Education

  • Ph.D. 2005 – University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Special Education
  • M.Ed. 2001 – North Carolina State University, Special Education-Learning Disabilities
  • B.S.Ed. 1996 – Western Carolina University, Special Education

Areas of Expertise

  • Educators with Disabilities
  • Working with Families
  • Literacy Instruction for Students with Dyslexia
  • Inclusive Classroom
  • Teacher Recruitment
  • Curriculum Development

Background

Prior to joining the faculty in 2014, Diliberto was an Associate Professor of Special Education at Greensboro College. She has over 20 years experience in special education and has taught in both public and private K-12 school settings serving students with high-incidence disabilities. She has presented and published on topics related to educators with disabilities, working with families, literacy instruction, inclusive education, and teacher recruitment. Her supplemental curriculum, Taking on Tough Words, published by Attainment Company Inc. is being chosen by multi-tiered system of support teams for use as a Tier II or III intervention for students with needs in multisyllabic decoding. Additionally, she is an active member of the International Council for Exceptional Children.

Research

Diliberto’s areas of expertise include learning disabilities, literacy instruction using multisensory structured language programs, working with families during the Individualized Education Plan process, educators with disabilities, and recruitment of special education teachers. She believes that all students can reach their highest potential when taught by highly qualified teachers using evidence-based practices and confidence in the abilities of their students.

Diliberto is a dedicated and passionate special educator. She believes that individuals with disabilities hold many extraordinary gifts and that it is an educator’s responsibility to partner with families to help these individuals uncover their gifts so they can shine and reach their highest potential.

  • EDUC 528, Exceptionality Across the Life Span
  • EDUC 689, Foundations of Special Education
  • EDUC 791, Providing Specially Designed Instruction
  • EDUC 698, Internship in Human Development and Family Science
  • EDUC 532, Human Development and Learning
  • EDUC 698, Internship in Human Development and Family Studies
  • EDUC 872, UNC Teaching Fellows: Community of Learners
  • EDUC 793, High-Leveraged Practices in Special Education with a Focus on Literacy Instruction
  • EDUC 496, Independent Study
  • EDUC 994, Doctoral Research and Dissertation
  • EDUC 390, Special Topics in Education
  • EDUC 694H, Honors Thesis in Education
  • EDUC 691H, Honors Seminar in Education
  • EDMX 735, Math and Content Area Methods: Special Education, General Curriculum
  • EDMX 721, Content-Area Reading and Writing
  • EDMX 782, Behavioral Support Techniques
  • EDMX 716, Assessment and Differentiation
  • EDUC 593, Internship/Student Teaching
  • EDMX 762, Advanced Emergent and Early Literacy
  • EDMX 734, Revisiting Literacy
  • EDUC 520, Early Language and Literacy Learning-Birth to Third Grade
  • EDUC 516, Introduction to the Education of Exceptional Learners
  • EDUC 865, College Teaching Internship
  • EDMX 704, Literacy Reflection
  • EDMX 709, Teacher Researcher II
  • EDUC 513, Methods for Teaching in the Elementary School

“Heels Program”, Diliberto-Fender, J., Lead Principal Investigator; UNC-CH Allied Health Sciences School of Medicine, $2,000. (January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021).

“Special Olympics Team Development”, Evarrs, S., Co-Principal Investigator; Frederick, H., Co-Principal Investigator; Diliberto, J., Co-Principal Investigator; UNC-CH – School of Education, $3,000. (June 1, 2019 – November 19, 2019).

  • Thorp Engaged Scholarship, UNC-Chapel Hill. (2025).
  • Nominated for:Teaching Excellence Award, School of Education. (August 13, 2024).
  • Coucil for Excpetional Children – Divison for Research. (September 1, 2002 – Present).
  • Council for Exceptional Children – Divison of Learning Disabilities. (September 1, 2002 – Present).
  • Council for Exceptional Children – Teacher Education Division. (September 1, 2002 – Present).
  • International Dyslexia Association. (September 1, 2002 – Present).
  • Council for Excpetional Children. (September 1, 1994 – Present).

Journal Article

Mamlin, N., & Diliberto, J. (2020). There’s No Place Like Home: Finding Teachers in Your Backyard. Rural Special Education Quarterly. Published.

Diliberto, J. (2019). Faculty Perspectives on HEELS 2 Transition Project. National Council of Family Relations Network, 32.4.

Wery, J., & Diliberto, J. A. (2016). The effect of a specialized dyslexia font, OpenDyslexic, on reading rate and accuracy. Annual of Dyslexia, 1–14.

Diliberto, J., Brewer, B., & TEACHING, ,. (2014). REPRINT for The Best of Children Six tips for successful IEP meetings. Children, 47(2).

Diliberto, J. A., & Brewer, B. (2012). Six tips for successful IEP meetings. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 44(4).

Diliberto, J. A., Beattie, J., Flowers, C., & Algozzine, B. (2009). The effects of syllable skills instruction on reading achievement. Literacy Research and Instruction, 49, 14–27.

Diliberto, J. A. (2004). Tips for teachers: Improving descriptive sentence writing in elementary students. Preventing School Failure, 48, 34–36.

Konrad, M., Courtade-Little, G., Diliberto, J. A., Eddy, S. E., Fowler, C. H., McCormack, S. L., Neale, M., & Schleider, M. (2003). In other sources. Career Development for Exceptional Children, 26, 239–247.

