April Regester

April Regester is an Associate Professor of Inclusive Education at UMSL, and serves as the Department Chair for Educator Preparation & Leadership (EPL). Prior leadership positions include Associate Chair (EPL) and Director of Faculty Support & Engagement for the College of Education. April received her Ph.D. in Special Education, Disabilities & Risk Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2009.

April’s research interests include friendship development and peer supports for individuals of all abilities, inclusive education teacher preparation, and postsecondary education programs for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She established the Missouri Peer Supports Project in 2011, which was piloted in three Missouri high schools to help support inclusive education, extra-curricular activities, and social opportunities on each campus. The project evaluated academic and social outcomes for all participants with and without disabilities.

April also helped to establish UMSL Succeed, an inclusive residential post-secondary education program for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Succeed accepted the first cohort of students for the Fall semester of 2013 and was awarded a five-year, 2.1 million Department of Education grant focused on expanding the program and supporting awareness of inclusive higher education opportunities in the state in 2020.