Stuart Schleien

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT STUART SCHLEIEN

Stuart J. Schleien, Ph.D, LRT/CTRSProfessor EmeritusSchool of Health & Human SciencesUniversity of North Carolina GreensboroStuart J. Schleien, Ph.D, LRT/CTRS, is an Executive Director for InFocus Advocacy, a non-profit organization that empowers individuals of varying abilities who are marginalized by society to create more welcoming, accessible, and accommodating communities. He is also Professor Emeritus, School of Health & Human Sciences, at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, following 25 years of service as Department Chair. As a Licensed Recreational Therapist and Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist, he develops best practices that help parents and professionals design inclusive recreation, summer camp, sports, friendship, and volunteer programs for children and adults with diverse skills and abilities. He has expertise as a systems change agent for inclusive service delivery, helping agencies manage successful organizational change and development. Dr. Schleien has published extensively on recreation and friendship skills development and the social inclusion of individuals with disabilities. He has written 8 books and over 125 journal articles and book chapters on these topics, presenting his work throughout the U.S. and Canada, and in Australia, England, Germany, Israel, Spain, and Sweden. He received the Marina Wilder Distinguished Service Award and the Victor Hall Leadership Award from The Arc of Greensboro for exemplary leadership in the field of developmental disabilities. He was also recognized as the \"Researcher of the Year\" by the Minnesota Recreation and Park Association,\"Educator of the Year\" by The Minnesota Arc, and was the recipient of the \"Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt Award for Excellence in Recreation and Park Research,\" the most prestigious award bestowed upon a researcher by the National Recreation and Park Association.