About

Hailey Love is an Associate Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She earned her PhD in Special Education with a focus on early childhood from the University of Kansas in 2018. Her scholarship aims to advance justice-driven inclusive education for young children with disabilities, particularly multiply-marginalized children with disabilities. Her research includes projects on inclusive and culturally-sustaining practices, teacher preparation and professional development, and family-professional partnerships with families of Color. Dr. Love also examines applications of mixed methods inquiry within early childhood and special education research.

Research topics

• Sociology
• Social Science
• Computer Science
• Psychology
• Political Science
• Pedagogy
• Machine Learning
• Mathematics education
• Gender studies
• Management science
• Engineering
• Social psychology
• Data science
• Law
• Medicine
• Medical education
• Developmental psychology

Selected publications

• Occupational Therapy for Excess Body Weight in Primary Care Settings

  OTJR Occupational Therapy Journal of Research · 2026-02-23

  article

  Occupational therapy offers a holistic perspective regarding weight management. This study characterized occupational therapy’s current role in preventive care for adult primary care patients with excess body weight (EBW). This exploratory sequential mixed methods design used semi-structured interviews ( N = 27) with primary care occupational therapists exploring experiences working with patients with EBW. Interview findings guided development of a survey exploring unanswered interview questions ( N = 62). A joint display compared the two data sources. Interviews demonstrated that occupational therapists (1) promote patient-led conversations surrounding weight, (2) focus on meaningful health-promoting activities versus weight loss, and (3) assess subjective participation change versus changes in body composition. Within the surveys, 50% reported avoiding the word “weight.” Seventy-seven percent reported addressing meaningful participation in health management activities to support weight management. Occupational therapy demonstrates a unique and holistic approach to weight management that could support more respectful approaches to this topic.

  PublisherDOI

• Group exercise and disability: perceptions of instructors toward participation in group exercise for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

  Disability and Rehabilitation · 2026-01-06

  article

  PURPOSE: Group exercise provides many benefits, yet adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are often excluded from participation. As group exercise instructors play a significant role in GE participation, this study sought to gain a better understanding of their perceptions toward the participation of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to support the development of more accessible and inclusive community group exercise opportunities. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were completed with twenty participants aged 21-62 who were actively teaching group exercise classes. Participants shared their perceptions of intellectual and developmental disability concerning group exercise participation. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Three themes were derived from the interviews: Beliefs surrounding modifications, perceived instructor roles, and self-efficacy in teaching adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. CONCLUSIONS: Instructors emphasized the importance of modifications but expressed mixed self-efficacy in applying these modifications effectively. Further exploration is needed surrounding instructor self-efficacy.

  PublisherDOI

• Revealing and resisting ableism in the deficit positioning of families

  Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood · 2025-11-24

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Identifying Intersectional Injustice in Teaching and Teacher Supports While Harnessing Research-to-Practice Partnerships for Repair

  2025-01-01

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Identifying and Dismantling Racism and Ableism in Early Educator Professional Development

  2025-01-01

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Centering the knowledge of disabled parents to move towards disability-affirming family–professional partnerships

  Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood · 2025-11-19

  articleSenior author

  Family–professional partnerships are critical for educational practice and other service provisions that support young children and their families. Yet disabled parents and caregivers face ableism in a variety of ways as they partner with professionals to care for and support the education of their young children. Moreover, they can have unique priorities, strengths, and support needs that often go unacknowledged or are dismissed by professionals. In this conceptual article, the authors apply a disability studies in education lens to discuss how disabled parents have described their experiences working with professionals in a variety of disciplines, how they resist the ableism embedded in the ways professionals work with them and their families, and their desires and priorities for the services provided to them and their children. The authors discuss this literature and its implications to put forth recommendations for disability-affirming family–professional partnership that combats ableism and centers the desires and resistance of disabled parents.

