Pamela S. Beach, PhD, is a professor of motor behavior and associate dean of academic affairs for the College of Health Sciences and Technology at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). She is also a cofounder and codirector of the Institute of Movement Studies for Individuals with Visual Impairments and Deafblindness (IMSVID).
Dr. Beach regularly publishes and presents nationally and internationally. Her research focuses on motor competence, accessible technology, and balance in individuals with and without sensory impairments. She is the author of over 100 peer-reviewed publications and has presented at over 150 national and international conferences. She also organizes the biennial International Symposium on Physical Activity and Individuals with Visual Impairments or Deafblindness.
Dr. Beach serves on the executive board of the American Kinesiology Association and the board for the International Motor Development Research Consortium. Previously, she served as the vice president of the National Consortium for Physical Education for Individuals with Disabilities (NCPEID) and chair of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) Motor Development and Learning Academy. Dr. Beach was the 2026 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award for the Physical Activity and Recreation Division of the American Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER). Her accolades also include the Chancellors Award for Excellence in Teaching; the Roland Fontaine Award for Faculty-Student Engagement; and the Corinne Kirchner Research Award from the American Foundation for the Blind. She resides in western New York with her husband, three children, and dog.
Melanie E. Perreault, PhD, is a professor of motor behavior in the department of kinesiology, sport studies, and physical education and director of the Honors College at State University of New York at Brockport (SUNY Brockport). She is also a codirector of the Institute of Movement Studies for Individuals with Visual Impairments (IMSVI) and co-organizer of the International Symposium on Physical Activity and Individuals with Visual Impairments or Deafblindness. Dr. Perreault teaches undergraduate courses on motor development and motor learning. She received SUNY Brockports Honors Mentor Award and Faculty-Student Engagement Award for her work with undergraduate student research.
Dr. Perreaults main area of research focuses on motor development in children with sensory impairments. She has published over 45 peer-reviewed articles, contributed to nine books, and frequently presents at national and international conferences. Dr. Perreault and her research team received the Corinne Kirchner Research Award from the American Foundation for the Blind and the Recognition Award from the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation for their contributions to the field. She has served on the board of the American Kinesiology Association (AKA) and is currently a member at large for the International Motor Development Research Consortium.
Ali Brian, PhD, CAPE, is a professor and associate dean for research in the College of Education at the University of South Carolina, where she directs the Physical and Developmental Disabilities Research Lab. She also serves as research director for the Institute of Movement Studies for Individuals with Visual Impairments and Deafblindness (IMSVID). Dr. Brian is the research consortium chair for the National Consortium for Physical Education for Individuals with Disabilities (NCPEID) and treasurer of the International Motor Development Research Consortium (I-MDRC). She serves as associate editor of Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport and Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy and is an editorial board member of the Journal of Motor Learning and Development.
Dr. Brians research examines motor development, physical activity, and the motor-cognitive connection, with a particular emphasis on individuals with visual impairments and multiple disabilities. Her work investigates how motor competence, physical activity, executive functioning, self-advocacy, and related developmental factors contribute to health-related quality of life, participation, and independence. She also conducts research on early childhood motor development and interventions designed to promote positive developmental trajectories for children with and without disabilities.
Dr. Brian has authored more than 125 peer-reviewed publications and delivered more than 235 national and international scholarly presentations. Her scholarship has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Hollis Fait Scholarly Contribution Award from NCPEID; the G. Lawrence Rarick Research Award from NCPEID; the Distinguished Scholar Award from SHAPE Americas Motor Behavior Special Interest Group; and the Corinne Kirchner Research Award from the American Foundation for the Blind.