Faculty and Staff

Yvonne Bui

Professor

Special Education Department Chair

ybui@sfsu.edu | (415) 338-1161

Marijke Devos

Faculty Advisor

Program in Visual Impairments

mxdevos@sfsu.edu

Marijke is a lecturer in the VI department (student teacher supervisor and co-instructor of the student teaching support seminar) and Interim VI Program Advisor for Spring 2023. Before joining the adjunct faculty of the VI department in 2020, she was an itinerant teacher for students with visual impairment for almost 20 years. She has a wide array of educational experience covering various locations on the globe in a variety of instructional settings serving students of all ages between birth and adulthood and various degrees of abilities. Her main professional interests include working with students with CVI (cortical/cerebral visual impairment), comprehensive assessments and mentoring new TVIs. 

Amber Friesen

Associate Professor
ECSE Program Coordinator

Early Childhood Special Education

afriesen@sfsu.edu | (415) 338-7654

Dr. Amber Friesen is an assistant professor is early childhood special education in the Department of Special Education and Communicative Disorders. Her primary teaching responsibilities include courses in family systems and services, and early intervention. Dr. Friesen’s primary research interests focus on supporting young children at-risk or diagnosed with disabilities and their families. Specifically she is interested in promoting inclusive early childhood settings and strong family partnerships.

Mayumi Hagiwara

Assistant Professor

Extensive Support Needs

mhagiwara@sfsu.edu | (415) 338-1161

Mayumi Hagiwara is an assistant professor in the Extensive Support Needs (moderate/severe disabilities) Program in the Department of Special Education. Before joining the faculty at SFSU, she was a postdoctoral researcher at University of Kansas, focusing on promoting self-determination and inclusive community participation for people with extensive support needs. Her primary teaching responsibilities include courses in instruction of students with extensive support needs and transition planning. Her research interests focus on inclusive education, self-determination, family-school partnerships, transition planning, and inclusive adult outcomes for people with extensive support needs.

Summer Hsia

Associate Professor

Early Childhood Special Education | Intern Program Coordinator

summerh@sfsu.edu | (415) 338-2502

Dr. Summer Tsai-hsing Hsia is an associate professor and coordinates the Intern Program and the Early Childhood Special Education credential and master’s degree programs in the Department of Special Education. Her primary responsibilities include teaching courses in the area of early childhood special education, supervising student teachers, chairing the master’s degree students’ projects, and mentoring students in the Joint Doctoral Program.

Maryssa Kucskar Mitsch

Assistant Professor
SPED Minor Program Coordinator

Early Childhood Special Education

mkucskar@sfsu.edu | (415) 338-3430

Maryssa Kucskar Mitsch, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of Early Childhood Special Education in the Department of Special Education. Her primary teaching responsibilities includes courses in early intervention, assessment of young children at-risk and with disabilities, and family systems. Dr. Kucskar’s primary research interests focus on inclusive practices, social skills interventions for young children with disabilities, implementation of evidence-based practices, and strategies for effective professional development.

Kathleen Mortier

Associate Professor
ESN Program Coordinator

Extensive Support Needs

kmortier@sfsu.edu | (415) 338-7847

Kathleen Mortier is an associate professor in the Extensive Support Needs (moderate/severe disabilities) Program in the Department of Special Education. Before joining the faculty at SFSU she was involved in systems change and inclusive education in Central America and in Belgium. Her primary teaching responsibilities include courses in instruction of students with extensive support needs, research methods, and inclusive education. Her research interests focus on inclusive education, communities of practice, family-school partnerships for Latinx families with children with disabilities, and literacy instruction for students with extensive support needs.

Mary Requa

Assistant Professor
MMSN Program Coordinator

Mild to Moderate Support Needs

mrequa@sfsu.edu | (415) 338-3428

Mary K. Requa, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of special education in the Department of Special Education, mild/moderate disabilities program. Her primary teaching responsibilities include courses related to understanding, assessing, and instructing individuals with mild/moderate disabilities including methods and materials to promote successful learning outcomes for typical and atypical learners of all ages. Dr. Requa’s primary research interests include early literacy, vocabulary development, and family engagement.

Sandra Rosen

Professor
O&M Program Coordinator

Program in Orientation & Mobility

srosen@sfsu.edu | (415) 338-1245

Dr. Rosen is coordinator of the Program in Orientation & Mobility (O&M). She is internationally known for her work in the field, including the development of new teaching approaches in O&M and methods of teaching mobility to people who have both physical and visual impairments. Dr. Rosen has also helped develop O&M professional preparation programs in other countries and is a frequent speaker at international conferences. Her current research interests include the facilitation of balance in children born with visual impairments and the facilitation of proprioceptive awareness in teaching motor and mobility skills.

Sharon Sacks

VI Program Coordinator

Program in Visual Impairments

ssacks1351@sfsu.edu

Gloria Soto

Professor

Joint Doctoral Program Coordinator

gsoto@sfsu.edu | (415) 338-1757

Dr. Gloria Soto is a professor in the Department of Special Education. She teaches graduate coursework in special education, cultural diversity, augmentative communication and curriculum-based language and communication intervention.

Her area of professional expertise is in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Her areas of research interest include applied educational issues such as multiculturalism, collaborative teaming, inclusive education and professional preparation, as well as more basic areas such as narrative language in AAC, language development through augmented means and the impact of graphic symbol use on language development. She is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences related to communication intervention and special education. She has published numerous articles and book chapters.

Jude Wolf

Faculty Advisor

Mild Moderate Support Needs (MMSN)

judewolf@sfsu.edu

Jude Wolf, Ed,D., is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Special Education in the Department of Special Education, mild/moderate disabilities program. Her primary teaching responsibilities include assessment, adolescent literacy, and student teaching. Dr. Wolf is also the coordinator for the Special Education Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA) for the Mild Moderate Support Needs (MMSN). Dr. Wolf's primary research interests include the intersection of Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL), educational neuroscience and executive function skills for students with disabilities, and teacher efficacy / prevention of teacher burnout.