The King Salman Center for Disability Research announced the recipients of its quadrennial International Awards for Disability Research on 10 September 2026, and one of them is Dan Hallahan, familiar to readers of Special Education Today.
The awards for 2026, which is the fourth round of the awards, are made in five specific areas of research. The areas and the recipients are as follows:
Rehabilitation and Social Sciences: Christopher Gerard Maher (AU) and Stefano Negrini (IT);
Technological Applications in Disability: Conor Walsh (IE) and Rory Alan Cooper (US);
Health and Medical Sciences: Stephen Wayne Scherer (CA) and Valerie Lvovitch Viegon (NZ);
Psychological and Educational Sciences: Daniel Patrick Hallahan (US);
Universal Accessibility: Abdul Latif Al-Fawzan Autism Center (SA) and ACCEL International Ajyal Center (SA).
Dan certainly is a deserving recipient. As the links to the other recipients indicate (those that we could chase down), he is in elite company. That’s because his contributions in research, leadership, and advocacy are way up there. He is “Dan the Man.”
The Award is administered by the King Salman Center for Disability Research, which was established more than three decades ago in response to a need for stronger disability research in Saudi Arabia. The Center reports more than 700 completed research projects, with contributions in areas including national disability policy and legislation, accessibility guidelines, newborn screening and early intervention, learning disabilities, and the Saudi National Mental Health Survey, and more recently assistive technology and AI.
Work on the Award began in 2008, and the first cycle was held in 2014. It initially covered health-medical sciences, education, and rehabilitation-social sciences. It expanded to include technological applications and universal accessibility, a shift that mirrors the broader movement of disability research from diagnosis and rehabilitation toward technology, accessibility, and participation. Participation has also widened considerably since the first cycle, which drew researchers from 42 countries.
The King Salman International Award for Disability Research has become one of the most recognized honors for disability research in the Arab world. It reflects Saudi Arabia’s long-standing investment in the field and is known for its rigorous scientific evaluation, recognizing researchers and institutions whose work has made a measurable scientific and societal contribution. Its regional visibility is strong: the fourth cycle, for example, was circulated through the Association of Arab Universities to encourage participation from universities, research centers, and faculties across the region. Its reach is international too, with the fourth edition attracting 770 nominations from 111 countries across six continents, according to a press release from the center.
The Center for Disability Research was founded by King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in his responsibility for maintaining the Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina. The elevation of work on disability to this high level of visibility and respect is wonderful achievement.
Congratulations, Dan!!