Rhonda Black

Research Overview

Rhonda S. Black, Ed.D. is a Professor of Special Education at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her teaching spans undergraduate and graduate coursework in research design, strategies in the content areas, transition from school to postsecondary environments, and critical examinations of media portrayals of disability.

Dr. Black’s research and professional scholarship focus on cultural considerations in special education, community and social inclusion of individuals with disabilities, and healthy sexuality and abuse prevention for adolescents and adults with disabilities. Her work is grounded in a commitment to improving quality of life and advancing inclusive, socially just practices for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

With more than four decades of experience working directly with young adults with disabilities, Dr. Black brings a deep practice-based perspective to her research and teaching. Over the course of her career, she has collaborated with students, educators, and program personnel across the lifespan, from early childhood through adulthood. She maintains strong partnerships with schools throughout Hawaiʻi, contributing to the preparation of pre-service teachers and the ongoing professional development of in-service educators.

At the national level, Dr. Black has demonstrated sustained leadership in the field. She has served for the past ten years as Chair of the Social and Sexual Relationships Interest Network within the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD), where she has helped shape discourse, research priorities, and professional learning related to sexuality, relationships, and self-determination for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.