Mackenzie Savaiano

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Mackenzie Savaiano

Associate Professor of Practice

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Contact

Address
BKC 201L
Lincoln NE 68583-0738
Phone
402-472-3956 On-campus 2-3956
Email
msavaiano2@unl.edu

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Mackenzie Savaiano is an associate professor of practice in the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders. She coordinates the graduate program in Visual Impairments (VI), and her courses focus on assessment, educational planning, and instructional methods for teachers of students with visual impairments.

Mackenzie completed her teacher certification program in English Education at New York University and her master's degree in Teaching the Visually Impaired from CUNY Hunter College, before earning her Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University. Her primary interest is braille literacy.

Education

Ph.D., Special Education: Visual Disabilities, Vanderbilt University, 2014
M.Ed., Teacher of Blind and Visually Impaired, CUNY Hunter College, 2009
B.S. Teaching English 7-12, New York University, 2006

Honors and Recognition

  • 2020, College Distinguished Teaching Award, College of Education and Human Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • 2015-17, Scholarly Enhancement Program, College of Education and Human Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • 2015, Dissertation of the Year, Division on Visual Impairments and Deafblindness, Council for Exceptional Children
  • 2014, Outstanding Graduate Award, Council for Exceptional Children
  • 2014, CEC-DVI Student of the Year, Division on Visual Impairments, Council for Exceptional Children

Experience

  • 2021-present, Associate Professor of Practice, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • 2014-2021, Assistant Professor of Practice, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • 2010-14, Graduate Research Assistant, Program in Visual Disabilities, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
  • 2008-10, Teacher, Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District, New York
  • 2007-08, Teacher, Nassau Board of Cooperative Educational Services, New York
  • 2003-07, Teacher Assistant, Nassau Board of Cooperative Educational Services, New York 

Memberships

  • Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired
  • Council for Exceptional Children
  • Pediatric Cortical Vision Impairment Society
  • Society for the Scientific Study of Reading