The University of Johannesburg (UJ) Soweto Campus has been hosting Dr. Shonda McLaughlin, an Independent Scholar and founder of The Vocational Rehab Academy LLC, for several months now, following her award of a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program grant in Vocational Rehabilitation Services/Disability Studies for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Dr. McLaughlin, who is a wheelchair user, is conducting her collaborative work while affiliated with UJ’s Department of Educational Psychology and the Centre for Neurodiversity.
Her work is driven by a profound personal and professional commitment to advancing dignity and opportunity for all. Having worked in vocational rehabilitation and disability services for over twenty years, she states, “As a professional and a person with a disability who uses a wheelchair, this work is both personal and purposeful.”
Dr. McLaughlin choice of UJ was directly inspired by South Africa’s history: “As an undergraduate, I once wrote a paper on apartheid and studied Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, which is one of the reasons I chose UJ. To now conduct this work in South Africa, where their fight for dignity and equality began, is humbling and surreal.”
The overarching aims of Dr. McLaughlin’s Fulbright Program are to build authentic relationships and raise awareness of the intersectionality of disability with economic and educational contributions. Her primary goal is to “build authentic relationships, those with shared purpose and values, that extend beyond my Fulbright experience here.”
She is planning several specific initiatives in collaboration with the Department of Educational Psychology and the Centre for Neurodiversity. These include Program Development, which will focus on exploring short-learning programs for students, educators, and employers to promote inclusive employment, particularly for individuals with autism spectrum disorders and Down Syndrome.
Additionally, the team is currently developing a departmental pilot program aimed at the employment of students and graduates with disabilities, with the long-term goal that it may become a campus-wide initiative. Finally, her work also encompasses Community Engagement, where she is actively guest lecturing and assisting in classes, stating, “Being in Soweto, I always think about leadership and advocacy due to its history.”
Dr. McLaughlin sees her work as a critical opportunity to shift global perspectives, emphasizing that people with disabilities are “capable of contributing economically, socially, and academically when access and equity exist.” She aims to use her visibility to inspire change: “Visibility matters, especially for people with disabilities. When we are seen participating fully in classrooms, communities, and leadership spaces it helps dismantle stigma and may, hopefully, inspire the next generation of youth with disabilities and their families.”
Ultimately, she hopes to demonstrate that employing people with disabilities; “should be natural, not exceptional,” reinforcing UJ’s mission of transformation and inclusion.
The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State and is implemented by the Institute of International Education. Since 1946, the program has fostered international exchange, with over 800 individuals conducting research or teaching abroad annually. Fulbrighters like Dr. McLaughlin engage in cutting-edge research, expand professional networks, and share their international insights upon their return.
