Dr. Nancy Fitzsimons

Nancy Fitzsimons is a Professor of social work at Minnesota State University, Mankato where she teaches graduate courses in social welfare history, services, public policy and policy practice, macro social work practice; and an undergraduate course in social work practice with people with disabilities.

Her scholarship focuses on interpersonal violence perpetrated against people with disabilities. She has authored law enforcement, direct support professional, and other disability-focused training curriculum; journal articles, and the book A Call to Action: Combating Violence and Abuse of People with Disabilities. She was the co-chair and lead author of Minnesota’s Comprehensive Plan to Prevention Abuse and Neglect of People with Disabilities. She is a former member and Chair of the Minnesota Council on Disability. She currently serves as the Board Secretary and the Public Policy Committee Chair at The Arc Minnesota. Dr. Fitzsimons previously worked at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Institute on Disability and Human Development (IDHD).

During her 8-year tenure at IDHD, her work included directing the Abuse and People with Disability Prevention Initiative. Prior to working at IDHD, she worked for 7 years as a social worker in a variety of settings serving people with disabilities, including home-based child and family services, residential services, respite care, independent service coordination, and as a social worker in a nontraditional school.