College of Education doctoral graduate advocates for students with disabilities

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Anyone looking for living example of the Penn State College of Education’s strategic plan of changing education by educating for change should pay attention to Sali Almohammed.

Almohammed, who graduated this spring with a doctorate in workforce education and development, organization development and change, and human resources development, is focused on disability education with the ultimate goal of bringing her expertise to her home country of Saudi Arabia to improve the lives of her own students. Almohammed works as a lecturer at Jazan University.

“My primary goal is to support students with disabilities in becoming a valuable part of the workforce and human resource development,” Almohammed said. “To achieve this, I am dedicated to ensuring that these students receive the appropriate education and training in a secure and inclusive environment at our university. By doing so, we can equip them with the skills and knowledge they need to build a successful future."

Part of building that better future includes teaching the school’s faculty and administration how to include the students themselves in the process of determining what accommodations are needed for all students to have an equal chance at education.

In her research, Almohammed is developing a training program to enable higher education institutions to understand early on not just how many students with disabilities may be enrolled, but also understanding where current shortfalls in accommodations may exist.

"The focus of this research is to provide training to three key stakeholders: faculty members, students with disabilities, and administration members,” Almohammed said. “The training aims to explore the first-week experience of students with disabilities in higher education. Through this training, faculty members will gain a better understanding of the number of students with disabilities in their classes, the specific types of disabilities they have, and the available resources and technologies that universities can provide to support these students' learning needs. By raising awareness and promoting accessibility and support, the training helps to ensure an inclusive and equitable learning environment for all students."

Almohammed said she first became interested in studying disability education because of its rarity as an academic discipline in her home country when she first began her higher education journey 15 years ago. She said back then only one institution in Saudi Arabia — King Saud University in Riyadh — even offered a special education degree program.

Now, she said, there are 30 public universities nationwide offering some type of course of study in special education. She said she wants to continue to broaden opportunities in Saudi Arabia.

"Equipped with my expertise in training, I am now prepared to take on a coaching role where I can identify weaknesses in my organization and provide effective strategies for development and improvement,” Almohammed said. “My training expertise has enabled me to develop a keen eye for identifying areas that require attention and to formulate practical solutions that can bring about positive change. As a coach, I am confident that I can use my skills to help individuals and organizations achieve their goals and reach their full potential.”

Studying more than 6,000 miles from home in a different country would be a huge change for anyone. But, Almohammed said, because of the people at Penn State who helped her not only academically, but through a rough time in her personal life as well, she feels like Penn State is a second home and would be thrilled if her own children eventually became Nittany Lions themselves.

"I am truly grateful to have joined Penn State," Almohammed said. "Not only has it positively impacted my education, but it has also had a profound impact on my personal life. Being a part of Penn State has helped me to change and overcome many challenges in my life that I thought were impossible to face alone. During the pandemic, I also lost my father, but the unwavering support and compassion from the people at Penn State gave me the strength to keep going."

“Being a student at Penn State makes you feel like you are the only student, despite the large number of students enrolled, and that feeling is truly amazing,” she continued. “This is the magic of being a part of this university. I am so impressed with my experience that I even encourage my children to come back and study here in the future."