Dr. Audrey Trainor

Biography

Audrey Trainor studies equity, diversity, and special education, focusing on postsecondary transitions for adolescents identified with learning and behavioral/emotional disabilities, as well as multilingual young people. The central purpose of her work is to improve inclusive transition education and post-school outcomes for individuals made vulnerable by limited access to educational opportunities. Using capital theory, her projects examine how economic, cultural, and social capital coalesce to function as levers of power and agency within special education processes. Between 2017 and 2022, she served as the principal investigator for an Institute of Education Sciences-funded project that explored factors associated with postsecondary success for English Language Learners with Disabilities. This study involved secondary analyses of data related to transition experiences and post-school outcomes for multilingual learners with disabilities in New York City. Her research has been published in books and articles focusing on qualitative research methodology and ethics, in addition to special education transitions from high school to adulthood. Trainor has previously served as president of the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division on Career Development and Transition. In 2023, she and her colleagues were awarded the journal’s Publication Award for their paper on identity-informed transitions for secondary students receiving special education services as English learners. Her accolades also include the 2015 DCDT Sitlington Research Award and recognition as the 2014 Gershman/Ahler Distinguished Lecturer in Qualitative Research. Prior to her current role, she worked as a high school teacher in special education for a decade, where she helped develop child-centered educational environments for students with diverse abilities.

Research Interests