Kami Gallus

I am a Professor and Associate Director of the OSU Center for Developmental Disabilities in the Department of Human Development and Family Science at Oklahoma State University. In 2020, I co-founded the OSU Center for Developmental Disabilities to advance research, training, community partnerships, and supports that improve the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Building on this commitment, I helped found Opportunity Orange Scholars (OOS), OSU’s inclusive higher-education program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, which was established in fall 2022. I currently serve as a faculty mentor for OOS. Together, these initiatives reflect my commitment to fostering belonging, expanding opportunity, and building more inclusive communities.

Before assuming my current role, I served as core faculty (2007-2021) and Program Director (2016-2017) of the OSU Marriage and Family Therapy program. My scholarship focuses on enhancing quality of life, belonging, and relationship outcomes among vulnerable, often marginalized, and traditionally underserved populations, including female trauma survivors, at-risk youth, and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Rather than viewing vulnerability as a fixed individual deficit, I use a social-ecological lens that understands vulnerability as emerging from the fit between people and their environments. Guided by this perspective, my applied research, community programming, and clinical work do not seek to “fix” individuals. Instead, they aim to transform how people are understood and supported across contexts and systems, helping create conditions that promote belonging, stronger relationships, and improved quality of life.

Research Interests:

Trauma

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Family Caregivers

Person-Centered Services

Respite