E. Paula Crowley was born in West Cork in Ireland and there she received her early education. As a young adult she studied in the United States and upon graduation from the University of Incarnate Word, she worked as a teacher of students with emotional and behavioral disorders at Lackland Special Education Cooperative, in San Antonio, Texas. Following the completion of her Master’s degree studies, she worked at the San Antonio Children’s Center, a residential treatment facility associated with the San Antonio Medical Center. Following years on the clinical staff there, she pursued doctoral studies and received her Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, Virginia. Upon completion of her doctoral studies she came to Illinois State University and is a Professor in the Department of Special Education. Throughout her career she has encountered children with disabilities with histories of abuse and neglect. She is committed to the belief that the abuse and neglect of children with disabilities is preventable.