College of Education and Human Development

Instructional Technology Program

Michael Behrmann

Ed.D., Columbia University
Professor
Director, Helen A. Kellar Institute for Human disAbilities
Coordinator, Special Education
Principal Investigator, Region 4 Training and Technical Assistance Center

Contact Information

Send email to mbehrman@gmu.edu

Phone: (703) 993-3670
Fax: (703)993-3681

George Mason University, Fairfax Campus
Krug Hall 110A
4400 University Dr.
MS 1F2
Fairfax, VA 22030

Profile

Dr. Michael M. Behrmann is a local, state, and national leader/innovator in special education. He has devoted 35 years to improving services and personnel preparation in the field of special education  with his innovative work in teaching, research and service. He believes in collaborative research/training enhanced by technology. An early adopter of microcomputer technology, his pioneering pursuits are known worldwide. He wrote two of the first books on assistive and instructional technology. His over 80 publications and 250 presentations span nearly three decades. Since 1979 at George Mason University (GMU), he has secured over $40 million in external grants and contracts, $11 million in revenue-based projects, and $3.5 million in gifts for special education to the university. In 2007 he recieved the ARC lifetime achievment award. In 2008 he was awarded the Council for Exceptional Children’s (CEC) J. Wallace Wallin Lifetime Achievement Award as well as the Technology and Media Divison Leadership Award. In 2009 Dr.Behrmann was honored with the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV) Outstanding Faculty Award for Teaching with Technology.

Dr. Behrmann received his Ed.D. in Special Education from Teachers College, Columbia University in 1978. As part of his post doctoral activities, Dr. Behrmann was a participant in the Professional Leadership Program on assignment to the Governmental Relations Unit of the American Educational Research Association. In 1979, he came to George Mason University's Special Education Programs as Coordinator of the Graduate program in Severely Multi- Handicapped. He began his research with assistive technology in special education in 1981 and designed and implemented a masters degree program in Assistive/Special Education Technology in 1986, followed by a doctoral program in Assistive/Special Education Technology. In 1998 he implemented a 15 credit Assistive Technology Certificate Program. Dr. Behrmann was also a charter member for CEC's Technology and Media Division (TAM).

He is currently the Helen A. Kellar Professor of Special Education in the Graduate School of Education and the coordinator of the special education programs.  He is the Director of the Helen A. Kellar Institute for Human disAbilities(KIHd), with over 90 funded faculty and staff of which over 15 percent of the full time employees have disabilities. Current professional activities include the directorship of a state funded training and technical assistance center (TTAC) for Superintendent's Region 4 of Virginia; a technical assistance project in the Department of Rehabilitation's Northern Region for the Virginia Assistive Technology System (VATS); two state grants to prepare teachers in the area of mild disabilities and severe disabilities. He is also continuing to develop the Kellar Instructional Handheld System, a browser based wireless data collection system for collecting and automatically charting frequency, duration, accuracy and fluency data by teachers for children with disabilities. He is also working on a state funded web based professional development site, TTACOnline.org to expand the capacity of VADOE's regional TTACS to online services.

Dr. Behrmann also has advanced collaborative intra-university and intra-agency projects across Virginia and that have reached thousands of professionals.  He uniquely prepares teachers in severe disabilities and vision impairments. Through a state funded collaboration in distance education, advanced technology helps deliver a common curriculum to students at 6 state universities and at home.  His cohort preparation project is carried out with local schools in DC and Northern Virginia. GMU faculty deliver masters/licensure courses in public school settings to teachers and instructional assistants. There are 22 cohorts serving some 500 students. With VDOE, he recently established the Accessible Instructional Materials –VA library {NIMAS} at GMU. This promotes universally designed instruction and insures that any qualified student in Virginia can have no-cost accessible media for learning.

Research Interests

  • Assistive technology
  • Instructional design
  • Universal Design for Learning
  • Inclusion
  • Distance Education

