Overview

On today’s podcast Toby Tomlinson Baker (soon to be Dr. Toby Tomlinson Baker) discusses her research into post-secondary education for our students with learning disabilities. Toby shares a sobering fact; that 72% of students with disabilities are dropping out of university. Why is this the case? Spoiler alert: one reason is that many university professors have zero training in working with students with varying needs. Today’s conversation is eye-opening and shows us that we have a lot of work to do to ensure our students are getting their needs met in all levels of their education.

With more than 12 years of experience as a special education teacher, Ms. Baker currently teaches with Los Angeles Unified School District. Since becoming a doctoral student at Pepperdine, she has become a Research Assistant for IC4, a global media making club. Ms. Baker began investigating the perception and academic success of postsecondary students with disabilities (SWDs) and best teaching practices for higher education faculty, her dissertation topic. She has presented her doctoral work nationally at the White House, to Congress, and the Department of Education. She has presented globally in China on College Advocacy for SWDs and families in Southeast Asia. Ms. Baker has published numerous Opinion Editorials on special education policy. She has had the honor of receiving Learning Disability Association’s National Harrison Sylvester Award for her research and CHADD’s 2018 Educator of the Year. Ms. Baker holds a Masters of Education from Cabrini University and a Bachelor’s degree from Adelphi University.