A Professor of Special Education at Boise State University since 1987, Dr. Hourcade received a Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of Missouri before going on to join the faculties of first Eastern Kentucky University, and then Louisiana Tech University. His primary areas of professional emphasis include severe disabilities, physical disabilities, and cognitive impairment. Within the department Dr. Hourcade typically teaches a variety of courses, including ED-SPED 250 Exceptionality in the Schools, ED-SPED 251 Collaboration in School and Community, ED-SPED 356 Instruction for Students with Severe Disabilities, and ED-SPED 555, Issues and Trends in Special Education. In 2005 he was honored as the Student’s Choice Outstanding Faculty Member from the College of Education by the Associated Students of Boise State University.

Dr. Hourcade’s scholarly work includes two co-authored books, four co-edited books, six book chapters, over sixty articles in refereed professional journals, and over forty presentations at national and international conferences. His work most recently has targeted professional collaboration in the schools, and guidelines for the selection of assistive technology for students with disabilities. In 2005 he was selected for the 2005 President's Research and Scholarship Award for the College of Education, Boise State University.

A longtime member of the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division on Developmental Disabilities, Dr. Hourcade has served on the Board of Directors of that Division since 1998. Beginning in 2001, Dr. Hourcade additionally assumed the role of Publications Chair for the division, which includes supervision of the journal Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, the division’s print publications, including the Prism series, and the division’s video offerings, including the award-winning Growing Up With Autism by Taylor and David Crowe.