Accessibility
Advocacy

My commitment to digital accessibility was fundamentally shaped during the COVID-19 pandemic, which underscored the critical need for inclusive content to support our diverse student population. This insight led me to transition from an instructional designer to a dedicated accessibility advocate, driving institutional change and promoting best practices.

Expertise and Philosophy

I am dedicated to ensuring all learning content is inclusive and compliant. My philosophy is rooted in the principle of "progress over perfection." I understand that digital accessibility is an evolving landscape—a reality reinforced by upcoming mandates like Title II requirements—and I strive for continuous improvement, learning from challenges, and emphasizing that building with accessibility in mind is always more efficient than remediation. This proactive approach ensures all learners have equitable access to educational materials.

For those still hesitant to adopt accessible design, I encourage a perspective-shifting question that frames the ethical imperative: "Who are you comfortable excluding from your course?" This serves as the foundation for my consultation and advocacy work.

Key Contributions and Impact:

• Content Development and Compliance: Creating and reviewing all instructional materials to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) AA Standards.

• Consultation and Training: Guiding Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to embed accessibility principles into their content creation process, both for new development and for the remediation of existing, inaccessible materials.

• Institutional Resource Development: Developing three digital accessibility checklists that have been widely adopted and used across Old Dominion University (ODU) to standardize content creation.

• Technology Leadership: Spearheading the acquisition, adoption, and retention of Grackle for Google Workspace at ODU, which aids in creating accessible documents. I also strongly advocated for the adoption of the YuJa Panorama LMS accessibility platform.

• External Advocacy and Education: Presenting at conferences and workshops—both internally and externally—to share best practices, knowledge, and actionable strategies for building an inclusive digital learning environment.