The Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders is pleased to host a retirement reception from 3-5 p.m., Monday, May 5 in Room 130 of the Barkley Memorial Center for Dave Beukelman, Barkley Professor of Communication Disorders.
Beukelman has had a distinguished career as an authority on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). He also teaches in the area of motor speech disorders and cleft palate. His research has focused on AAC, dysarthria and oral cancer.
“Dave’s research in augmentative and alternative communication has allowed countless individuals to communicate autonomously,” said Sherri Jones, chair of SECD. “His work continues to impact the assistive technologies for communication that are available today. His teaching and mentorship have produced generations of leaders who serve in clinics, hospitals and university settings throughout the country.”
“His impact in the field of augmentative and alternative communication has been huge,” said CEHS Dean Marjorie Kostelnik. “As a result, he has helped people communicate who otherwise would be locked in a silent world. He is driven by a simple yet powerful question: ‘Is what I’m doing today going to help people communicate?’ It has served Dave and the field quite remarkably.”
Prior to his service at UNL, Beukelman was at the University of Washington, Mankato State University, and served as a speech pathologist at the Elim School for Handicapped Children in Palos Heights, Illinois. His Ph.D. and master’s degree in communication disorders are from the University of Wisconsin and his undergraduate degree in speech pathology was from Western Michigan University where he was named as an outstanding alumnus in 2003. Among his many academic awards is the University of Nebraska Outstanding Research and Creativity Award in 1996.
Beukelman has written and presented dozens of articles and papers and is the author of several books, tests, software and technology. He is also senior researcher in The Institute for Rehabilitation Science and Engineering at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and fellow of the American Speech Language Hearing Association. He also served for over 20 years as co-director of speech pathology at the Munroe-Meyer Institute for Genetics and Rehabilitation at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.