Recent Publications

  • Jerome, M. K., Neuber, K., Stegall, B., Evmenova, A., & Behrmann, M. (2007). Technology for integration of students with disabilities in higher education. In S. Helal, M. Mokhtari, & B. Abdulravak (Eds.), Technology for aging, disability, and independence: Computer and engineering for design and applications. Indianapolis, IN: John Wiley & Sons.
  • Jeffs, T., Behrmann, M., & Bannan-Ritland-B. (2006, Winter) Assistive technology and literacy difficulties: Reflections of parents and children. Journal of Special Education Technology, 21, 1.
  • Schaff, J.I., Jerome, M.K., Behrmann, M.M.,& Sprague, D. (2005). Science in special education: Emerging Technologies. In D. Edyburn, K. Higgins, & R. Boone (Eds.). Handbook of special education technology research and practice (pp. 643-661). Whitefish Bay, WI: Knowledge by Design.
    • Schaff, J., Ok, S., Bannan-Ritland, B., & Behrmann, M. (2005). Electronic Performance Support Systems. In D. Edyburn, K. Higgins, & R. Boone (Eds.). Handbook of special education technology research and practice (pp. 493-506). Whitefish Bay, WI: Knowledge by Design.
  • Wang, S. (with Behrmann, M.). (2003, August). A Dynamic Visual Search Engine for Database-Driven Web Contents. Proceedings of the 7th IASTED International Conference.
  • Behrmann, M., Schaff, J. (2001). Assisting Educators with Assistive Technology: Enabling Children to Achieve Independence in Learning and Living. Children and Families, Summer 2001.
  • Sprague, D., Behrmann, M. (2001). Zoning in on Physics: Creating Virtual Reality Environments to Aid Students with Learning Disabilities. In Scruggs, T.E., Mastropieri, M.A. (Eds.), Advances in learning and behavioral disabilities (vol. 15). Stamford, CT: JAI.
  • Castellani, J., Behrmann, M. (2001). An Exploration of Systems Thinking, Teacher Choice, and Requirements for Implementing Technology into Classrooms for Students with Emotional and Learning Disabilities. In Scruggs, T.E., Mastropieri, M.A. (Eds.), Advances in learning and behavioral disabilities (vol. 15). Stamford, CT: JAI.
  • Behrmann, M., Goor, M., Bannan-Ritland, B. (2000). Electronic Portfolios as a Precursor to Electronic Dissertations, The 3rd Annual Symposium on Electronic Theses and Disssertations: Applying New Media to Scholarship, St. Petersburg, FL.
  • Bannan-Ritland, B., Egerton, E., Page, J., & Behrmann, M. (2000, July). Literacy explorer: A performance support tool for novice reading facilitators. Performance Improvement, 39 (4), 47-54.
  • Behrmann, M., Castellani, J., Jeffs, T., Takemoto, C. (2000) Literacy Access Online: An exploration of technology use among literacy facilitators and middle school children with disabilities, The 9th Symposium on Literacy and Disabilities, Cary, NC
  • Behrmann, M. (1998). Assistive technology for young children in special education. In Chris Dede (Ed.), Learning with Technology (pp. 73-93). The association for supervision and curriculum development.
  • Schepis, M., Reid, D., Behrmann, M., & Sutton, K. (1998, Winter). Increasing communicative interactions of young children with autism using a voice output communication aid and naturalistic teaching. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 31 (4), 561-578.
  • Garrett, J., Thorp, E., Behrmann, M., & Denham, S. (1998, Fall). The impact of early intervention legislation: Local perceptions. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 18 (3), 183-190.

Dr. Behrmann's publishing activities include authoring or editing several books, and numerous articles in professional journals, as well as presentations made at a variety of international, national, state and local conferences.

  • Edited, (1984). Handbook of microcomputers in special education, by College Hill Press
  • Edited, (1988). Integrating computers into the curriculum: A handbook for special educators, by College Hill Press
  • Author, (1994). Assistive technology and students with mild disabilities. In Intervention in School and Clinic.
  • Author ( with M. Schepis), (1994). Assistive technology assessment: A multiple case study review of three approaches with students with physical disabilities during the transition from school to work. In Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation.
  • Author, (1989). Technology and employment: The need for trained professional personnel.
  • Author of book chapter, (1995). Personnel training. In Assistive Technology: The Future is Now.
  • Author of book chapter, written with L. Lahm, (1994). Technology applications in early childhood education. In Young Children in the Technological Age.
  • Author of a book chapter, (1998). Assistive technology for young children in special education. In Chris Dede (Ed.), Learning with Technology (pp. 73 - 93). Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
  • Author of a book chapter, (1995). Assistive technology training. In Karen Flippo, Katherine Ingle, & J. Michael Barcus (Eds.), Assistive technology: A resource for school, work, and community (pp. 211 - 222). Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company.
  • Wallace, J., Flippo, K., Barcus, M., & Behrmann, M. (1995). Legislative foundation of assistive technology policy in the United States.
  • Author of a book chapter, (1995). In Karen Flippo, Katherine Ingle, & J. Michael Barcus (Eds.), Assistive Technology: A resource for school, work, and community (pp. 3 - 21). Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company.

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