Mackenzie Savaiano, associate professor of practice in special education and communication disorders at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, was selected for the 2025 Alan Koenig Research Award by Getting in Touch with Literacy (GITWL).
The Alan Koenig Research Award recognizes exemplary commitment, research and advancement in the education and literacy development of individuals with visual impairments and deafblindness. Honorees must have established an identifiable body of research that provides insight, instruction, and information regarding literacy instruction in braille and print. Savaiano will be presented with the award at the GITWL conference on Friday, Nov. 7, in Huntsville, Alabama.
“It is truly an honor to be selected for this award,” Savaiano said. “The list of past awardees includes researchers I respect and admire, and it is honestly surreal to realize that my name is now part of this research legacy.”
Savaiano coordinates the graduate program in preparing future teachers of students with visual impairments in the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders. Her courses focus on assessment, educational planning and instructional methods for teachers of students with visual impairments.
Savaiano’s research contributions focus on reading instruction, braille literacy and writing instruction for students who are blind or visually impaired. She also serves as the project coordinator for the Nebraska Deafblind Project, a statewide support for students with a combined vision and hearing loss, educational team members, and families.
Getting in Touch with Literacy is a multiday conference of talks, activities and workshops related to the teaching of literacy to individuals who are blind or visually impaired. This year’s event is Nov. 5-8 and is hosted by Allied Instructional Services and the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division on Visual Impairment and Deafblindness (DVIDB). Learn more at https://www.gitwl.org/.
College of Education and Human Sciences
Special Education and Communication Disorders
