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Dr. Phillip Weishaar, associate professor in Special Education and Communication Disorders at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, was named last month as a Fulbright Specialist Reviewer.

His responsibility includes evaluating applications of those seeking to become a Fulbright Specialist Scholar in the area of special education. The Specialist program awards grants to U.S. faculty in several disciplines to work collaboratively on short-term projects at international institutions and to promote long-term relationships between institutions.

In his work as a peer-reviewer, Weishaar will electronically review applicants for the Fulbright Specialist Roster based on the merits of their post-doctoral teaching and professional experience in the discipline.

From May 22-June 13, 2014, Weishaar was granted a Fulbright Specialist award to teach at Northwest Normal University in Lanzhou, China. Northwest Normal University is a partner with SIUE, where visiting scholars participate in the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior’s International Training Program in Pedagogy.

As a Fulbright Specialist, Weishaar said he shared his field of expertise with colleagues overseas, who are looking to help improve conditions of those with disabilities.

“My role included educating undergraduate students at Northwest Normal University on the foundations of special education law,” Weishaar said. “China seems to be in the same place as the U.S. was in the 1960s concerning educating students with disabilities. Students with disabilities in northwest China are not typically educated in general education public schools, but are educated in separate specialized schools.

I was very well received, because China is very much interested in improving the education and lives of people with disabilities. Training excellent special education teachers is important to Northwest Normal University.”

Weishaar said he ended up in China, in part, because of the relationship he developed with a Chinese colleague, Guojun Zhao, a visiting professor who participated in the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior’s International Training Program in Pedagogy in 2012 at SIUE.

Guojun was an observer in Weishaar’s class and both shared common interests about the education of students with disabilities. Then, in 2013, Weishaar traveled to Northwest Normal University with the School of Education Dean and Leadership Team from the International Training Program in Pedagogy.

“It’s very competitive to be awarded a Fulbright Specialist grant. I feel very fortunate,” Weishaar said. “It’s an honor, but I don’t think I’m special, I think the work I do for special education is special.”

Weishaar’s wife is also a Fulbright Scholar. Dr. Mary Weishaar, associate dean of the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior, spent a semester in Ukraine in 2002.

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. Department of State's flagship international education and exchange program and was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by then-Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. It was created to promote mutual understanding among people across the globe in hopes of fostering peace.

“I am an advocate for children with disabilities,” Weishaar said. “For me, advocating for people who have disabilities is about supporting those who often don’t have a voice and are treated unfairly. I’m also a member of the NAACP and Safe Zone. I have a passion for helping people who have experienced discrimination.”

The SIUE School of Education, Health and Human Behavior prepares students in a wide range of fields including community health education, exercise science, instructional technology, psychology, speech-language pathology and audiology, administration and teaching. Faculty members engage in leading-edge research, which enhances teaching and enriches the educational experience. The School supports the community through on-campus clinics, outreach to children and families, and a focused commitment to enhancing individual lives across the region.