Rate My Professor Jill Duncan

Associate Professor Jill Duncan is the University Lead for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the School of Education, College of Human and Social Futures, at the University of Newcastle, Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Education from the University of Cincinnati, USA; a Master of Educational Management and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Western Australia. Duncan's research focuses on childhood deafness (30%), education policy, sociology, and philosophy (40%), and inclusive education (30%). She teaches inclusive education for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, auditory (re)habilitation, and special education. Her career includes roles as Head of Graduate Studies for Master of Special Education programs at Newcastle, Director of Professional Practice and Leadership Division at the Department of Education Victoria, and Executive Director of a centre for deaf children. She pioneered Australia's first videoconferencing program for remote deaf students and families, led reviews impacting thousands of students, secured significant funding, and supervised higher-degree research students. Duncan chairs the University EDI Committee and engages diverse stakeholders to advance inclusive practices.

Among her major awards are the Medal of the Order of Australia (2025), University of Newcastle and Faculty Excellence Awards for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (2020), and several international honors in deaf education, including International Program of the Year (2002) and International Professional of the Year (1998) from the Alexander Graham Bell Association. Key publications encompass books such as AUDITORY-VERBAL PRACTICE: Family-Centered Early Intervention (2017, with E.A. Rhoades), Auditory (Re)Habilitation for Adolescents with Hearing Loss: Theory and Practice (2014, with E.A. Rhoades and E.M. Fitzpatrick), and Auditory-Verbal Practice: Toward a Family-Centered Approach (2010, with E.A. Rhoades), alongside numerous chapters and articles on inclusive education, auditory-verbal therapy, and social capital for deaf adolescents. As Editor-in-Chief of Deafness & Education International and Chair of the NSW Women's Advisory Council, she significantly influences academic and policy landscapes in special and inclusive education.