  PublisherDOI

• “So That I May Hope to Honor You”: Centering Wholeness, Agency, and Brilliance in Qualitative Research With Multiply Marginalized Young Children

  Educational Researcher · 2024-03-12 · 15 citations

  articleSenior author

  Scholars of early childhood education have urged qualitative researchers to adapt their methods for use with young children. However, unjust social imaginations of childhood (e.g., who is considered a “child”) play out in qualitative research, particularly for young children who are made most vulnerable by intersecting oppressions (e.g., racism, linguicism, ableism). Extending Morrison’s metaphor of “the white gaze,” we argue that qualitative research is often framed through an “adult gaze,” which presumes children’s worth in terms of who they will ultimately become and differentially imagines who is considered a child in the present. Informed by theoretical understandings from the fields of critical childhood studies and early literacy studies, we consider how qualitative researchers might disrupt the adult gaze and honor multiply marginalized children by centering their wholeness, orienting toward their agency, and creating space for their brilliance.

  PublisherDOI

• Individuals With Extensive Support Needs and Mixed Methods Research: A Systematic Literature Review Across Education Subfields

  Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities · 2024-11-07 · 2 citations

  article

  Mixed methods research (MMR) can support enhanced understanding of complex educational issues, like the inclusion and support of individuals with disabilities in community and school settings. In this systematic review, we explored the extent to which MMR has been used in research exclusively focused on disability across special education (SPED), general education (GE), and disability studies in education (DSE; n = 115 studies). We examined research explicitly considering individuals with extensive support needs (ESNs) in this literature. We highlight the prevalence of MMR exploring topics relevant to individuals with ESN and features of this body of work, including (a) participants in these studies, (b) the presence of theoretical and/or conceptual framing for the research, (c) the goals/aims of the research studies, (d) the purposes for mixing, and (e) the data-generation methods used by the authors. We discuss patterns in the data that reflect differences across subfields, presumptions of competence, and ways ableism shapes research studies. Implications for research and practice to improve inclusive experiences for individuals with ESN are discussed.

  PublisherDOI

• Dismantling Racism and Ableism Through Professional Development: A Critical Curriculum Analysis

  2024-01-01

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Putting the “Mix” in Mixed Methods: How to Integrate Quantitative and Qualitative Research in Early Childhood Special Education Research

  Topics in Early Childhood Special Education · 2023-09-21 · 9 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Mixed methods research (MMR) has the potential to be a powerful tool to expand the ways early intervention/early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) scholarship understands and informs practice. Integration, or the purposeful combination of quantitative and qualitative research approaches, is central for rigorous MMR. However, it can be challenging to identify and enact integration because integration processes and procedures can vary greatly depending on a study’s purpose(s), design, and underlying philosophical assumptions and priorities. In this article, we offer guidance on ways EI/ECSE researchers can engage in meaningful and purposeful integration. We highlight three critical decision-making points: integration dimension or type, integration timing, and relative emphasis of methods when integrating. Additionally, we discuss related considerations to particularly ensure strong qualitative designs and integration within MMR.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Jennifer A. Kurth

  University of Kansas

  13 shared

• Amanda L. Miller

  Wayne State University

  11 shared

• Alison L. Zagona

  University of Kansas

  11 shared

• Melinda R. Snodgrass

  Illinois State University

  5 shared

• Margaret R. Beneke

  University of Washington

  5 shared

• Catherine Corr

  4 shared

• Carly A. Roberts

  Seattle University

  3 shared

• Zhe Gigi An

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  3 shared

Labs

• Rehabilitation Psychology and Special EducationPI

Education

• Ph.D., Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  2005

• M.S., Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  2002

• B.A., Psychology

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  1999

Awards & honors

• Center for Research on Early Childhood Education (CRECE) Fel…
• Judy Tate Outstanding Doctoral Student Award, Department of…
• Doctoral Student Scholar, Council for Exceptional Children (…
• Leadership Preparation Fellowship, Global Learning Opportuni…
• DEC Diversity Council (VOICES) Recommended Session, Division…