. Bell is a former UCEDD trainee and a past chair of the Association of University Centers Disabilities’ Multicultural Council.

As a researcher and as a program lead, Dr. Bell is committed to institutionalizing diversity and inclusiveness; recruiting, retaining, and training diverse staff and students; and facilitating diverse perspectives and intergroup collaboration on campus. She is connected to national initiatives to increase diversity in the disability field, which informs her work locally. Much of her work has focused on the transition to adulthood for youth with disabilities, the experiences of multiply marginalized populations, and utilization of community participatory action methods to improve access and outcomes for individuals with disabilities and their families. As a neurodivergent researcher with experience in building community relationships, fostering collaboration, and inclusive, universally designed practices, she endeavors to offer a multifaceted and intersectional perspective for access and inclusion.