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.