Members of the Pi Beta Phi sorority selected the College of Education’s Melinda McClure as the Spring 2015 Professor of the Year for her work teaching the Disabilities and Society class.
In a ceremony held the evening of April 13, McClure gladly accepted the award from the sorority during its annual scholarship dinner. Known widely for her work in her in her General Studies 420 class, McClure’s course on society’s effects on those with disabilities has become popular within the SDSU community for her unique teaching style.
The class has gained traction due to a class format that is designed and centered around presenters with disabilities from the San Diego community. McClure’s class features speakers who represent all aspects of the disability experience including presenters who are blind, deaf, have physical disabilities, autism, a few who have experienced mental illness, and some with developmental disabilities.
“Students are required to respond to the presenter's information by writing comments, asking questions and answering prompts provided,” McClure says on the class format. “We share those responses with the presenters. It is a very meaningful way to record weekly attendance with classes this large. The presenters enjoy reading the feedback from the students and many times their stories connect.”
McClure’s recognition comes in honor of her friend and colleague Rita Roberson, who recently passed away. Though it was difficult to attend this dinner without her colleague who so often attended these events with her, McClure maintains that their mission together is not over.
“We create allies through the educational process of our class,” McClure says. “I feel very blessed to be teaching in a college community that values people with various abilities. People with disabilities continue to be ignored and devalued in general society. SDSU students who take GS 420 become aware of this problem with the information shared in our course.”