Michael S Jeffress
Michael S. Jeffress (Ph.D., Regent University) is a full professor and school counselor at Medical University of the Americans in Nevis, West Indies. He has been involved in disability advocacy work since the late 1990s, after his son Ryan was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. He has authored one title and edited three others in Routledge's Interdisciplinary Disability Studies Series.
Biography
Dr. Michael Jeffress earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in religion and philosophy before earning his Ph.D. in Communication Studies. After spending over 15 years as an executive in the non-profit sector, he transitioned to academia in 2008. He served as an adjunct faculty member for several colleges and as an assistant professor and faculty senate president at Nicholls State University, a lecturer in communication studies at The University of the West Indies, an associate professor of communication studies at Tennessee State University, and currently a full professor at Medical University of the Americas in St. Kitts and Nevis.Michael is the author of "Communication, Sport and Disability: The Case of Power Soccer" and editor of "Pedgagogy, Disability and Communication: Applying Disability Studies in the Classroom." Both titles are published in Routledge's Interdisciplinary Disability Studies Series. He focuses his research and writing primarily on issues related to equality and social justice and conducts workshops on communication for schools, businesses and other organizations. He is thoroughly enjoying life in the Caribbean with his wife, their dog and cat, and their two daughters and three grandchildren, whenever they can visit.
Education
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Ph.D. in Communication Studies, Regent University, 2013
Areas of Research / Professional Expertise
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Disability Studies, Adapted Sport, Pedagogy, Organizational Communication, Health Communication, Interpersonal Communication, Public Speaking
Personal Interests
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Family, pets, music, beachcombing
Websites
Books
Articles
Disability framing in a Caribbean University newspaper
Published: Mar 01, 2019 by Tout Moun: The Caribbean Journal of Cultural Studies
Authors: Michael S. Jeffress
Subjects:
Media and Cultural Studies, Health and Social Care
A content analysis of disability representation in The UWI Today, a campus newspaper of The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad
Women of Power Soccer: Exploring Disability and Gender in the First Competitive Team Sport for Powerchair User
Published: Jan 17, 2018 by Sport in Society
Authors: Michael Cottingham, Mary Hums, Don Lee, & Hannah Richard
Subjects:
Health and Social Care, Sociology, Sports and Leisure
This study explored the experiences of female power soccer players in light of three distinct positions they hold: as athletes with disabilities in a predominantly non-disabled world; as athletes with more impactful physiological impairments within the disability sport community; and as women in a co-ed male-dominated sport.
Opportunities and benefits for powerchair users through power soccer
Published: Jul 01, 2017 by Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly
Authors: Michael S. Jeffress & William J. Brown
Subjects:
Health and Social Care, Sociology, Sports and Leisure
This study provides a qualitative analysis of the experiences of 34 American power soccer athletes. Participant observation and in-depth interviews with 11 female and 23 male athletes were conducted between 2007 and 2013.
Freedom of Choice in The Great Divorce: C. S. Lewis’s Rhetorical Vision of Afterlife
Published: Mar 01, 2017 by CSL: The Bulletin of the New York C.S. Lewis Society
Authors: Michael S. Jeffress & William J. Brown
Subjects:
Literature, Religion
Fantasy theme analysis study of Afterlife in C.S. Lewis's adult fiction novel, The Great Divorce.