Personal profile
Research interests
My interdisciplinary research focuses on the fields of disability studies, mental health, rehabilitation, and digital communication and social technologies (including mHealth). I explore the social and emotional aspects of living with a lifelong disability, including community participation, quality of life, and well-being of adults and older adults with intellectual and other developmental disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, and chronic illnesses. I explore the participation of people with disabilities in various life domains e.g., employment, education, and social and romantic relationships, from individual and family perspectives. As a mother with a lifelong physical disability, I am particularly interested in exploring the parenthood of adults with disabilities, the dynamics and relationships among these families, and the implications on the children’s well-being.
My personal experience as a woman with a disability has influenced my academic work and community advocacy. Below are examples of my past and current research projects and community activities:
- Promoting the well-being of people with disabilities (SDG-3): Understanding the experiences and unmet needs of parents with disabilities and their children; Using digital communication technology to maintain contact between older adults with intellectual disabilities who live in out-of-home supported residence and their families during COVID-19; A (voluntarily) member of Access Israel.
- Promoting inclusive education (SDG-4): Exploring the experiences of students with disabilities and administrative and academic staff members toward making the academic environment more accessible; A (voluntarily) member of the advisory committee for a social enterprise - "Flying toward the academic degree” – aimed to support the needs of students with disabilities.
- Promoting gender equality (SDG-5): Research projects that focus on the empowerment of women and mothers with disabilities.
- Reducing inequality in society (SDG-10): A member of a local musical ensemble of singers with and without a disability.
- Promoting the rights of people with disabilities (SDG-16): An academic representative of a round table managed by the Ministry of Law on the right of adults with disabilities to become parents; A co-chairwoman of “Haifa Forum of Disability Studies” to promote critical and ethical discussions on issues related to the people with disabilities.
External positions
COST Action (Europe) No. CA18236: "Multi-disciplinary innovation for social change" (SHIINE - https://socialchangelab.eu/).
2019 → 2023
Member of Board of Directors, Parenting SIRG, IASSIDD (https://iassidd.org/sirgs/parenting-with-intellectual-disabilities/ )
2019 → …
COST Action (Europe) No. IS1311: "Intergenerational Family Solidarity across Europe" (INTERFASOL)
2014 → 2018
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 5 Gender Equality
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SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Digital Pathways to Family Bonds: Exploring WhatsApp Video Calls Adoption by Older Adults With Intellectual Disability in Out-of-Home Residence
Shpigelman, C. N., Isaacson, M. & Cohen-Nudelman, A., Jan 2026, In: Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities. 39, 1, e70173.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
From Survival to Growth - The Coping Experience of Mothers of Children with Disabilities During a Global Crisis: The Case of COVID-19
Hochman, Y., Werner, S. & Shpigelman, C. N., Nov 2025, In: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 55, 11, p. 3973-3985 13 p.University of Haifa, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Perceptions and Experiences of Antipsychotic Use and Discontinuation Among Young Adults Who Completed a First-Episode Psychosis Program
Schneidman, A., Roe, D., Zisman-Ilani, Y. & Shpigelman, C. N., 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: Journal of Humanistic Psychology.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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The role of administrative staffs’ self-efficacy in promoting inclusive higher education: A case of students with disabilities
Shraga-Roitman, Y., Shpigelman, C. N., Schreuer, N., Sachs, D. & Mor, S., Aug 2025, In: Work. 81, 4, p. 3184-3193 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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מאמר פרספקטיבה: בחינת הפוטנציאל הטמון באקטיביזם כדרך התמודדות של משפחה לאדם עם הפרעת נפש
יניב-הררי, א., רועה, ד. & שפיגלמן, כ.-נ., 2025, In: חברה ורווחה: רבעון לעבודה סוציאלית. מ"ה, 3, p. 406-416 11 p.Translated title of the contribution :Perspective Article:Exploring the Potential of Activism as a Way of Coping Among Family Members of a Person With Serious Mental Illness Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access