Rosa Dene David (she/her), known to many as Rosie, is a PhD candidate in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of British Columbia. Her interdisciplinary research lies at the intersections of the neurodiversity paradigm, applied linguistics, and critical disability studies. Originally from Washington State, Rosie is a first-generation scholar whose lived experiences deeply inform her academic and professional pursuits.

Rosie’s educational journey began at Portland State University, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies and a Master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Her dedication to fostering equity and inclusion in education has led her to live, work, and teach across the Global South, including in Colombia and Mexico. During this time, she collaborated with the U.S. Department of State’s English Language Programs to support educators and develop inclusive resources for English language learners.

Rosie’s research examines how ableist and normative frameworks marginalize neurodivergent and Mad learners who use English as an Additional Language (EAL), focusing on their educational experiences in post-secondary contexts. Her work challenges the pathologization of neurodivergence and madness in additional language learning, reframing these experiences as diverse, valuable, and deserving of recognition. Guided by critical disability studies, crip studies, and mad studies, her research interrogates the intersections of neurodivergence, language, race, gender, and socio-economic status, while centering equity-driven and student-centered approaches to teaching and learning.

Rosie’s contributions to the field extend beyond research. She has served as Chair of the Supporting Students with Disabilities Interest Section for TESOL International and as the Associate Editor for the Latin American Content and Language Integrated Learning Journal. Her scholarly work has been published in leading journals, including the Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, and she has authored chapters in edited volumes published by Cambridge University Press and Routledge.

Through her research and advocacy, Rosie seeks to advance conversations about neurodiversity, critical disability studies, decolonization, and inclusive education. She remains committed to creating a kinder, more equitable education system that celebrates diversity, amplifies voices from the Global South, and resists pathologization in all its forms.