Dr. O’Quin has worked for over 25 years as a Speech-Language Pathologist in private practice, hospitals, clinics, home-health, public schools, private schools, and special education cooperatives, offering services to children and adults ages birth through 99. Dr. O’Quin found her niche working in urban communities with African American students and families in the inner city. She has a particular interest in how PK-12 educators perceive African American Vernacular English (AAVE), how to better prepare educators to serve PK-12 students who speak AAVE, and how to provide PK-12 educators with tools to distinguish AAVE from a disorder.
Dr. O’Quin is a strong advocate for culturally and linguistically diverse learners and has had multiple opportunities to give testimonials before the Illinois House of Representatives in Springfield, IL, and U.S. Congressional Legislators in Washington, DC. She currently serves as the President of the Division for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Learners (DDEL) for the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). She is also a member of several committees at the Illinois Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ISHA), including the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, the Multicultural Committee, and the Assistant Task Force, which was developed to support Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Assistants in the state of Illinois.
Dr. O’Quin joined the Communications Disorders Department of Governors State University in 2022, first as adjunct faculty, then as Visiting Professor, and now as an Assistant Professor. She is also the founder and Executive Director of MixEdInclusion, LLC, a private practice and consulting company dedicated to special education and speech-language services in Black and Brown urban communities. Dr. O’Quin has a decade of experience with clinical education and teaching in graduate programs.
In addition to her academic and professional roles, Dr. O’Quin delivered a TED Talk titled "The Impact of Linguistic Bias," related to her research on the valuation of African American Vernacular English and linguistic discrimination. Her scholarship includes presentations at regional, national, and international academic conferences and institutions. Dr. O’Quin’s research interests include the valuation of African American Vernacular English, the examination of disproportionality in special education, and the expansion of culturally responsive teaching practices in urban education.
Dr. O’Quin holds licensure with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) as both a Speech-Language Pathologist and a Director of Special Education. She also holds certification through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR).