Djenana Jalovcic

Field of work

Djenana Jalovcic, MPA, MSc, EdD has over 25 years of experience working with post-secondary institutions in disability, community based rehabilitation (CBR) and inclusive development globally. She is an inclusive development practitioner, educator, and researcher.

In 2023 she received the merited teacher status (merittert underviser) at HVL.

• Inclusive Development Praxis: Djenana facilitates partnerships between persons with disabilities and service providers in health, education, employment, social, and policy sectors. Her expertise is in project and program planning, implementation, and evaluation by using human rights based approach. She also advises on inclusive policy development in health, education, social sector and vocational training. In her previous position as a Principal Investigator and Director of ICACBR at Queen’s University, Canada, she made a major contribution to the internationalization of the university by attracting over $15 million dollars in external funding for international projects. These projects reached thousands of beneficiaries while at the same time provided experiential learning opportunities for students who made meaningful contribution to global development. Djenana continues to consult with post-secondary institutions and international organizations on disability inclusive development and rehabilitation.
• Education: Dedicated to teaching and learning she shares her professional experiences with students globally. Djenana teaches courses in disability, community based rehabilitation, global development and qualitative research methods at undergraduate and graduate levels at universities in Canada, United States, Norway, and Bangladesh. Her teaching is rooted in her inclusive development praxis as well as the philosophy of constructivist, collaborative, and networked teaching and learning. She is also a pioneer of online continuing education for disability and rehabilitation practitioners globally. She uses the principles of the universal design for learning to design and deliver her courses. Students’ evaluations consistently show that they appreciated her first-hand experience and knowledge of the topic, her enthusiasm, as well as her availability to support them throughout and after the course. Djenana has in-depth knowledge of pedagogy and educational technologies, and experience in instructional design and curriculum development of interprofessional graduate programs in health and social studies.
• Research: Her research interests merge disability, education and global development. She uses qualitative, phenomenological methods to study how persons with disabilities experience technology mediated services and education. Her other research interests include community based rehabilitation globally as a strategy for inclusive community development, and the interaction of gender and disability and its impact on participation of women with disabilities in all aspects of life.
• Projects: Djenana is a Coordinator of Erasmus+ Project Persons with Refugee Experience Education Project - Interprofessional (PREP -IP). The project is implemented in partnership with Trinity College Dublin, HAN University, HAWK University, UVic-UCC, Bergen Kommune and Independent Doctors Association.    
• Service: Djenana volunteers for local and international organizations. She is a founding member of Women in Global Health Canada Chapter and a mentor in Canadian Association for Global Health MentorNet. She has been on the boards of the Learning Disability Association of Kingston,  Accessibility for All and the Canadian Society for International Health.