Professor Mickey Keenan from the School of Psychology on the Coleraine campus, was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor Honoris Causa in the field of Special Education from Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic.
Over the past 10 years, Prof. Keenan has been a driving force behind the development of science-based autism services in the Czech Republic. He played a key role in the introduction professional training at Masaryk University.
Together with families affected by autism, policy makers, and academics, he was involved in the foundation of the Czech Association for Behaviour Analysis. One of his key achievements is the fact that the Czech government ratified a law to regulate the profession of Behaviour Analyst, nationally.
Prof. Keenan said:
“Over the years I have been involved with bringing the science of Behaviour Analysis to the Czech Republic I was struck by the passion in the community for addressing the needs of autistic children and adults and their families. By embracing science-based practice in the way they have done, I am humbled to receive an award that recognises our shared passion for the promotion of science in the community.”
As well as this Honorary Doctorate, Prof. Keenan has received numerous prestigious national and international awards, and honours, for his unswerving advocacy for the rights of persons with disabilities to receive science-based support.
Prof. Keenan is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, a Fellow of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, and Distinguished Community Fellow at Ulster University.