Kiriko Takahashi

Research Overview

Dr. Kiriko Takahashi’s research focuses on creating inclusive educational and social systems that affirm the strengths and leadership of individuals with disabilities. She asks a central question: How can we design research, practice, and policy to expand inclusion of learners with disabilities, particularly those from Indigenous, Pacific Islander, and other historically marginalized communities?

Her work spans local, national, and international contexts, from improving culturally responsive mathematics/STEM instruction in Hawai‘i to advancing disability inclusion in higher education across Japan and the Pacific Basin. Her research begins with partnership, closely listening to the needs within the community and understanding the community and cultural contexts leading to developing new interventions or evaluating programs that integrate Universal Design for Learning, culturally responsive pedagogy, assistive technology and context based approaches to STEM education.

Methodologically, her scholarship combines program evaluation, participatory research with people with disabilities, and cross-national policy/intervention analysis. This breadth allows for generating evidence-based practices that have individuals with disabilities and other underrepresented groups at the core to ultimately improve student outcomes and contribute to systemic change in education and workforce development.