"The informational is transformational only when it is relational."
Dr. Boehm's work is situated at the intersection of disability and faith.
A LIFE MESSAGE: Relational depth for Kingdom breadth (RDKB).
A LIFE MISSION: Disability ministry fueling a Maranatha mandate.
Everything you read on every page on my websites will unpack these deep ideas deeply embedded in the heart and purposes of God. This message and mission involve three initiatives, Faith for ALL, Scripture for ALL, and Education for ALL.
In addition to masters degrees in psychology (Northwestern University) and divinity (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), Thomas also earned his doctorate in special education at Vanderbilt University. He currently serves at Wheaton College as the Chair of the Department of Education, the Ann Haskins Associate Professor of Special Education, the founding director of the Wheaton Center for Faith and Disability, and the founding director of the non-profit, Faith for ALL.
In these various roles, Dr. Boehm’s passion is to make disability-engagement more biblical, normative, and transformative for all. His research and writing focus on building inclusive community within classrooms and congregations to improve family quality of life for both people with and without disability.
Dr. Boehm's interest in disability began as an early career professional working in the social services sector but was catapulted in new directions when he became the parent of a child with a disability. He then decided to rethink his entire worldview by studying the Bible at Trinity International University where he earned a masters degree in divinity. He then went on to teach special education for students with significant support needs and earned a doctorate in special education at Vanderbilt University. His dissertation research involved gathering perspectives from almost 900 families within two regions of the United States with a son or daughter with intellectual disability in order to understand and improve family quality of life.
Dr. Boehm enjoys cultivating what he calls, "Relational depth for Kingdom breadth," which involves pressing in to deeper relationships of transparency, vulnerability, and authenticity to love God and others well for the sake of seeing the Kingdom of God established here on Earth. He does this first and foremost with his wife and five children and together they are committed to building inclusive community whereby people at the margins of society are embraced with God's extravagant and compelling love.