University of Central Florida
08/31/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/31/2026 14:09
UCF Professor Paves the Way for the Promising Future of Special Education
Matthew Marino rises at 4:45 a.m. to begin a day he's already thankful for. He chooses to not think about his vision problems or the surgeries (more than a dozen) his body has endured. Marino says he's "happy" to work out, "blessed" to spend time with his daughter and son before they go to school, and "honored" to come to work as director of UCF's Toni Jennings Exceptional Education Institute (TJEEI).
"To lead this amazing team and help change the lives of people with disabilities," Marino says, summarizing the impact of his work before emphasizing the impact it's made on him, "I feel like I'm living a dream every single day."
A number of factors, personal and professional, feed Marino's enthusiasm.
He was once given only a slim chance to walk again. He knows how it feels to vanquish doubt and has witnessed dramatic changes in others because someone believed in them, perhaps for the first time.
He funnels all of this - passion, teamwork and life experiences - into his why: Discover better strategies to help more people read, learn and find meaningful employment.
"People with learning disabilities are all around us," says Marino, a professor of special education in the College of Community Innovation and Education. "There isn't a moment that goes by when I'm not thinking about how I can make a difference for them."
His resolve has led to $75.5 million in funding for 18 research projects since 2011. The most recent months, however, have been stunning, with technology unlocking so many doors that Marino can hardly believe what's happening.
"We're in a spot with AI that I never thought I'd see in my lifetime," he says. "It means our opportunities to give people hope are growing."
Matthew Marino is driven to help people living with disabilities to find the tools to open the doors of employment. (Photo by Antoine Hart)Using Tech to Better Serve People
The field of special education is complicated. Disorders, spectrums, challenges that change with age, processing delays, they're all part of a giant melting pot.
Marino boils his work down to the largest group: those who have specific learning disabilities - about 2.4 million students in the United States.
"Most of them face a constant battle to identify letters and translate them into sounds and words," he says. "The same is true with math symbols and numbers. It takes a ton of persistence to do basic classwork."
Unfortunately, frustration often leads capable, intelligent people to give up.
"But our work with AI is changing everything," Marino says. He puts us in the shoes of a student to illustrate. "You're studying the complexities of cells, trying to read cumbersome texts about mitochondria and osmosis. Now we can show you how to use AI to code words, phrases or symbols and translate them into understandable text."
The material can be converted to slide decks, podcasts and videos. A process that used to take five days to complete can be done in one minute.
"What matters most is that students can learn," Marino says. "It's a gamechanger for teachers, too. Instead of spending an hour presenting information, they can focus on the reason they love teaching: to give students a better future."
This far exceeds the futuristic vision Marino brought to UCF in 2011.
He didn't even intend to accept a position when he came from Washington State University for an interview.
"I'm an early adopter of technology," he says. "On that trip, I was introduced to UCF's work in VR, AR and FIEA (Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy). I told my wife, 'I think we need to come here.'"
He immediately dove in, earning research grants and contracts from agencies like the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Office of Special Education Programs, and Institute of Educational Sciences. He's layered the newest advancements into each project.
The progress made, according to Marino, has mostly come from a force more powerful than technology alone: the team of experts at TJEEI.
"They have siblings who never thrived because of dyslexia or they've cared for a family member with memory loss," he says. "When a student comes in with a story, at least one of us can relate to it."
Turning Obstacles into Impact
As for Marino's own story, he recites the date as easily as his birthday: Sept. 23, 1990. Marino, 19, was playing rugby for Keene State College in New Hampshire.
During a breakaway, two opponents hit him so hard his head snapped back and he landed on his neck. In the hospital, he was told a spinal cord injury would prevent him from walking and his life expectancy will shorten.
"I laid in that hospital bed for a long time," Marino says, "and had a moment with God where I made a promise: 'If I get up and walk out of here, I'll change my life and give back to others.' "
"I laid in that hospital bed for a long time. … I made a promise: 'If I get up and walk out of here, I'll change my life and give back to others.' "
That's exactly what he did, walking out the door and leaving plans for an architecture career in the past.
For his first job, he mentored students with extreme behavior challenges. Marino's dad, an educator, opened his son's eyes to an unfortunate truth: They hired you because no one else wants to work with those kids.
"He was right," Marino says. "That experience made me realize how much it means to a kid when someone takes the time to help, without judging. I also knew the field of special education is where I'm needed most."
There are too many stories for Marino to recount. Each carries its own weightiness, so he shares a recent one: "We heard from a graduate who was named employee of the month at Amazon. When we first met, he was living in a poor area of Orlando, riding a bus two hours to UCF. But he committed to learning and improving his life. We gave him the same commitment. And now look how he's doing."
The daily inspiration Marino finds in people he helps at UCF is part of why he doesn't dwell on the near-tragic accident or the limitations it still causes at times. Instead, he focuses on the benefits that continue to grow from it.
"I walked when doctors said I wouldn't," he says. "I made it to 30 years old, to 40 and to 50. I'm still going, still keeping my promise, and I have no intention to stop."
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College of Community Innovation and Education Faculty Excellence artificial intelligence Toni Jennings Exceptional Education Institute Matthew MarinoRelated Stories
University of Central Florida published this content on August 31, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on August 31, 2026 at 20:09 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]