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Introduction
Rod Wills has a background in education / special education, social work and disability support. He is a Senior Lecturer and taught in the Center for Special Education for over a decade prior to the creation of the School of Social and Policy Studies where his primary focus is disability studies in education.
Educational history
MA (Soc Pol) Massey, B Soc Sci (Hum Serv), Dip App Soc Stud (C.Q.S.W.) ACE. T Col Dip, Auckland Teachers College.
Area of expertise
Rod has in-depth knowledge of the formation and implementation of special education policy in New Zealand. From the period of 1988 - 2001 he regularly participated in critical Ministry of Education policy inititiatives representing parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Rod holds teaching and social work qualifications. Whilst initially involved with other parents of children with Down syndrome in a voluntary support role the completion of his social work training saw him employed by the Auckland Area Health Board at Mangere Hospital .
As the process of de-institutionalisation commenced he led the multi-disciplinary team of clinicians supporting people with an intellectual disability in the Auckland region. This group was a part of the new AAHB Service for People with an Intellectual Disability.
Working productively for families with a member with a disability, or a child with special educational need has been an ongoing strand through Rod’s work in voluntary and formal sectors and in his role as a researcher and an academic.
Research and professional interest
- Families experiences of inclusive education.
- Nature of supportive relationships among parents and professionals where children have ASD.
- Implemenation of Special Education 2000 in secondary schools.
- Family support and training to develop family capacity and resilience.
- The articulation of systemic advocacy approaches into political lobbying.
Current teaching
- M Ed
- B Soc Sci (Hum Serv)
- B Ed (Tch)
- PIECE Diploma
Recent publications
Paper in conference proceedings
Wills, R. (2006). Finding the balance - Keynote Address. In, J. Taylor (Ed.) Rising to the challenge. Symposium monograph. Wellington: Tautoko Services.
Journal article
Wills, R. (2006). Special Education 2000: A New Zealand experiment. In, International Journal of Inclusive Education. Volume 10 Numbers 2-3 pp189-200.
Chapter in book
Wills, R. and Chenoweth, L (2005). Support or compliance ? In, P. O’Brien and M. Sullivan (Eds.), Allies in emancipation: Shifting from providing service to being of support. (pp 49-64) Melbourne: Thomson/Dunmore.
Conference presentations
Wills, R. and Perry, B. (2005). What Works For Us: The Parents’ Voice. Conference paper at ISEC 2005 Inclusive and Supportive Education Congress, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. August 2005. Oldham: Inclusive Technology.
Wills, R. and Nell, J. (2005). Support from school: Ongoing conversations.
Conference paper at ISEC 2005 Inclusive and Supportive Education Congress, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. August 2005. Oldham: Inclusive Technology.
