Michael McCarthy: Advancing disability-inclusive education
Michael McCarthy ’24W (PhD) is advancing disability-inclusive education through research, advocacy, and AI-driven policy analysis.
McCarthy’s passion for education, inclusion, and social justice has driven his career as a researcher and advocate specializing in disability-inclusive education, social-emotional learning (SEL), and AI-driven policy analysis. His work focuses on advancing research and inclusive practices that support students with disabilities.
A graduate of the Warner School's teaching and curriculum doctoral program and now a postdoctoral associate at Yale University's Education Collaboratory, he has spent more than a decade exploring higher education access for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, social-emotional learning (SEL) for marginalized students, and inclusive K-12 practices worldwide. His coauthored SEL meta-analytic study was recognized among Edutopia's top 10 most significant education studies of 2023.
McCarthy’s passion for this work i
s deeply personal. As the older sibling of a woman with intellectual disabilities, he has witnessed firsthand the challenges families face in navigating political, economic, and social structures. At the same time, McCarthy has expressed that he has also been fortunate to experience the absolute joys that come with being a sibling to an individual with disabilities.
“The ways in which family members engage, communicate, and function with one another through this unique experience can play a direct role in how each family member socially and emotionally develops," McCarthy says. "Through these personal experiences, I realized that how a person develops is a highly contextualized and personal process that shapes our identities, which in turn influences how we socially and emotionally interact with the world around us. The perspectives that I have gained from my own experiences have led me to advocate for the idea that other people’s experiences, as well as their race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and cultural and familial upbringing, influence how they engage with and learn from SEL programs."
His scholarship is widely recognized, with his coauthored publications ranking among the most cited and downloaded in top academic journals. Currently, McCarthy is pioneering an AI-powered platform called Disability Discourse Matters that tracks and analyzes disability-related statements made by U.S. political leaders. The platform highlights how disability is framed in political discourse and AI’s role in advocacy.
McCarthy is committed to hands-on education and mentorship. He has led community-based initiatives, including a summer learning program for elementary and middle school students at a Boys & Girls Club in Connecticut.
Additionally, McCarthy has contributed to the work of the Center for Disability and Education throughout his time at the Warner School of Education and Human Development. Most recently, he co-led a scoping review on the state of inclusive higher education. His passion for inclusive higher education was seen throughout the process of reviewing ten years of literature, where he focused on the voices of students with an intellectual disability and their important contributions to college programs. His collaborations with the Center for Disability and Education and other inclusion initiatives continue to drive meaningful change in education and disability advocacy.