Bio

Professional Summary

Danielle Maya Pratt, PhD is an educator, program director, and accessibility advocate at the University of Central Florida. Her work focuses on disability inclusion, Universal Design for Learning, the student experience, and practical approaches to teaching with AI. She studies how AI can support learning, confidence, and agency for both students and faculty, and she presents widely on human-centered approaches to AI in education.

Danielle is interested in how people learn, connect, and build confidence. Her work explores ways to create more inclusive and engaging learning experiences while helping students and faculty make thoughtful use of emerging technologies.

Background and Experience

Dr. Danielle Maya Pratt (formerly Eadens) serves as an Associate Lecturer & Academic Program Director in Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS). Dr. Danielle Pratt joined the Interdisciplinary Studies faculty at the University of Central Florida in Fall 2019, where she now teaches in the Integrative General Studies, Interdisciplinary Studies, and Leadership programs. Since at UCF, she won the prestigious University Professional Service Award (2023), the CUGS Faculty of the Year award (2024), and the Zeitgeist Award (2025). More recently, Danielle has presented widely on practical approaches to teaching with AI and served as an expert reviewer for GPTZero's AI Reviewer Initiative, contributing feedback on AI-supported tools designed for educators. Her current research is focused around Changing and Exploring Interdisciplinary Paradigms in Education, including Relational Humanity, Social Justice, Disability Perceptions, and Artificial Intelligence. Her current work explores interdisciplinary approaches to disability inclusion, Universal Design for Learning, student success, and artificial intelligence in education. She is particularly interested in how thoughtful design and emerging technologies can support learning, agency, belonging, and access.

She holds a teaching license from the Florida Department of Education in Exceptional Student Education (ESE) K-12, Elementary Education K-6, and Journalism (6-12) and an ADA coordinator certification from ACTCP. In the local community, she has been actively involved in youth development and service initiatives, including teaching and mentoring youth and serving as a foster parent in Arizona and Florida for over seven years. 

Until July 2019, Dr. Danielle Pratt was a Professor of Practice at Northern Arizona University. At NAU, she served as the coordinator of the dual major (Special Education & Elementary Education) Praxis program, was a director on the Commission on Disability Access and Design committee, as a member and former co-chair of the College of Education's International Student Teaching Committee, the Doctoral Admissions & Doctoral Steering committees and as a member on doctoral dissertation committees. In addition to working on college and University initiatives, she worked with the Flagstaff Unified School District and local charter schools in the Praxis partnership program, was an elected Board Member of Northland Preparatory Academy, and volunteered her time to work with students, parents, and teachers at another local charter school. She volunteered alongside her children in the community with a local special needs ministry and formerly at Second Chance for Animals. 

Prior to NAU, Danielle Pratt served as a Professor in the Exceptional Student Education program at St. Petersburg College for nine and a half years  (2004-2013). During her tenure there, Dr. Eadens worked on two grant-funded projects from the Florida Department of Education building autism courses and Exceptional Student Education courses for alternative certification for secondary content teachers.  Her research focus is on changing paradigms. Dr. Pratt's past research has focused on the use of whole brain teaching techniques for Visual Spatial Learners, technology in instruction, sensory processing disorders, and the perceptions of teachers and parents on the education of students with autism. While in Florida, she was on the board of an arts charter school and volunteered her time to work with the Principal, faculty of the school, parents, and by working directly with the students and won the title of highest recency rate for any professor in the College of Education.  For Pinellas County Schools, she served on the ESE advisory board and also as a surrogate parent for ESE students in foster care, serving that role in IEP meetings for students who have no one to represent them.

Dr. Pratt's undergraduate work was in Mass Communications from USF. At NAU, she completed a Masters in Educational Technology. Her graduate work from USF includes a Masters in Special Education, specializing in Varying Exceptionalities and a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction, studying Interdisciplinary Education (foci: Special Education, Criminology, & Mass Communications). Dr. Pratt's dissertation study focused on the perspectives of police officers regarding disabilities, specifically intellectual disability (aka mental retardation).  Her primary teaching experience is in the secondary inclusion setting as well as instructing students with moderate intellectual disabilities in a Supported Varying Exceptionalities classroom. While working for Pinellas County Schools, she was involved in Special Olympics, technology training and instruction, the Council for Exceptional Students, instructing journalism/yearbook and was a multiple-year grant winner.