Prof. Dr. Phil. Gregor Renner

Inclusive education and augmentative and alternative communication  

Office hours

ILIAS 

Professional career

• Since 2022: Head of the BA Program in Inclusive Education (Heilpädagogik) at the Catholic University of Applied Sciences Freiburg
• Since 2021: Member of the Baden-Württemberg Center of Applied Research BW-CAR – a cross-university network for professors at universities of applied sciences with strong research credentials 
• Since 2017: Spokesperson for the scientific advisory board of the Gesellschaft für Unterstützte Kommunikation e.V. (Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication); member since 2015
• Since 2015 Spokesperson for the research area, "Education - Socialization - In-clusion", at the Catholic University of Applied Sciences Freiburg
• 2015-2018: President of the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC); designated president from 2014 - 2015
• Until 2013: Vice-Chair of the Research Committee of the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC).
• 2011 – 2015: Head of the BA Program in Inclusive Education (Heilpädagogik) at the Catholic University of Applied Sciences Freiburg
• 2008: Appointment as Professor of Special Education and Augmentative and Al-ternative Communication at the KH Freiburg
• 2007: Research Associate at the Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, In-stitute for Rehabilitation Education, Department of Education for the Physically Handicapped
• 2005 - 2007: Research Associate at the Humboldt University of Berlin, Institute for Rehabilitation Sciences, Dept. of Rehabilitation Technology and Computer Science
• 2004 PhD (Dr. phil.) with the thesis, "Erziehungswissenschaftliche Aufgabenstel-lungen der AAC aus der Perspektive der gesellschaftlichen Partizipation von Menschen ohne Lautsprache – Eine theoretische Grundlegung der AAC" (Educa-tional tasks in AAC from the perspective of social participation of people with-out spoken language - a theoretical foundation of AAC) – with honours
• Since 1995: Provider of consulting services for communication aids and AAC
• 1995: Graduation with First State Examination (Germany) for the office of the Board of Studies with one vocational specialization (communications technology) and two special education specializations (learning and behaviour)
• 1991 – 1994: Provider of communication aids

Work and research focus

My research interest centres on the equal participation and inclusion of people with disabilities. According to the WHO (2001) and the UN (2006), disability is to be understood as an interaction between individual limitation and social con-textual factors. 

The focal points of my research include:

• People with communicative impairment due to physical and/or intellectual disability and the potential for augmentative and alternative communication. Here, I investi-gate how complementary and alternative forms, instruments, and formats of com-munication (including facial expressions, gestures, gaze, sounds, writing, pictorial signs, communication boards and folders as well as other technical communication aids) are capable of compensating for communication impairments and thus increas-ing participation. Of particular interest is:
  • The number of people with a need for augmentative and alternative communica-tion and the extent to which this need is met 
  • The teaching-learning processes required by people using AAC – including their communication partners – as a function of the means of communication and the users and their communication partners, with a view to optimally teaching the rel-evant competencies 
  • The diagnostic and assessment instruments and their suitability for the develop-ment of care recommendations
• The equal participation of people with disabilities – as stipulated in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN 2006). Here, I inves-tigate important areas of daily living according to the "International Classifi-cation of Functioning, Disability and Health - ICF (WHO 2001), especially with respect to participation
  • In vocational training and in working life including the appropriate support services for people with high support needs
  • In lived spaces and leisure activities, in particular through the use of per-sonal and technical assistance 
  • in school and pre-vocational education
• The use of assistive technology to compensate for disabilities, reduce barriers and increase participation in different areas of life, in particular with respect to: 
  • communication aids 
  • the use of the Internet and digital technologies

The following represent further focal points of my engagement: 

• 2004 to 2014: Vice-Chair of the Research Committee of the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC). 
• 2015 to 2018: President of the ISAAC
• since 2015: Member of the scientific advisory board of the Society for Augmenta-tive and Alternative Communication (ISAAC)
• since 2017: Spokesperson of the ISAAC.

Since 2021, I have been a member of the Baden-Württemberg Center of Applied Research BW-CAR (https://hochschulen-bw.de/forschung/forschungsschwerpunkt-mig) – a cross-university network for professors at universities of applied sciences with strong research credentials

Cooperations

• Australia, Deakin University, Victoria, Prof. Dr. Sue Balandin
• Brazil, Federal University of São Carlos, Prof. Dr. Maria Amelia Almeida
• Brazil, Paraíba Federal University, Prof. Dr. Munique Massaro
• Brazil, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Leila Nunes
• Brazil, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Prof. Dr. Catia Walter
• Brazil,State University of Sao Paulo, Prof. Dr. Débora Deliberato
• Canada, Queen’s University, Prof. Dr. Beata Batorowicz
• Finland, Helsinki University, Prof. Dr. Kirsi Neuvonen
• Finland, University of Helsinki, Prof. Dr. Kaisa Launonen
• Germany, Hochschule Furtwangen, Fakultät Gesundheit, Sicherheit, Gesellschaft, Prof. Dr. Christophe Kunze
• Germany, Hochschule Karlsruhe, Fakultät für Informatik und Wirtschaftsinformatik, Prof. Dr. Wölfel
• Germany, Technische Universität Dortmund, Prof. Dr. Christian Bühler, Leevke Wilkens
• Ireland, Trinity College, Dublin, Prof. Dr. Martine Smith
• New Zealand,Massey University, Auckland,  Prof. Dr. Sally Clendon
• Norway, University of Oslo, Prof. Dr. Kristine Stadskleiv
• Norway, University of Oslo, Prof. Dr. Stephen von Tetzchner
• Portugal, Instituto Politecnico de Portalegre, Prof. Dr. Elisabete Mendes
• Spain, University of Barcelona, Prof. Dr. Carmen Basil
• Sweden, Gothenburg University, Prof. Dr. Annika Dahlgren Sandberg
• Sweden, Uppsala University, Prof. Dr. Margareta Jennische
• Switzerland, Hochschule für Heilpädagogik Zürich, Prof. Dr. Ingo Bosse
• Taiwan, National Dong Hwa University, Prof. Dr. Chih-Kang Yang
• The Netherlands, Radboud University, Prof. Dr. Hans van Balkom
• United Kingdom, Manchester Metropolitan University, Prof. Dr.  Janice Murray
• USA, San Francisco State University, Prof. Dr. Gloria Soto
• USA, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Prof. Dr. Judith Oxley

Teaching and research focus

With respect to the equal participation and inclusion of people with disabilities. According to the WHO (2001) and the UN (2006), disability is to be understood as an interaction between individual limitation and social contextual factors. The focal points of my research are: 

• people with communicative impairment due to physical and/or intellectu-al disability and the potential for augmentative and alternative communi-cation (AAC) 
• participation in important areas of life such as work, education, housing, and leisure activities
• the use of assistive technology and assistive devices.