Sedigheh Fatollahzadeh Dizaji
Teaching Assistant
Special Education,
Educational Studies
About
Sedigheh Fatollahzadeh is a doctoral student in Special Education at Purdue University, where her research focuses on the intersections of artificial intelligence, assistive technology, and community-based art practices. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Painting and a Master’s degree in Art Education, bringing more than two decades of experience as an artist, educator, and curator. Her work also investigates how art-based initiatives can be integrated with emerging media to address systemic inequities, stimulate public dialogue, and empower marginalized populations. Through both scholarly inquiry and artistic practice, she strives to cultivate inclusive environments that merge creativity, technology, and pedagogy to broaden access to artistic expression. Her career includes more than forty exhibitions across multiple countries and over a decade of teaching in universities, schools, and private studio settings.
Education
- Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Alzahra University – Tehran
- Master of Science in Art Education (MS), Illinois State University – Normal, Illinois
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Alzahra University – Tehran
Awards & Honors
- 2025 Service-Learning Grant, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, US
- 2024 Exemplary Community Partner Award, Wabash Center, Lafayette, IN, US
- 2024 The Ross Fellowship, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, US
- 2024 EDST Graduate Student Travel Award, Purdue university, IN, US
- 2024 Graduate Student Travel Awards, Purdue university, IN, US
- 2024 Service-Learning Grant, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, US
- 2023 Presidential Doctoral Excellence Award, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, US
- 2023 The Ross Fellowship, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, US
- 2023 Irving S. and Joan Tick Award in painting, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, US
- 2021 Wonsook Kim School of Art Graduate School Merit Fellowship, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, US
- 2013 Selected Artist in 6th Visual Arts Festival of Young Art, Tehran, Iran
Professional Affiliations/Memberships
- 2023 – Present Member, National Art Education Association, US
- 2023 – Present Member, DARTS- Division of Visual and Performing Arts Education
- 2023 – Present Member, Council for Exceptional Children
- 2009 – Present Member, Visual Art Association of Iran
Research & Publications
My research focuses on artificial intelligence, assistive technology, and community-based art projects.
Selected Publications
- 2023 Accepted, Art education as a tool of feminist resistance in iran (1979-2022). [Order No. 30312259]. Illinois State University , Us. https://proquest.com/docview/2832694176
- 2024 Accepted, Empowering Art through Inclusion: The Mural Fence Project at Wabash Center, Art Education Association of Indiana (AEAI ) Contact Article, Us
- 2024 Accepted , interview with Susan Loesl, Journal of the Arts and Special Education (JASE), Us
Advisor
Research Area / Dissertation Topic
My research interests encompass AI in education, assistive technologies, and community-based art projects, with an emphasis on promoting inclusivity and accessibility for individuals with disabilities.