Book Chapter

Zhang, L., Diliberto, J. A., & Carter, R. (accepted). Personalization and differentiation in policies: Considerations for establishing a cohesive implementation system. In The Handbook of Personalized Learning: Theory, Research, Design, and Practice. Routledge.

Diliberto, J. A. (2006). What works in reading. In Making inclusion work. Corwin Press.

Magazine/Trade Publication

Frederick, H., Diliberto, J., & Googins, J. (2019, October). Working in Disability Services: Guidelines for Our Students. Certified Family Life Education Perspectives, 32.4.

Other

Diliberto, J. A. (2017). Taking On Tough Words. In Attainment Company Inc.

Diliberto, J. A. (2005). Effects of a supplemental syllable skills instruction curriculum on reading and spelling achievement in middle school students taught in remediation classes.. University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Professional

  • Board of Directors, Council for Exceptional Children. (November 1, 2023 – 2027).
  • IHE Member, North Carolina CEEDAR State Steering Team. (2023 – 2025).
  • IHE Member, North Carolina CEEDAR State Leadership Team. (June 2021 – 2025).
  • Board of Directors, The Hill Learning Center, Durhan. (August 2022 – May 2025).
  • Committee Member, Special Education Cooperative Planning Consortium. (August 2012 – 2024).
  • Committee Member, NC Department of Public Instruction Exceptional Children’s Recruitment and Retention Summit. (October 2022 – February 2023).
  • Committee Member, Council for Exceptional Children 20/20 Project. (August 2020 – 2022).
  • Reviewer/Referee, Learning Disabilities Research & Practice. (2015 – 2022).
  • Officer, Educators with Disabilities Caucus a caucus affiliated with Council for Exceptional Children. (2003 – 2022).
  • Committee Member, NC Department of Public Instruction Exceptional Children’s Recruitment and Retention Summit. (November 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020).
  • Committee Member, Cooperative Planning Consortium for SPED in NC. (August 2014 – 2020).
  • Board of Advisors, The Hill Learning Center, Durham, NC. (August 2014 – 2019).
  • Committee Member, B-12 Literacy Stakeholders Group, NC Department of Public Instruction, Raleigh, NC. (October 31, 2019 – November 30, 2019).
  • Reviewer/Referee, Conference proposal reviewer for 2020 conference, Arlington, VA. (June 2019).
  • Committee Member, Literacy Symposium. (March 1, 2019 – May 15, 2019).
  • Committee Member, NC DPI EC Divsion Retention and Recruitment Summit. (October 2018 – January 2019).
  • Reviewer/Referee, CEC, Arlington, VA. (June 2018).
  • Committee Member, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. (January 2015 – 2017).
  • Committee Member, Research and Families Committee, Division of Research International Council for Exceptional Children. (2015 – 2017).
  • Workgroup Chair, Educators with Disabilities Policy Statement Workgroup, Council for Exceptional Children. (2014 – 2016).
  • Conference-Related, Council for Exceptional Children. (May 2016 – June 2016).
  • Chairperson, College Hill Childcare Copperative, Greensboro, NC. (January 1, 2014 – April 1, 2016).

University

  • Committee Member, Faculty Welfare Committee. (August 2023 – 2025).
  • Committee Member, Accessible Carolina. (2023 – 2025).
  • Member, MAT Program. (January 2017 – 2025).
  • Member, HDFS Program. (August 2016 – 2025).
  • Member, ADSSE/CCTE Doctoral Programs. (August 2014 – 2025).
  • Faculty Advisor, Tar Heels at the Table. (August 2021 – December 2023).
  • Committee Member, Scholarship Committee. (2021 – 2023).
  • HEELS UP Director, UNC-CH. (May 1, 2020 – August 15, 2022).
  • UNC NC Teaching Fellows Director, UNC SOE. (November 2017 – July 2022).
  • Relational Leadership Institute at Carolina Facilitator, UNC-CH. (January 2022 – April 2022).
  • Member, UNC Closing the Prosperity Gap Collaborative. (April 1, 2020 – December 31, 2021).
  • Member, Scholarship Committee. (2017 – 2020).
  • Steering Committee Member, HEELS UP. (2015 – December 2020).
  • Assistant Director, HEELS to Transition. (January 1, 2019 – April 30, 2020).
  • Search committee member, UNC SOE. (May 1, 2019 – August 1, 2019).
  • Search Committee Member, SOE. (August 2018 – December 2018).
  • Special Education Cohort Leader, Master’s of Education for Experienced Teachers. (2015 – May 2018).
  • Committee Member, MAT. (2016 – December 2017).
  • Planning Team Member, Standards Based Education (SBE) Program Partnership with North Carolina State University. (May 2017 – August 2017).
  • Search Committee Member, Special Education & School Psychology Faculty Search. (2015 – 2016).

Public

  • Educational Consultant/Expert Witness, Gahagan Paradis Law Firm, Durham. (2020 – 2021).
  • Educational Consultant, Duke Education Law Clinic. (2015 – 2020).
  • Advisory Board, The Hill Center, Durham. (2014 – 2017).
  • Chair, Council for Exceptional Children. (2014 – 2016).
  • Personnel Chair, College Hill Childcare Cooperative. (2014 – 2016).