Paul Wehman, Ph.D.

Education

• Ph.D. in behavioral disabilities/rehabilitation psychology, University of Wisconsin
• M.S. in general/experimental psychology, Illinois State University
• B.B.A. in business administration, Western Illinois University

Research interests

Transition from school to adulthood, brain injury, autism, supported employment, educational policy in special education, disability policy, assistive technology, Internet applications for people with disabilities, employment and public policy for people with traumatic brain injury, physical handicaps and developmental disabilities

Career highlights

• Received the 2014 Princeton Lecture Series Fellowship from Eden Autism Services
• Received the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation International Award in Mental Retardation
• Selected as a Mary Switzer Fellow by the National Rehabilitation Association in 1985
• Earned the Distinguished Service Award from the President’s Committee on Employment for Persons with Disabilities in 1992, and the VCU Distinguished Service Award in 2001

Recent publications/projects

• Schall, C., Wehman, P., Brooke, V., Graham, C., McDonough, J., Brooke, & Allen, J. (2015). Employment interventions for individuals with ASD: The relative efficacy of supported employment with or without prior Project SEARCH training. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Advance online publication. doi:10.1007/s10803-015-2426-5.
• Wehman, P., Sima, A., Ketchum, J. M., West, M. D., Chan, F., & Luecking, R. (2014). Predictors of successful transition from school to employment for youth with disabilities. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. Advance online publication. doi:10:1007/s10926-014-9541-6.
• Sima, A., Wehman, P., Chan, F., & Luecking, R. (2014). An evaluation of at-risk factors related to employment outcomes for youth with disabilities. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals. Advance online publication. doi:10.1177/2165143414534887.

Bio

Paul Wehman, Ph.D. has been a tenured faculty member with Virginia Commonwealth University since 1980. Originally with the VCU School of Education, he moved to a joint appointment with School of Education and the School of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. His primary appointment currently is with the School of Education, Counseling and Special Education and his secondary appointment is with School of Medicine, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. His highly interdisciplinary background and pioneering work in the beginning of supported employment has facilitated millions of persons with neurodevelopmental disabilities, brain injury and spinal cord injury in countries all over the world to gain and retain competitive employment.  As Director of the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center and Director of the VCU Autism Center for Excellence, he has written extensively on issues related to transition from school to adulthood and special education as it relates to young adulthood and employment and is founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation. Dr. Wehman has been the recipient of numerous awards, most recently the 2018 VCU Distinguished Scholarship Award,  the 2017 Leader of the Year Award from the Virginia Division of Career Development and Transition. He’s been the Principal Investigator on more than $80 million worth of federal grants since joining VCU.

Curriculum Vitae